NHL Player News

Bjornfot (undisclosed) was injured Wednesday versus the Bruins and is unlikely to play Thursday versus the Lightning, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

It sounds like the Panthers' lineup will be rotated pretty heavily for the second half of the back-to-back, but Bjornfot looks to be the least likely to play. That should open the door for Donovan Sebrango to check into the lineup on the third pairing. Bjornfot's status for after the Olympic break is unlikely to be determined until the team reconvenes in the latter half of February.

Anderson (upper body) won't play Wednesday versus the Kraken, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.

Anderson will miss at least one game after suffering an injury in Sunday's 3-2 overtime loss to Carolina. The 26-year-old defenseman's status for Thursday against the Golden Knights hasn't been decided yet. Jacob Moverare will play against Seattle on Wednesday due to Anderson's absence.

Kaiser sustained a lower-body injury and won't return to Wednesday's game versus the Blue Jackets.

Kaiser put little weight on his left leg after getting tangled up with Zach Werenski in the first period. The 23-year-old Kaiser will have the whole Olympic break to recover, but that may not be enough if further evaluations reveal a significant injury.

Hague (lower body) is set to return to the lineup Wednesday versus the Wild, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Hague was labeled week-to-week as of Jan. 24, but his absence will end at five games. The 27-year-old defenseman will handle a third-pairing role alongside Nick Blankenburg. Justin Barron is set to exit the lineup.

Mackey was reassigned to AHL Hartford on Wednesday.

The Rangers recalled Anton Blidh from the minors in a corresponding move. Mackey hasn't played in the NHL yet this campaign, but he has two goals, seven points and 54 PIM in 35 outings with Hartford in 2025-26.

Jones (lower body) was suspended for 20 games by the NHL on Wednesday for violating the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.

Jones had been on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury and suffered a setback during his conditioning loan with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton before joining Pittsburgh for a full practice Monday. He is no longer listed on the Penguins, according to the NHL media site, indicating a potential move to the non-roster list. He will be eligible to return against Tampa Bay on April 2.

Drysdale scored a power-play goal on two shots and blocked four shots in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Capitals.

Drysdale ended a 20-game goal drought with his third-period tally, which stood as the game-winner. The defenseman had seven assists and a minus-10 rating during that span. Drysdale is up to four goals, 22 points (five on the power play), 61 shots on net, 59 blocked shots and a minus-7 rating over 52 appearances. He has a chance to take a run at the 30-point mark for just the second time in his career.

Van Riemsdyk logged an assist and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Flyers.

Van Riemsdyk has played in eight straight games, largely a product of the Capitals having dealt with some injuries on the blue line. He snapped an 11-game point drought with his helper on an Anthony Beauvillier goal in the third period. Van Riemsdyk is up to seven points, 24 shots on net, 62 blocked shots, 16 PIM and a minus-5 rating across 44 outings this season, mainly in a third-pairing role.

Matinpalo was scratched for the 16th time in 18 games in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Hurricanes.

That span is from the start of January. Matinpalo sat just once during December, but Jordan Spence has claimed a larger share of playing time since the calendar flipped to 2026. Matinpalo has earned four assists, 19 shots on net, 27 hits, 33 blocked shots and 10 PIM over 30 NHL outings this season. The 27-year-old defenseman could get an uptick in usage while representing Finland at the Olympics, though the national team has six other NHL-level blueliners on the roster as well.

Miller logged an assist in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Senators.

Miller has been limited to two assists over his last 11 games, a significant downturn after he posted two goals and six helpers in eight contests between Dec. 29 and Jan. 10. The 26-year-old has lost some prime offensive minutes now that the Hurricanes' blue line is fully healthy, with Shayne Gostisbehere and Alexander Nikishin seeing most of the power-play time. Miller has four goals, 23 points, 80 shots on net, 61 hits, 49 blocked shots, 38 PIM and an even plus-minus rating through 48 appearances this season, giving him a chance to reach the 30-point mark for the third time in four years.