NHL Player News

Matinpalo posted an assist, two shots on goal and two blocked shots in Monday's 2-1 loss to the Kings.

Matinpalo missed one game due to an undisclosed injury. He returned with 15:02 of ice time Monday in a third-pairing role, so he appears to be good to go moving forward. He should have a steady place in the lineup as long as Thomas Chabot (upper body) is out. Matinpalo has three assists, 10 shots on net, 13 hits and 17 blocked shots in 13 appearances.

Schmidt logged two assists, two hits and a plus-2 rating in Monday's 5-1 win over the Golden Knights.

Schmidt is quietly on a five-game point streak (one goal, five helpers). The 34-year-old defenseman's seeing top-four minutes and time on the second power-play unit, which is certainly helping as he trends toward his best showing on offense since a 31-point campaign in 2021-22. He's at one goal, 10 points, 32 shots on net, 26 hits, 18 blocked shots and a plus-11 rating over 23 appearances this season.

Christiansen notched an assist, two hits, two PIM and a minus-2 rating in Monday's 5-1 loss to the Capitals.

The helper was Christiansen's first point of the season. The 26-year-old has added 16 shots on net, 15 hits, seven blocked shots and a minus-9 rating over 19 appearances while averaging 10:31 of ice time. Christiansen will be competing with the newly-signed Brendan Smith for ice time moving forward, which could see both defensemen end up in part-time roles.

Mateychuk scored a goal on three shots in Monday's 5-1 loss to the Capitals.

Mateychuk's tally broke up Logan Thompson's shutout bid at 5:50 of the third period. The 21-year-old Mateychuk has four points over his last 10 games while playing in a top-four role on the Blue Jackets' defense. The blueliner is at a career-high five goals while adding four assists, 25 shots on net, 36 blocked shots, 14 hits and a plus-2 rating over 22 appearances. His scoring efficiency will drop over time, but that should be offset by a few more assists, and he should have no trouble surpassing his 13-point output from 45 games last year.

Fehervary scored a goal, blocked three shots and went plus-3 in Monday's 5-1 win over the Blue Jackets.

Fehervary has a goal and an assist over his last two outings after an eight-game slump. The 26-year-old defenseman tacked on the Capitals' fifth goal -- and fourth from a blueliner -- in this contest. Fehervary is up to eight points, 28 shots on net, 30 hits, 41 blocked shots and a plus-10 rating through 23 appearances. He's on pace to surpass his career high of 25 points from the 2024-25 regular season, though he'll need to stay healthy to do so after he logged a career-high 81 games last year.

Borgen (upper body) skated in a non-contact jersey during Tuesday's practice, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports.

Borgen remains on injured reserve and is day-to-day. He will travel with the Rangers on the team's upcoming two-game road trip, which begins against Carolina on Wednesday. However, it's unlikely that a return to the lineup is imminent. Borgen has one goal, two assists, 16 shots on net, 24 blocked shots and 26 hits across 19 appearances this season.

Pionk (lower body) will join the team for its five-game road trip, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports Tuesday.

Pionk didn't participate in line rushes Tuesday, so he may not be ready for the first game of the trip versus the Capitals on Wednesday. Still, the blueliner hasn't been officially ruled out. In his last five outings, the Nebraska native has generated one goal on 10 shots and two assists, including one power-play point.

Seider distributed two assists, recorded three shots on goal and blocked seven shots in Monday's 4-3 loss to New Jersey.

Seider was fantastic at both ends of the ice Monday, impersonating a brick wall by recording seven blocks. He also tallied two secondary helpers on Detroit's goals from Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin. With the monster effort Monday, Seider is up to 13 assists, 16 points, 59 shots on goal, 43 hits and 43 blocks through 23 games this season. The 24-year-old blueliner has continued to be a force both offensively and defensively this season, giving him elite category coverage in all fantasy leagues that value defensive stats. He is not only on pace to post one of the most well-rounded seasons from a defenseman this season, but also has a chance to set a career high in multiple key stats.

Head coach Dean Evason conveyed Tuesday that Werenski (upper body) is "working through some stuff today," but the blueliner is expected to skate Wednesday morning and see how he feels, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

This is great news for the Blue Jackets and fantasy managers alike, as Werenski appears to have avoided a serious injury. NHL Insider Frank Seravalli said Tuesday that the Blue Jackets believe Werenski will be good to go for Wednesday's home matchup versus Toronto, but that's certainly not a guarantee depending on how the all-world defenseman feels after the morning skate. If Werenski is forced to miss any time, Denton Mateychuk would be a candidate to receive increased opportunities on the blue line.

Mayo was loaned to AHL Cleveland on Tuesday.

The Blue Jackets signed Brendan Smith to a one-year, two-way contract Monday, which could be a reason why the team felt comfortable sending Mayo back to the minors. Mayo has appeared in just one game with the big club this year, posting three shots on goal and a minus-1 rating in 7:33 of ice time.