NHL Player News

Chychrun scored the game-winning goal in overtime in a 3-2 victory over Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

Chychrun scored back door with a shot off the right post and in after Tom Wilson went for a skate around the back of the net and found the defender from the left side. It's his first goal of the 2025-26. Chychrun has a goal and three assists (eight shots) in four games this season.

Head coach Jon Cooper said he didn't think Crozier (undisclosed) will play in the Lightning's next game Friday versus the Red Wings, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Crozier sustained an injury in the first period versus the Capitals on Tuesday. The 25-year-old's status for Saturday against the Blue Jackets hasn't been revealed, but it appears he could be set for at least a short absence. Darren Raddysh will likely get a chance to rejoin the lineup while Crozier is sidelined.

Crozier (undisclosed) won't return to Tuesday's game versus the Capitals, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports.

Crozier was injured late in the first period and missed all of the second frame before getting ruled out. He has been pushing Darren Raddysh for a place in the lineup early in the year. Crozier can be considered day-to-day for now, leaving his status in doubt for Friday's game in Detroit.

Hanifin (undisclosed) won't play Tuesday versus the Flames, per SinBin.Vegas.

Hanifin is set to miss his third straight game, allowing Ben Hutton to remain in a bottom-four role. There's been no update on Hanifin's status since the injury occurred, and it's unclear if he'll be ready to play Thursday at home versus the Bruins.

Letang (lower body) is expected to play Tuesday versus the Ducks, Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports.

Letang was on power-play drills during practice prior to this contest, so it bodes well for his availability despite being initially labeled a game-time decision. Harrison Brunicke will be rested as the Penguins attempt to manage his workload early in the season. Letang has yet to get on the scoresheet this season, but he has five shots on net, six hits, three blocked shots and a plus-3 rating over three games.

According to Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site, Slavin (lower body) won't be an option against San Jose on Tuesday, and the defenseman didn't accompany the Hurricanes on the team's six-game road trip.

Head coach Rod Brind'Amour told Ruff on Tuesday that Slavin will be kept "out for a while." If the 31-year-old blueliner misses the entirety of the road trip, his next opportunity to play will come against Vegas on Oct. 28. Slavin will be replaced in Tuesday's lineup by Mike Reilly.

Letang (lower body) will be a game-time decision against the Ducks on Tuesday, per NHL.com.

The fact that Letang worked with the Pens' No. 2 power-play unit during Monday's practice would seem to indicate the blueliner will be ready to play. The veteran is poised to pair up with 19-year-old rookie Harrison Brunicke on the second pairing, while Matt Dumba makes his Penguins debut. Through three games this season, Letang remains pointless despite averaging 2:29 of ice time with the man advantage -- though he has recorded just five shots, which explains his lack of offensive production.

Joseph (undisclosed) sported a non-contact jersey during Tuesday's practice, per Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650.

Head coach Adam Foote said Oct. 2 that Joseph's undisclosed issue is a minor one, so the defenseman shouldn't be too far off from moving past his injury. It remains to be seen if the 26-year-old will be an extra defenseman once he returns to full strength, but he could challenge Elias Pettersson for a bottom-four role in the lineup.

Marino notched an assist, two shots on goal and two PIM in Monday's 3-1 loss to the Blackhawks.

Marino has a helper, two shots on goal, two PIM, one hit and one blocked shot over three games to begin 2025-26. He's averaging 17:49 of ice time, down from 21:10 per game last year, which suggests the Mammoth are trying to more evenly distribute minutes on the blue line. Marino is not a factor on the power play, so don't expect lofty scoring numbers from him this season.

Spurgeon scored a power-play goal on two shots and blocked three shots in Monday's 4-3 shootout win over the Kings.

Spurgeon's first goal and point of the season opened the scoring at 14:04 of the first period. The 35-year-old defenseman has surprisingly occupied a spot on the second power-play unit instead of Brock Faber, though neither of them is challenging Zeev Buium's spot on the first unit. Spurgeon has added four shots on net, three hits, seven blocks and a minus-4 rating through three contests. He's a steady top-four blueliner, and if he retains a power-play spot, he'll have appeal as a depth option in fantasy.