NHL Player News

Ristolainen (upper body) won't travel with the Flyers ahead of Thursday's game against the Red Wings but is closing in on a return, Charlie O'Connor of PHLY Sports reports.

Ristolainen has been sidelined since early October due to his upper-body injury. He'll be sidelined for a sixth consecutive game Thursday but seems to be closer to day-to-day at this point despite remaining on injured reserve. The Flyers will return home for Saturday's game against the Senators, but it's not yet clear whether Ristolainen will get the green light to suit up in that matchup.

Matheson (lower body) is expected to miss Wednesday's game in Washington, per Marco D'Amico of BPM Sports.

Matheson also missed Tuesday's 4-3 shootout win over Buffalo due to the injury. He has an assist, six PIM, two hits and 10 blocks in five appearances with the Canadiens this season. Matheson is considered day-to-day, so he still might return to the lineup Saturday versus the Sabres. The 32-year-old should regain his top-four spot once he's healthy.

Nikishin (contract dispute) is on the Hurricanes' injured, non-roster list, per the NHL media site Wednesday.

Nikishin hasn't signed a new contract as a restricted free agent and has officially requested a trade, though nothing has materialized as of yet. Even if the young defenseman were on the roster, he may not be playing on a nightly basis, with Mike Reilly potentially ahead of him on the depth chart.

Hutson scored a power-play goal and added an even-strength assist in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout win over Buffalo.

The star blueliner got Montreal on the board late in the first period by snapping home a shot through traffic on a 5-on-3. The goal was Hutson's first of the season and his first power-play point, and through six games he's picked up five helpers to go along with Tuesday's tally.

Edvinsson (contract dispute) is on the Red Wings' injured, non-roster list, per the NHL media site Wednesday.

Edvinsson is continuing to hold out for a new contract as a restricted free agent, with no clear end in sight. It's possible a trade materializes at some point, though he would still need to agree to terms on a new contract with a different NHL club. Last season, Edvinsson recorded nine goals and 16 assists in 72 regular-season contests.

Samuelsson pocketed two assists in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Canadiens.

The 26-year-old had a hand in tallies by his blue line partner Owen Zellweger in the first and third periods. Samuelsson has taken on a larger workload while Rasmus Dahlin (upper body), Matt Grzelcyk (lower body) and others are sidelined, and he's responded with a goal and four points in seven games to begin the season.

Zellweger scored two goals on four shots on net and added two PIM, one hit, one blocked shot and a plus-1 rating in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Canadiens.

The 23-year-old blueliner opened and closed the scoring in regulation, earning the Sabres a point in the standings with a seeing-eye shot through traffic early in the third period that tied the game at 3-3. Zellweger played a season-high 25:49, including 2:14 with the man advantage as part of the second power-play unit, due to injuries to Rasmus Dahlin (upper body), Matt Grzelcyk (lower body) and others, and the former Duck figures to continue getting an elevated workload and role until the Buffalo blue line gets healthier.

Severson picked up two assists in Tuesday's 7-3 loss to the Panthers.

Both helpers came in the third period after the Blue Jackets had fallen into a 6-1 hole. Severson has made an impact since missing the first two games of the season while he completed his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery, collecting a goal and four points in three contests to begin his campaign with six blocked shots, six PIM, four shots on net and a plus-3 rating.

Jones racked up four assists, two on the power play, in Tuesday's 7-3 win over the Blue Jackets.

Facing the team he spent five-plus seasons with earlier in his career, Jones picked up one helper in the second period and three more in the third as the Panthers pulled away. The veteran blueliner has produced back-to-back multi-point performances, and through seven games to begin the season he's delivered one goal and seven points, including four assists with the man advantage.

Reinbacher was recalled from AHL Laval on Wednesday.

Reinbacher made his NHL debut last year, posting no goals, an assist, two blocked shots and a hit across two regular-season appearances with Montreal. He'll provide additional depth for the Canadiens while Mike Matheson (lower body) is banged up.