NHL Player News

Siegenthaler (lower body) has been activated from long-term injured reserve and is expected to play in Friday's Game 3 versus the Hurricanes, Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports.

Siegenthaler is projected to suit up on the third pairing after missing 29 games due to the injury. He'll provide a bit of relief for a blue line that has lost Luke Hughes (upper body) and Brenden Dillon (lower body) to injuries already in the first round.

Siegenthaler could suit up against the Hurricanes in Game 3 on Friday after head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters, "He's feeling good and we're optimistic that he'll play," per Mike Morreale of NHL.com.

Keefe did go on to say that Siegenthaler would likely be deployed "in a reduced role with reduced minutes," but all signs point to the Swiss defenseman playing in Game 3. The last step in the process will be for Siegnthaler to be activated off long-term injured reserve prior to puck drop. With Luke Hughes (upper body) and Brenden Dillon (lower body) both out, getting Siegenthaler back will be a huge boost to the Devils' blue line.

Hughes (upper body) will remain on the shelf for Game 2 against Carolina on Friday.

Hughes' absence, along with that of Brenden Dillon (lower body), will stretch the Devils' defensive corps -- though Jonas Siegenthaler (lower body) looks poised to return Friday. The 21-year-old Hughes is currently mired in a six-game goal drought but has contributed three helpers, including two with the man advantage, over that stretch.

Dillon (lower body) will miss Game 3 against Carolina on Friday.

Dillon will sit out his second consecutive game, along with Luke Hughes (undisclosed). The 34-year-old Dillon was injured in the second stanza in Game 1 on Sunday and has not practiced since. Look for Simon Nemec and Dennis Cholowski to remain in the lineup, replacing Dillon and Hughes.

Eklblad has served his 20-game suspension and will be eligible to face the Lightning in Game 3 on Saturday.

Ekblad figures to slot into a top-four pairing in addition to linking up with one of the power-play units. Prior to his ban, the veteran blueliner was riding a six-game point streak in which he racked up seven helpers, including a pair with the man advantage. Uvis Balinskis figures to be the odd man out on the blue line with Ekblad back in the lineup.

Miller notched a power-play assist, five hits and two PIM in Thursday's 7-2 loss to the Blues in Game 3.

Miller is not in the Jets' usual plans on defense, but he appears to be the next man up when another blueliner is unavailable. That happened Thursday since Dylan DeMelo (illness) was a late scratch. Miller had 15 points, 68 shots on net, 84 hits, 50 blocked shots and a plus-10 rating across 60 regular-season appearances in 2024-25, mainly in a bottom-four role.

Pionk scored a power-play goal on three shots, doled out five hits, added two PIM and went minus-2 in Thursday's 7-2 loss to the Blues in Game 3.

Pionk got a goal in the third period, but the Blues were already firmly in control of the game. This was Pionk's second goal in the last four contests. The defenseman produced 39 points, including 12 on the power play, as well as 123 shots on net, 114 hits, 101 blocked shots and a plus-21 rating over 69 regular-season appearances.

Parayko scored a power-play goal on three shots, went plus-3, added three hits and blocked two shots in Thursday's 7-2 win over the Jets.

Parayko has two goals over five contests since he returned from a knee injury. The 31-year-old has largely been quiet on offense in the playoffs -- this was his first point to go with six shots on net, a minus-1 rating, four hits and five blocked shots over three postseason contests. Even if he doesn't do much scoring, Parayko's defensive presence will be a big part of the Blues' overall structure. He had career highs in goals (16) and points (36) over 64 regular-season outings.

Fowler scored a goal on five shots, distributed four assists, went plus-3, added two hits and blocked two shots in Thursday's 7-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.

Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Fowler is just the ninth defenseman in NHL history with a five-point playoff game. Fowler was involved in the Blues' first three goals, including scoring the eventual game-winner at 15:51 of the first period. Three of his four helpers were on the power play. The blueliner is up a goal, six assists (five on the power play), eight shots on net, four blocked shots and a minus-1 rating over three postseason outings. As if there was any doubt left, Fowler is the Blues' top defenseman for offense during the playoffs.

Whitecloud logged a shorthanded assist, two shots on goal, two hits and two PIM in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Wild in Game 3.

This was Whitecloud's second helper in his last five games. The 28-year-old defenseman has four shots on net, five hits, four blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating over three playoff contests. He produced 13 points, 72 shots on net, 117 hits, 103 blocked shots and a plus-7 rating in 74 regular-season outings, so he's likely to be more of a physical player than a scorer during the playoffs.