NHL Player News

McCabe (upper body) has been ruled out for Thursday's regular-season finale against the Red Wings, Luke Fox of Sportsnet reports.

Although McCabe will miss a seventh consecutive game to close out the regular season, head coach Craig Berube said Thursday that he's "very confident" that the 31-year-old defenseman will be available for Game 1 of the Maple Leafs' first-round playoff series. McCabe made 66 appearances during the regular season, racking up two goals, 21 assists, 135 blocked shots, 118 hits and 40 PIM while averaging 21:31 of ice time.

Joseph (upper body) has been ruled out for Thursday's regular-season finale against the Capitals, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports.

Joseph sustained an upper-body injury in early March and spent the final month and a half of the season on injured reserve. He appeared to progress in his recovery in recent weeks but won't suit up for Pittsburgh's regular-season finale. The 25-year-old made 47 appearances between St. Louis and Pittsburgh this year, and he recorded three assists, 36 hits, 36 blocked shots and 45 PIM while averaging 15:15 of ice time.

Nurse served his one-game suspension Wednesday and will return to the Edmonton lineup ahead of Game 1 versus Los Angeles on Monday.

Nurse received his suspension for cross-checking Quinton Byfield of the Kings on Monday. Nurse ended the regular season with five goals, 28 assists, 72 PIM, 161 hits and 136 blocked shots over 76 appearances.

Hutson picked up an assist in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Hurricanes.

When the 21-year-old helped set up Kaiden Guhle for the game-winner in the second period -- a goal that ultimately clinched a playoff spot for the Canadiens -- it gave Hutson his 60th assist of the season, tying the NHL record for rookie defensemen set by Larry Murphy in 1980-81. Hutson's mark of 66 points on the campaign is also tied for the fourth-most in history by a first-year blueliner, matching Phil Housley's total from 1982-83, and it establishes a new franchise-best mark, topping Chris Chelios' 64 points from 1984-85.

Guhle scored two goals, one the game-winner, in Wednesday's 4-2 victory over the Hurricanes.

With the win, the Canadiens locked up the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and booked a ticket to a first-round matchup against the Capitals. Guhle hadn't found the back of the net since Jan. 23, and the timely multi-goal performance was the first of his career. The 23-year-old blueliner wraps up the regular season with six goals, 18 points, 104 hits, 124 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating in 55 appearances.

Mancini was demoted to AHL Abbotsford on Thursday.

Mancini finishes his first season in the NHL with two goals and six assists over 31 games, split between the Rangers and Vancouver. The Canucks season ended Wednesday and Mancini will pick up some valuable experience during the AHL playoffs.

Kudryavtsev was reassigned to AHL Abbotsford on Thursday.

Kudryavtsev made his NHL debut Monday after he was an emergency recall. He played in two games during his stint with the Canucks, averaging 14:08 of ice time and blocking five shots. The 21-year-old had five goals and 21 assists over 63 AHL games before his recall.

Emberson scored a goal, dished an assist and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Sharks.

Emberson had a total of 13 points this season, with both of his goals and one of his assists coming in four games versus the Sharks, his former team. The 24-year-old added 62 shots on net, 125 hits, 97 blocked shots and a minus-5 rating over 76 appearances. If the Oilers' blue line was fully healthy entering the playoffs, he wouldn't be a lock to play, but Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed) is expected to miss time while Troy Stecher (undisclosed), Jake Walman (undisclosed) and John Klingberg (lower body) are all questionable heading into Game 1 versus the Kings. As such, expect Emberson to be in the lineup at least at the beginning of the postseason.

Hutton logged two assists and two blocked shots in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Canucks.

Hutton helped out on third-period goals by Pavel Dorofeyev and Jack Eichel. These were Hutton's first two points in 11 contests this season. He added 11 shots on net, 10 hits, 19 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating. The 31-year-old defenseman played in the last five games of the regular season, but it's expected he'll be a healthy scratch for the vast majority of the Golden Knights' playoff run.

Theodore logged two assists, two shots on goal and a plus-3 rating in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Canucks.

Theodore didn't get any rest late in the campaign -- perhaps because he missed a month after the 4 Nations Face-Off due to an arm injury. The 29-year-old defenseman looks ready for the playoffs after earning nine assists over 12 outings since his return to the lineup. Overall, he finished the regular season with seven goals, 50 assists, 128 shots on net, 82 blocked shots and a plus-19 rating over 67 appearances in a career year on offense. He'll be in a top-four role with power-play time in the postseason.