NHL Player News

Carlson (rest) won't play against Columbus on Sunday, according to Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post.

Carlson will skip the second half of Washington's back-to-back set versus the Blue Jackets for maintenance. He has accounted for five goals, 51 points, 167 shots on net and 131 blocked shots through 79 appearances this season. Carlson will probably play Tuesday versus the Islanders or Thursday against the Penguins before the beginning of the playoffs. Dylan McIlrath will replace Carlson in Sunday's lineup.

Christiansen (upper body) won't be in the lineup for Sunday's matchup against Washington, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Christiansen will miss his second straight game. He has contributed one goal, seven assists, 58 shots on net, 65 blocked shots and 50 hits through 68 appearances this season. Christiansen's next chance to play will come against Philadelphia on Tuesday, but it's unclear if he will return before the end of the regular season.

Pelech (upper body) won't return to Sunday's game versus New Jersey.

Pelech sustained the injury after being on the receiving end of a high hit from Paul Cotter early in the second period. The 30-year-old Pelech entered Sunday's matchup with 21 assists, 107 shots on goal, 86 blocked shots and 73 hits in 58 appearances this season. It's unclear if he will play in the Islanders' final two outings of the regular season. If Pelech is out, Adam Boqvist, Mike Reilly or Scott Perunovich could play against Washington on Tuesday.

Gostisbehere (back) will not play Sunday against Toronto, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal reports.

Gostisbehere will miss a third straight game Sunday. Carolina has little reason to rush the defenseman back, having already clinched a playoff spot. Scott Morrow figures to remain in the lineup in Gostisbehere's absence.

Crotty was reassigned to AHL Iowa on Sunday.

Crotty made his first appearance of the season Saturday, playing just 5:08 in a win over the Canucks. With Zeev Buium joining Minnesota, Crotty figures to remain in the AHL as a potential depth option.

Levshunov notched an assist and two hits in Saturday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Jets.

Levshunov snapped a five-game point drought with the helper. The 19-year-old defenseman, one of the Blackhawks' top prospects, has gotten shuffled down the lineup a bit with the arrival of Sam Rinzel. Levshunov and Rinzel could end up competing for first-pairing minutes in 2025-26, though they could be risky options in redraft leagues if the Blackhawks' roster doesn't make significant improvements. Through 16 appearances, Levshunov has six assists, 21 shots on net, 16 blocked shots, 13 hits and a minus-15 rating. He is eligible to participate in AHL Rockford's playoff run.

Samberg recorded an assist, three shots on goal and two PIM in Saturday's 5-4 shootout win over the Blackhawks.

Samberg snapped a seven-game skid on offense. The 26-year-old has held down a second-pairing spot when healthy this season, and he's been pretty effective in that role. His helper Saturday got him to the 20-point mark for the first time in his career. He's at six goals, 14 assists, 91 shots on net, 116 blocked shots, 54 hits and a plus-35 rating over 58 outings.

DeMelo registered an assist and went plus-2 in Saturday's 5-4 shootout win over the Blackhawks.

DeMelo ended a seven-game point drought with the helper on Josh Morrissey's game-tying goal late in the third period. The 31-year-old DeMelo continues to play a shutdown role on the top pairing, which gives him plenty of ice time to chip in some depth offense as well. He's at 19 points, 73 shots on net, 136 hits, 110 blocked shots, 38 PIM and a plus-33 rating over 80 appearances this season, though that's well off the pace of his 31-point career year from 2023-24.

Pionk notched a power-play assist and two shots on goal in Saturday's 5-4 shootout win over the Blackhawks.

This was Pionk's second game back after missing 12 contests due to a lower-body injury. The defenseman has jumped right back into a top-four role, adding five shots on net, five hits and two blocked shots over his two games since returning. Overall, he has 38 points, 121 shots on net, 114 hits, 99 blocked shots and a plus-20 rating over 68 appearances, though it looks like the time lost will cost him a chance at reaching the 40-point mark for the second time in his career.

De Haan was scratched for the 18th game in a row in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Hurricanes.

De Haan played in three games right after he was traded from the Avalanche at the start of March, but he hasn't made the lineup since. Braden Schneider (upper body) was ruled out for the Rangers' final two games, but prospect Matthew Robertson will jump over both Zac Jones and de Haan to fill the opening in the lineup. Assuming de Haan ends the season as a healthy scratch, he will finish with eight assists, 51 shots on net, 71 hits, 63 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating across 47 appearances in 2024-25.