NHL Player News

Thrun scored a goal and blocked three shots in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Oilers.

Thrun has a goal and an assist over his last two contests. His second-period tally Friday tied the game at 2-2, and it stayed there until Corey Perry put the Oilers ahead again in the third. Thrun is up to two goals, a career-high 12 points, 50 shots on net, 62 blocked shots, 39 hits, 30 PIM and a minus-20 rating across 57 appearances.

Nurse logged an assist, three shots on goal, three blocked shots, two hits and two PIM in Friday's 4-2 win over the Sharks.

Nurse reached the 300-point mark in his 714th career game. The 30-year-old defenseman has been steady lately with nine assists over his last 11 outings, though he's logged multiple helpers four times in that span. For the season, he's at 33 points, 182 shots, 155 hits, 133 blocks, 57 PIM and a plus-12 rating over 74 contests in a top-four role.

Emberson scored a goal, added three hits and blocked two shots in Friday's 4-2 win over the Sharks.

The Oilers were at nearly full health in mid-to-late March, which started to see Emberson get bumped from the lineup. Injuries have since piled up on the blue line again, allowing him to play in eight straight games. He scored his first goal of the season Friday, and it came against the team that gave him his NHL debut in 2023-24. Emberson has 11 points -- one more than last year -- while adding 60 shots on net, 118 hits, 95 blocked shots and a minus-9 rating through 73 appearances in 2024-25.

Bouchard scored a power-play goal on five shots and added an assist in Friday's 4-2 win over the Sharks.

Bouchard ended a 13-game goal drought with his opening tally Friday. He also logged his 13th assist in 14 contests when he helped out on a Ty Emberson tally later in the first period. Bouchard's late surge has greatly improved his season numbers, and he's done a lot of it during a rough stretch of injuries for the Oilers. He's now at 14 goals, 66 points (26 on the power play), 229 shots on net, 107 blocked shots and a plus-14 rating over 79 appearances in 2024-25.

Cholowski was scratched for the fifth straight game in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Penguins.

Cholowski played in five of the first 10 games after he was traded from the Islanders. The 27-year-old defenseman has since slipped out of the lineup, with Seamus Casey stepping up to control the last spot on the blue line. Cholowski hasn't earned a point with the Devils, but he has 10 points, 28 shots on net, 32 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating over 38 appearances.

Casey logged an assist in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Penguins.

Casey has earned two assists over three contests since rejoining the NHL roster. The 21-year-old has jumped right into a third-pairing role over Simon Nemec and Dennis Cholowski. Casey hasn't looked out of place this season with seven points, 12 shots on net, nine hits and a plus-6 rating over 13 appearances. Dougie Hamilton (lower body) won't be ready for the first round of the playoffs, so Casey could get an extended look in postseason play.

Pesce logged an assist and four PIM in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Penguins.

Pesce picked up his second assist in the last four games. The 30-year-old defenseman was limited to just three points over the prior 15 contests. He's now at 16 points, 97 shots on net, 137 blocked shots, 27 PIM and a minus-3 rating over 70 appearances in his first year with the Devils. He is set to miss the 20-point mark for the second year in a row after reaching it in five of his first eight NHL seasons.

Grzelcyk notched two power-play assists, two blocked shots and two PIM in Friday's 4-2 win over the Devils.

Grzelcyk had gone three games without a point, but he has seven assists over his last 10 outings. Four of those helpers have come on the power play as he continues to contribute more than expected in that situation. For the season, the blueliner is at one goal, 37 assists, 15 power-play points, 92 shots on net, 97 blocked shots, 40 hits and a minus-7 rating over 80 appearances.

Spurgeon was unable to finish Friday's game versus the Flames after taking a puck to the throat in the second period, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Head coach John Hynes indicated Spurgeon was also feeling light-headed after attempting to return to the game in the third period. It's a bit of a concerning injury, especially with the Wild set to face the Canucks on Saturday. If Spurgeon and Jake Middleton (upper body) are both out, Cameron Crotty will likely have to enter the lineup.

Ekholm (undisclosed) won't finish Friday's game versus the Sharks, Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports.

It's unclear how much of this is caution and how much is a true injury concern. Ekholm lasted just two shifts in his return from a seven-game absence, and he was seen falling down on the ice prior to his exit, per Spector. At this point, the Oilers may just shut Ekholm down prior to the postseason, assuming the injury isn't bad enough to endanger his chances of being available for Game 1.