NHL Player News

Middleton (upper body) did not finish Friday's game versus the Islanders, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Middleton was driven into the boards in the second period by Bo Horvat, and he left the ice with assistance from the trainer. There was no update on Middleton's status following the contest, but the initial reaction suggests this could be a serious injury. Declan Chisholm is likely to enter the lineup if Middleton is forced to miss time.

Martinez (hip) is not in the lineup Friday versus the Capitals, per the NHL media site.

Martinez will miss his sixth game in a row. He's been active in practice for nearly a week, but it's unclear if he'll get back in the lineup prior to the end of the season. Kevin Korchinski will occupy a third-pairing spot in Martinez's absence.

Head coach Ryan Warsofsky said Friday that Mukhamadullin (upper body) has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Kraken and is doubtful for Monday's matchup against the Flames, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.

Mukhamadullin suffered an upper-body injury Tuesday against Anaheim and appears to be on track to miss at least three games. He's slated to be re-evaluated after the weekend, so the Sharks will likely have a better idea of his status Monday.

Myers is unlikely to suit up against Anaheim on Saturday but remains day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports.

Myers has managed just two goals and one assist in his last 10 outings but has contributed 17 blocks and 14 hits over that stretch while averaging 20:50 of ice time. With Myers expected to miss out, Filip Hronek should see an uptick in ice time while Victor Mancini steps into the lineup.

Grzeclyk recorded a power-play assist, two shots on goal and a minus-2 rating in Thursday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Blues.

Grzelcyk has been fantastic with five helpers over his last six games. The 31-year-old defenseman is up to 36 points on the year, 10 better than any season in his career, thanks in part to playing in a career-best 76 games. He's produced 13 of his 35 helpers with the man advantage while adding 83 shots on net, 93 blocked shots, 37 hits and a minus-10 rating in his first year with the Penguins.

Blankenburg notched an assist in Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Stars.

Blankenburg has four helpers over his last eight contests, including two on the power play. The 26-year-old defenseman has handled top-pairing minutes for the better part of a month now in the absence of Roman Josi (upper body). Blankenburg has matched his career high of 14 points from the 2022-23 campaign with the Blue Jackets. He's added 76 shots on net, 67 blocked shots, 48 hits and a plus-6 rating over 54 outings in 2024-25.

Bichsel scored a goal on four shots, added two PIM, logged three hits and went plus-2 in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Predators.

Bichsel tacked on a goal at 12:42 of the third period to produce the final score. He has two points, a plus-4 rating, 17 PIM and 16 hits across his last five contests. The 20-year-old is doing fine in a limited role on the third pairing, earning seven points, 31 shots on net, 132 hits, 37 PIM and a plus-6 rating across 32 appearances. Offense probably won't be his calling card in the long run, but he's shaping up to be a physically intimidating bottom-four option who can take care of business in his own zone.

Johnson logged an assist and went minus-2 in Thursday's 7-3 loss to the Avalanche.

Johnson was in the lineup over Damon Severson and Jake Christiansen for this contest after being a healthy scratch for the previous four games. The helper ended Johnson's four-game skid, which occurred during March after another lengthy run in the press box. There's no telling if he'll stick in the lineup the rest of the way, and he's unlikely to help most fantasy managers even if he does. Johnson has six helpers, 22 shots on net, 33 blocked shots, 18 hits and a minus-10 rating across 39 appearances this season.

Johnson notched an assist and two blocked shots in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Blue Jackets.

This was Johnson's first point in nine appearances since returning to the Avalanche in a deadline-day deal with the Flyers. The 37-year-old has just four points to go with 26 shots on net, 55 hits, 20 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating over 31 outings this season. He'll likely play regularly until Josh Manson (upper body) is able to return.

McCabe (undisclosed) will not play Saturday versus Columbus, Terry Koshan of The Toronto Sun reports.

McCabe was injured Wednesday against Florida late in the final period and did not return. The blueliner has two goals, 21 assists, 118 hits and 135 blocked shots over 66 games this season. Philippe Myers, who has been a healthy scratch in his last 11 games, is expected to replace McCabe in the lineup, partnering with Simon Benoit on the third pairing.