NHL Player News

Benoit logged a shorthanded assist and four hits in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Avalanche.

Benoit's offense has improved dramatically this month. He has a goal and three helpers over his last five contests, which followed a stretch of 24 games without a point. Benoit is up to eight points, 38 shots on net, 187 hits, 93 blocked shots, 52 PIM and a plus-2 rating over 64 appearances. His helper Wednesday was the first shorthanded point of his career.

Schuldt was recalled from AHL San Jose on Wednesday.

Schuldt was sent down Tuesday but returns to the big club a day later. This is likely the Sharks keeping their options open on defense for their next couple of games -- Thursday versus the Hurricanes and Saturday versus the Bruins. He has no points, four shots on net, nine hits and three blocked shots over four NHL appearances.

Faulk scored a power-play goal, added an assist and blocked four shots in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Predators.

Faulk logged his second straight multi-point effort, and he has a goal and six helpers over his last six outings. His goal opened the scoring at 6:04 of the first period and set up Jake Neighbours' game-winning tally prior to the intermission. Faulk is up to three goals, 29 points (12 on the power play), 105 shots on net, 93 blocked shots, 74 hits and a minus-7 rating through 65 appearances. He remains a strong option for fantasy managers to add while Colton Parayko (knee) is out.

Vaakanainen notched an assist in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Flames.

Vaakanainen ended a 10-game point drought, though he had a three-point outing prior to that slump. In Tuesday's contest, he set up Artemi Panarin's 30th goal of the season. Vaakanainen is at 11 points, 34 shots on net, 43 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating over 42 appearances between the Rangers and the Ducks. He's been paired with Adam Fox in recent contests, so Vaakanainen may get a bit more residual offense, but he's still a shutdown defender by nature.

Manson (upper body) is expected to miss the next 3-4 weeks, Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports reports Wednesday.

That puts Manson's availability for the remainder of the regular season in question, though it's possible he'll still get into a few games before the playoffs. Manson has a goal, 15 points, 28 PIM, 105 hits and 59 blocks in 48 appearances in 2024-25. Erik Johnson might play regularly during Manson's absence.

Carrier logged an assist, three shots on goal, three hits and three blocked shots in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Senators.

Carrier ended an eight-game point drought with the helper on the first of Josh Anderson's two goals in the third period. The 28-year-old Carrier is currently serving on the Canadiens' top pairing alongside Mike Matheson, a duo that offers strong all-around play. Carrier is the more defensive of the two, and he's contributed 21 points over 64 contests between the Canadiens and the Predators this season. He's added 70 shots on net, 64 hits, 131 blocked shots and a minus-7 rating in 2024-25.

Hutson scored a goal on two shots and added two hits in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Senators.

Hutson has gotten on the scoresheet in six of eight games in March, scoring one goal and adding eight assists. The 21-year-old blueliner's goal was the first of five in the third period for the Canadiens as they claimed a critical win for their playoff hopes. Hutson is up to five goals, 53 points (23 on the power play), 75 shots on net, 96 blocked shots and a minus-13 rating over 67 appearances.

Brodin (lower body) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Kraken.

Brodin was recently upgraded to day-to-day but will be unavailable for a ninth consecutive game Wednesday. It's not yet clear whether he'll be available for Saturday's home game against the Sabres, but he at least seems to be trending in the right direction.

Christiansen (upper body) isn't expected to play Thursday versus Florida, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic on Wednesday.

It will be Christiansen's third straight game on the shelf, but he did participate in Wednesday's practice, so the 25-year-old is getting closer. Christiansen has a goal, eight points, 47 hits and 64 blocks in 65 appearances. He's likely to serve in a bottom-six capacity once he's healthy.

Harley recorded a goal and two assists, including one on the power play, in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Ducks.

Harley was clutch for the Stars in this contest, as he got involved in three of the team's four goals. Most notably, he netted the equalizer in the third period and participated in Mikael Granlund's overtime game-winner. Harley has been playing at a high level in recent weeks and has racked up 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 12 games since the 4 Nations break.