NHL Player News

Kulikov was labeled week-to-week by head coach Paul Maurice on Wednesday but is expected back before the end of the regular season, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Kulikov's absence will stretch a blue line that is already without Aaron Ekblad (suspension). Tobias Bjornfot was called up from the minors and should get plenty of minutes until Kulikov is cleared to return. For his part, the 34-year-old Kulikov has managed four goals, nine assists and 62 shots while dishing out 110 hits in 68 games this year.

Skjei scored a goal, recorded four hits and blocked three shots in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Blues.

Skjei mustered all the offense the Predators generated during this game, and while his goal didn't change the outcome of the game, it extended his solid run of play in recent weeks. The 30-year-old blueliner has cracked the scoresheet in four of his last six outings, a span in which he's racked up two goals, two assists, nine shots on goal, five hits, nine blocked shots and a minus-3 rating.

Weegar notched two assists, one on the power play, in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Rangers.

All the scoring came in the first period, as the veteran blueliner had a hand in tallies by Nazem Kadri and Matthew Coronato. Weegar has been on a roll in March, collecting a goal and nine points over the last eight games, and he's up to seven goals and 41 points on the season through 67 appearances -- the third time in his career he's reached the 40-point plateau.

Hamonic scored his first goal of the season and added an assist in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Canadiens.

The veteran blueliner snapped a 75-game goal drought, with his last tally coming Dec. 15, 2023 against the Stars. Hamonic isn't in the lineup for his offense -- on the season, he's produced 83 blocked shots and 62 hits in 53 appearances, but only five points.

Chiarot notched an assist and blocked three shots in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Capitals.

Chiarot has a helper in two of his last three contests following a 12-game slump. The 33-year-old is not known to be a generally productive player for fantasy managers, but he can chip in some hits and blocks for those that need to target the physical categories. For the season, the defenseman has 11 points, 94 shots on net, 51 PIM, 106 hits and 121 blocked shots over 67 appearances.

Fehervary notched an assist and two blocked shots in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Red Wings.

Fehervary has earned five points over nine games in March, including a helper in each of his last two outings. That surge on offense has helped the 25-year-old defenseman secure the first 20-point campaign of his career. He's up to four goals, 16 assists, 64 shots on net, 119 hits, 136 blocked shots and a plus-19 rating through 68 appearances in a stay-at-home role in the Capitals' bottom four.

Letang logged an assist and blocked four shots in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Islanders.

Letang has not gone more than two games without a point since the 4 Nations Face-Off break. Over his last 13 outings, he has a goal, seven assists, a plus-1 rating, 27 shots on net and 29 blocked shots. The 37-year-old blueliner is at 28 points, 139 shots on net, 99 hits, 88 blocks and a minus-15 rating through 63 contests overall. This will likely end up being his lowest-scoring season in eight years, and given his age, he's not a good bounce-back candidate for future campaigns.

Schenn notched an assist, eight hits and two blocked shots in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Canucks.

The 35-year-old defenseman, a former Canuck, was able to get his first point as a Jet against one of his old teams. This was Schenn's first helper in four games for Winnipeg after a pair of trades sent him from the Predators to the Penguins and then the Jets. This season, the heavy-hitting blueliner has just six points to go with 67 shots on net, 252 hits, 84 blocked shots, 41 PIM and a minus-5 rating over 65 appearances.

Pettersson provided an assist and blocked five shots in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Jets.

Pettersson has three helpers over his last five contests. He's started to settle in nicely on the Canucks' second pairing, but he'll always be more productive in the defensive categories than the scoring ones. The 28-year-old blueliner is up to 22 points, 58 shots on net, 73 hits, 120 blocks and a minus-2 rating over 64 outings between the Canucks and the Penguins this season.

Hughes posted two assists, including one on the power play, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Jets.

Hughes has five points (three on the power play) over four contests since returning from an undisclosed injury. He's also immediately resumed his workhorse role on the blue line as the Canucks' top defenseman. The 25-year-old is now at 65 points (25 on the power play), 150 shots on net, 52 blocked shots, 27 PIM and a plus-11 rating over 55 appearances.