NHL Player News

Benoit scored a goal, added seven PIM, levied four hits and blocked three shots in Monday's 4-3 shootout win over Utah.

The goal was Benoit's first of the season, and it ended his 24-game point drought. Despite the lack of offense, he's been a regular in the lineup, missing just two games during his slump, both as a healthy scratch. The 26-year-old blueliner is at five points through 60 outings, matching his output over 64 contests from the 2023-24 regular season. He's added 37 shots on net, 46 PIM, 168 hits and 89 blocked shots in 2024-25 while filling a third-pairing role.

Girard's point drought reached 11 games in Monday's 3-0 win over the Blackhawks.

Girard's role has shrunk recently, in part due to his slump but also due to the Avalanche's acquisition of Ryan Lindgren, who has functioned in a top-four spot. This has bumped Girard down to the third pairing -- he's been under 20 minutes of ice time in each of the last two games. Girard should still be able to fend off Keaton Middleton for playing time, but the role reduction hurts his fantasy value. For the season, Girard has 20 points, 77 shots on net, 87 blocked shots, 52 hits and a plus-6 rating over 62 appearances.

Nurse scored a goal on six shots, added two hits and blocked two shots in Monday's 3-2 loss to the Sabres.

Nurse has a point in each of the last two games after going 10 contests without one. The 30-year-old defenseman is up to five goals, 24 points, 150 shots on net, 125 hits, 104 blocked shots, 42 PIM and a plus-7 rating across 59 appearances. The Oilers' addition of Jake Walman could benefit Nurse in a number of ways -- they played together Saturday versus the Stars, but having Walman around strengthens the blue line as a whole to allow Nurse to have a slightly lighter workload down the stretch, which may in turn make him more productive.

Bouchard scored a power-play goal on six shots and went minus-2 in Monday's 3-2 loss to the Sabres.

Bouchard has three goals and three assists, including two of each on the power play, during his five-game point streak. The 25-year-old defenseman has taken on a bit more ice time lately with Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed) and John Klingberg (undisclosed) both out of the lineup for the last three contests. Bouchard still handles a sizable role in any scenario, and he's at 12 goals, 51 points (21 on the power play), 188 shots on net, 87 blocked shots and a plus-12 rating through 64 outings this season.

Fowler (personal) returned to practice Tuesday, per Lou Korac of NHL.com.

Fowler missed Saturday's contest against Los Angeles while awaiting the birth of his child. The veteran blueliner skated on the first pairing with Nick Leddy at Tuesday's practice and will presumably be in the lineup Thursday against the Penguins. Since being acquired from the Ducks on Dec. 14, Fowler has produced seven goals and 21 points over 34 appearances with the Blues.

Shea has been deemed week-to-week with an upper-body injury, per Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff on Tuesday.

Shea received a season-high 24:18 of ice time in Sunday's 3-1 win over Minnesota, so it's unclear when he picked up the injury. As a result of his upcoming absence, Ryan Graves will draw back into the lineup Tuesday against the Golden Knights. The Penguins also recalled Sebastian Aho from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an emergency basis Tuesday, so he could be in the mix for playing time as well while Shea is sidelined.

Stecher picked up an assist, shelled out two hits and was a plus-1 in 11:31 of ice time in Monday's 3-2 loss to the Sabres.

In the second period of Monday's contest, Stecher snapped a 16-game scoring drought with an assist on Edmonton's first goal of the game. Since John Klingberg arrived in Edmonton on Jan. 17, the 30-year-old Stecher has been in and out of the Oilers' lineup, dressing in just 17 of his team's most recent 27 games. When he does play, he serves in a limited role on the third pairing, so he warrants no consideration in any format.

Chiarot fired three shots on goal and blocked two shots in 19:51 of ice time during Monday's 2-1 loss to the Senators.

Chiarot plays on the Red Wings' top pair with Moritz Seider, but the 33-year-old has not picked up a point and is minus-8 in his last 11 games. He's currently on pace for his worst offensive output as a Red Wing, sitting at just nine points through 63 games. Chiarot shouldn't be counted on to contribute offensively with any regularity, though he is noteworthy in terms of hits and blocks -- the blueliner has 100 and 111, respectively, this campaign.

Hedman (lower body) will be on the ice for warmups and is a game-time decision for Tuesday's road meeting with the Hurricanes, Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun reports.

Hedman took the ice for pregame line rushes Saturday against the Bruins but ended up sitting out that contest, so his status will be worth monitoring leading up to puck drop Tuesday. If the veteran blueliner is unable to suit up against the Canes, Nick Perbix will draw back into the lineup. Hedman has provided 11 goals, 50 points and a plus-14 rating across 60 appearances in 2024-25.

Aho was called up from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Tuesday under emergency conditions.

Aho's addition to the NHL roster would seem to indicate that there is an injury on the Penguins' blue line other than Pierre-Olivier Joseph (upper body), who is already on injured reserve. With the addition of Conor Timmins at the trade deadline, minutes will likely be hard to come by for Aho the rest of the way.