NHL Player News

Girard notched two assists and six blocked shots in Thursdays' 6-3 loss to the Lightning.

Girard has earned five assists over eight games since he returned from an upper-body injury. The defenseman is now at 17 points, 39 shots on net, 53 blocked shots, 21 PIM and a plus-15 rating across 55 appearances between the Penguins and the Avalanche this season. Girard is playing in a top-four role for the Penguins, but he hasn't unseated Erik Karlsson or Kris Letang for power-play minutes.

Letang notched two assists and two hits in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Lightning.

Letang has five helpers over his last three games for one of his better stretches of the season. The 38-year-old defenseman is up to 33 points, 102 shots on net, 95 hits, 89 blocked shots, 36 PIM and a minus-5 rating over 70 appearances. He's bounced back slightly compared to last year, when he was limited to 30 points over 74 contests, but his days of challenging for the 50-point mark are likely over.

Makar (upper body) will not be an option for the Avs' next two contests, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports Friday.

At this point, Makar will likely miss the 90-point threshold for the first time since 2022-23. Despite his overall numbers being slightly down, the 27-year-old blueliner has already reached the 20-goal mark for the third straight year and is currently third among defensemen in points. Devon Toews figures to continue seeing a larger role, including on the power play, while Makar is sidelined.

Samuelsson scored a goal on two shots and added three hits in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Senators.

Samuelsson opened the scoring at 8:49 of the second period. The defenseman has enjoyed a career year, but he's slowed down slightly with seven points and a plus-4 rating over his last 15 outings. Overall, he's still firmly in a top-four role, which has seen him earn 13 goals, 41 points, 104 shots on net, 126 hits, 144 blocked shots and a plus-32 rating over 73 appearances. His point total this year matches his combined total from the previous four seasons, which saw him skate in 200 contests.

Gudas (lower body) has been ruled out of Friday's tilt against St. Louis, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports.

Gudas will miss his third game in the last four with the injury. He played against Toronto on Monday, as he wanted to face the Maple Leafs after his knee-on-knee hit on Auston Matthews on March 12 drew a tremendous amount of ire around the NHL. Gudas has two goals, 11 assists, 160 hits, 88 blocked shots and 62 PIM over 55 games this season.

Harris was scratched for the 15th game in a row in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Panthers.

Harris missed a large portion of the season due to an ankle injury, but he's been healthy since early February. That hasn't helped him get into the lineup, and it's discouraging for Harris that Henri Jokiharju has been the one to cover Mason Lohrei's (upper body) absence over the last three contests. If the Bruins wrap up their playoff spot early, Harris might get into a game or two to allow the team to rest some veterans ahead of the playoffs, but the blueliner has minimal fantasy value.

Mintyukov (lower body) will not be available for Friday's clash with St. Louis, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports.

Mintyukov is currently mired in an eight-game goal drought during which he has registered two assists, 10 shots and 14 blocks while averaging 20:01 of ice time. Despite the recent slump, the 22-year-old blueliner has already set a new personal best with eight goals and is at the 20-point mark after missing that threshold last season.

Vaakanainen (upper body) was practicing in a regular jersey Friday, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports.

Vaakainen has been sidelined since March 18 versus the Devils, a stretch of eight games on the shelf due to his upper-body injury. Even if the 27-year-old blueliner is cleared to play, he's far from a lock to get into the lineup and could find himself serving as a healthy scratch periodically.

Jones had right shoulder surgery and will be out 4-6 months, the Penguins announced Friday.

Jones hasn't played since Oct. 23 due to a lower-body injury and a 20-game suspension. The blueliner was already ruled out for the remainder of the season, so this announcement doesn't come as a surprise. The 28-year-old Texas native should be ready in time for the 2026-27 campaign, barring any setbacks.

Severson underwent successful shoulder surgery Thursday and will miss the rest of the season.

The surgery ended one of the most productive campaigns of Severson's career. The defenseman had eight goals, 24 assists, a plus-18 rating and 86 blocked shots over 71 games. Severson should be ready to go in time for training camp in September.