NHL Player News

Barron recorded a power-play assist in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Jets.

Barron appears to be a candidate for power-play time during Roman Josi's (upper body) absence. For this contest, Barron filled in on the second power-play unit and set up a Thomas Novak goal late in the first period, which stood as the game-winner. The 23-year-old Barron is up to eight points in 39 outings this season, seven of which he's earned over 22 games since he was dealt from Montreal to Nashville. The defenseman has added 40 shots on net, 46 hits, 51 blocked shots and a minus-12 rating between the two teams.

Thrun won't return to Thursday's clash against Montreal after sustaining an injury, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.

Thrun entered the clash against the Canadiens with a goal, 10 points, 28 PIM, 35 hits and 53 blocks in 50 appearances this season. If he can't play Saturday in Ottawa, then Jack Thompson will probably re-enter the lineup.

Liljegren (upper body) will return to the lineup in Montreal on Thursday, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.

Liljegren missed Tuesday's tilt in Winnipeg after he was injured in Calgary on Sunday. The former Toronto blueliner has four goals and five assists with 64 blocked shots across 44 appearances with the Sharks this season after playing one game with the Maple Leafs on Oct. 16.

Samberg fired three shots on goal and held a plus-2 rating in 24:28 of ice time in Wednesday's 4-1 victory over the Senators.

The offensive numbers don't pop, but there's a reason Samberg has averaged 21:13 of ice time this season, up nearly six minutes from any of his prior three seasons. He didn't record a point Wednesday, but filled up the stat sheet in other ways - plus-2 rating, three shots on goal, three hits, four blocks - in a team-high 24:18 of ice time with over three of those minutes coming on the penalty kill.

Pettersson was a plus-1 and blocked two shots in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime victory against the Kings.

The return of Quinn Hughes (oblique) pushed Pettersson down the depth chart to the second pair with Tyler Myers for Wednesday's contest. It's the first time that the full defensive corps has been healthy for the Canucks since the former Penguin arrived via trade Feb. 1. Pettersson has been solid defensively, but maybe the team achieving full health is what is needed for the 28-year-old to unlock the offensive part of his game that has been missing since joining Vancouver. He remains pointless in seven games with his new team.

Pesce held a minus-3 rating and blocked one shot in 22:20 of ice time during Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Avalanche.

Known for his defensive prowess and shutdown capability, Pesce had a tough game Wednesday. His minus-3 rating was worst on the team and a personal season-worst. It brings the former Hurricane's season rating to minus-6, on track to becoming his first season in the red since 2017.

DeMelo provided an assist in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Senators.

DeMelo ended a six-game point drought with the assist. He has two goals and four assists across his last 14 contests, a fair amount of offense for a defenseman that typically doesn't make large scoring contributions. He's at 14 points, 54 shots on net, 98 hits, 81 blocked shots and a plus-25 rating through 59 contests overall.

Chabot scored a goal on a team-high five shots on net in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Jets, adding a hit and a blocked shot.

The 28-year-old blueliner spoiled Connor Hellebuyck's shutout bid by snapping home a shot from the faceoff dot to the right of the netminder midway through the second period. Chabot has been productive over the last month, collecting two goals and eight points in the last 10 games while adding 32 shots on net, 19 hits and a plus-2 rating to his ledger.

Josi (upper body) will not be available to face Winnipeg on Thursday, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Josi remains day-to-day, but a back-to-back against the Islanders and Rangers on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, won't make it easy for the blueliner to get back into the lineup right away. Josi is stuck in an 11-game goal drought during which he recorded 25 shots and four assists, including a pair with the man advantage.

Nurse has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Panthers for an undisclosed reason, Bob Stauffer of the Oilers Radio Network reports.

Nurse didn't participate in Thursday's morning skate, and head coach Kris Knoblauch revealed afterward that the defenseman is considered day-to-day. While the reason for his absence isn't yet known, Nurse's next chance to suit up will be in Carolina on Saturday.