NHL Player News

Gostisbehere (lower body) might be ready to play in Saturday's clash with the Devils, Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News reports.

Gostisbehere was working on the third pairing at Friday's practice and was running the No. 1 power-play unit, strong indicators that he will be back in action versus the Devils. If the blueliner does return, it will end a nine-game absence due to his lower-body problem. Prior to his absence, Gostisbehere was rolling offensively with 11 points in his previous 10 outings.

Schaefer notched two assists in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Stars.

The rookie phenom had a hand in tallies by Bo Horvat in the first period and Calum Ritchie in the third. Schaefer is doing his best to push the Islanders across the finish line in the regular season and into the playoffs, and through 13 games in March he's delivered four goals and 13 points with 49 shots on net, 19 blocked shots, eight PIM and a plus-8 rating.

Anderson logged two assists, two shots on goal, three blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Canucks.

Anderson set up Trevor Moore in the second period and Quinton Byfield on the empty-netter in the third. This ended a four-game slump for Anderson, who has done pretty well in March with two goals and six assists over 13 outings. The 26-year-old defenseman rarely plays a big part on offense, instead focusing on his own zone in a shutdown role. He has 17 points, 56 shots on net, 95 hits, 114 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating through 70 appearances this season.

Bouchard scored the game-winning goal and added an assist, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over the Golden Knights.

Bouchard has earned a goal and seven helpers over his last six contests. His goal was his first since March 12 versus the Stars, and it was his 20th of the campaign. This is the first time the defenseman has reached that mark, and he also set a career high in points with 84 through 73 appearances. The 26-year-old has added 203 shots on net, 91 blocked shots and a plus-21 rating over 73 appearances. Bouchard is seven points ahead of Zach Werenski for the scoring lead among blueliners, giving the Edmonton rearguard a growing case for Norris Trophy consideration.

Sergachev notched three assists, two shots on goal and four blocked shots in Thursday's 7-4 loss to the Capitals.

Sergachev picked up all three helpers in the first period, with two of them coming on the power play. The 27-year-old defenseman has seven assists over the last eight games, though he's also gone minus-3 in that span. For the season, he's up to 49 points (20 on the power play), 138 shots on net, 115 blocked shots, 38 PIM and 36 hits across 69 outings.

Weegar scored a goal on two shots, added two PIM, logged two hits and blocked two shots in Thursday's 7-4 loss to the Capitals.

Weegar potted his first goal as a member of the Mammoth in the third period, but the Capitals had four tallies in that frame to run away with the win. It's been slow going for Weegar with his new team -- he has three points, a plus-1 rating, 22 hits and 18 blocks over 11 outings since he was traded from the Flames. For the season, the blueliner has 24 points, 141 shots on net, 152 hits, 161 blocks, 78 PIM and a minus-34 rating across 71 appearances.

D'Astous had two assists in a 4-3 overtime win over Seattle on Thursday.

D'Astous has 24 points, including 20 assists, in 59 games this season. Four of those helpers have come in the last five games. D'Astous has 84 hits, 80 PIM, 65 blocks and 64 shots overall.

Van Riemsdyk posted an assist, two shots on goal and a plus-3 rating in Thursday's 7-4 win over the Mammoth.

Van Riemsdyk has four helpers over his last seven contests. The 34-year-old blueliner is maintaining a place in the lineup even as the Capitals carry nine defensemen, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him get rotated out when the team is eliminated from playoff contention. For the season, van Riemsdyk has earned 12 points, 37 shots on net, 81 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating over 59 appearances in a bottom-four role.

Fehervary notched an assist, two hits and three blocked shots in Thursday's 7-4 win over the Mammoth.

Fehervary has been limited to two assists over 16 outings since his Feb. 2 goal versus the Islanders. The 26-year-old defenseman remains a regular in the lineup even while the Capitals are carrying nine blueliners, but he's not playing because of his offense. He's at 22 points, 67 shots on net, 102 hits, 157 blocked shots and a plus-13 rating over 72 appearances, offering steady shutdown defense.

Chychrun notched two assists, two hits and a plus-4 rating in Thursday's 7-4 win over the Mammoth.

Chychrun helped out on both of Ivan Miroshnichenko's goals in this contest. It's been a bit of a tough month for Chychrun, who has five points and a minus-3 rating over 11 appearances in March as his goal scoring has dried up. The 27-year-old blueliner is at 53 points (23 goals, 30 helpers), 208 shots on net, 100 blocked shots, 54 hits, 57 PIM and a plus-17 rating over 71 appearances. This has been a career year on offense for the blueliner, even with the recent slowdown.