NHL Player News

Ekblad (upper body) will play Saturday against San Jose, according to Doug Plagens of the Panthers Radio Network.

Ekblad missed eight of the last nine games, including seven straight outings. He has registered two goals, 20 points, 76 shots on net, 55 blocked shots and 59 hits through 41 appearances this season. Ekblad will replace Uvis Balinskis or Tobias Bjornfot in Saturday's lineup.

Evans (undisclosed) will be in the lineup for Saturday's matchup against Pittsburgh, Mike Benton of the Kraken Audio Network reports.

Despite skipping Friday's practice, Evans won't miss any game action. He has produced five goals, 21 points, 46 shots on net, 71 blocked shots and 77 hits through 47 appearances during the 2024-25 campaign.

Morrissey is dealing with an illness, leaving his status for Sunday's matchup with the Flames unclear, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports.

Morrissey won't practice Saturday and his status will need to be monitored ahead of Sunday's home game versus Calgary. The 29-year-old Morrissey has yet to miss a game this year, logging five goals and 42 points across 50 contests.

Rutta (lower body) will miss Saturday's tilt against Florida, according to Max Miller of NHL.com.

Although this will be the first game Rutta has missed during the 2024-25 campaign, he has been playing through this injury. He has two goals, eight points, 28 PIM, 37 hits and 76 blocks in 51 appearances in 2024-25. Marc-Edouard Vlasic will draw back into the lineup due to Rutta's absence.

McNabb logged an assist, two shots on goal and two hits in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Stars.

McNabb has two helpers, 10 hits and five blocked shots over his last three contests. The 34-year-old defenseman hasn't come anywhere near matching the pace that saw him rack up 26 points over 82 regular-season outings in 2023-24. He's at nine points, 61 shots on net, 85 hits, 107 blocked shots and a plus-25 rating as a defensive stalwart in the Golden Knights' top four.

Theodore scored a power-play assist on three shots in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Stars.

Theodore has two goals and nine assists over his last seven outings, a span that also includes five power-play points. The defenseman's tally Friday tied the game at 2-2 in the second period. The 29-year-old is up to six goals, 44 points (18 on the power play), 94 shots on net, 59 blocked shots and a plus-9 rating through 48 appearances. This is already his most productive year on the power play, and his career-high 52 points from 2021-22 is easily within range as long as Theodore stays healthy.

Johnson logged an assist and two hits in Friday's 3-1 loss to the Islanders.

Prior to Friday, Johnson had been scratched for 29 consecutive games. He stepped right in when Egor Zamula (upper body) was unable to play, and Johnson delivered a helper on Tyson Foerster's tally. Johnson has three points, six shots on net, nine PIM, 25 hits and 10 blocked shots over 16 outings this season, though there's no guarantee he stays in the lineup when the Flyers are back to full health.

Romanov logged an assist, seven hits and four blocked shots in Friday's 3-1 win over the Flyers.

Romanov has played the last three games while still shaking off a lingering upper-body injury. It didn't seem to be bothering him much Friday as he played in a physical contest, which may have had a bit more intensity after the previous game between the Islanders and Flyers on Jan. 16 had some ugly moments. Romanov now has 10 assists, 40 shots on net, 77 blocked shots, 82 hits and a plus-4 rating over 33 appearances.

Martinez (illness) was absent from Saturday's practice, Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio reports.

Martinez has generated two goals, four assists, 21 shots on net, 52 blocked shots and 13 hits in 21 appearances this season. If Martinez, Seth Jones (illness) and Connor Murphy (groin) can't play against Minnesota on Sunday, Chicago will require reinforcements from AHL Rockford on the blue line.

Jones (illness) won't practice with Chicago on Saturday, Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio reports.

Jones missed Friday's game, and it appears his status for Saturday night's matchup against the Wild is in question as well. Ethan Del Mastro figures to remain in the lineup if Jones can't suit up.