NHL Player News

Girard (upper body) will be back in the lineup versus Winnipeg on Saturday,

Girard missed five games with the injury. He will play alongside Kris Letang on the second pairing. Girard has three goals and 12 points in 47 games split between Colorado and Pittsburgh this season.

Vaakanainen (upper body) is week-to-week, according to Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic on Saturday.

Vaakanainen sat out Thursday's game versus Columbus after being injured against the Devils on Wednesday. The defenseman has six assists in 33 games with the Rangers this season. There isn't much time left in the regular season, and Vaakanainen may spend the remainder of it on the shelf.

Graves (undisclosed) was removed from injured reserve Saturday, per the NHL media site.

Graves hasn't been in Pittsburgh's lineup since Jan. 21 against Calgary. He played in two games for AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton during a recent conditioning stint. Graves has one goal, 19 shots on net, 35 blocked shots and 15 hits in 19 NHL appearances this season.

Per Claire Hanna of TSN, Sanderson (upper body) has returned to the ice and could be back in action in 7-10 days, according to head coach Travis Green.

Sanderson remains week-to-week, but he has been skating for a few days. He will miss his seventh straight game against Toronto on Saturday, and an exact return date remains unclear. Sanderson has 11 goals and 37 assists, including 19 points on the power play, over 62 contests this season.

Pionk (undisclosed) was activated from injured reserve Saturday, per the NHL media site.

Following a 23-game absence, Pionk appears ready to return to the lineup against Pittsburgh on Saturday. He has registered two goals, eight points, 76 shots on net, 64 blocked shots and 84 hits across 40 appearances this season.

Durzi provided an assist and two hits in Friday's 4-1 loss to the Ducks.

Durzi ended a seven-game point drought with the helper. The 27-year-old defenseman has four assists and a minus-6 rating over 13 appearances since the Olympic break. Durzi has seen his role reduced since the Mammoth traded for MacKenzie Weegar. Durzi is at 23 points, 67 shots on net, 77 blocked shots, 34 hits, 44 PIM and a minus-12 rating over 49 appearances this season, so he can still provide some value in deeper formats.

Helleson has been scratched in eight of the Ducks' 13 games since the Olympic break after sitting out Friday's 4-1 win over the Mammoth.

Helleson's drop in playing time is partly a product of the arrival of John Carlson in a trade from the Capitals. The Ducks have occasionally gone to seven defensemen in the lineup, but that's not what they're currently doing, though Helleson has yet to sit more than four games in a row at any time this season. The 24-year-old has 12 points, 35 shots on net, 57 hits, 73 blocked shots and a minus-7 rating over 53 appearances.

Carlson logged an assist, two shots on goal and three blocked shots in Friday's 4-1 win over the Mammoth.

Carlson helped out on a Cutter Gauthier empty-netter, with the former getting his first point as a Duck in the process. Carlson's Anaheim debut was delayed by his recovery from a lower-body injury, which cost him 10 contests coming out of the Olympic break. The 36-year-old blueliner has taken on a top-four role with power-play time as expected in his first three contests for the Ducks. Overall, he has 47 points, 89 blocked shots, 121 shots on net and a plus-13 rating through 58 appearances between the Ducks and the Capitals this season.

Sebrango notched an assist and two hits in Friday's 4-1 loss to the Flames.

The helper was Sebrango's first point since he had two assists versus the Golden Knights on Nov. 10. He went 21 contests without getting on the scoresheet. Despite the lack of offense, Sebrango now has a clear path to playing time after Niko Mikkola (knee) sustained an injury Friday that will likely cost him time. Sebrango is at three assists, 20 shots on net, 48 hits, 22 blocked shots, 60 PIM and a minus-10 rating over 29 outings between the Panthers and the Senators this season.

Kaiser scored a goal on three shots in Friday's 4-1 loss to the Avalanche.

Kaiser led the Blackhawks with 21:38 of ice time in this contest. He has two points over his last three games and continues to grow into a more significant top-four role late in the campaign. The 23-year-old blueliner has picked up six goals, 14 points, 65 shots on net, 55 blocked shots, 39 hits, 30 PIM and a minus-10 rating over 64 appearances this season, showing modest growth on offense after his eight-point effort in 57 outings a year ago.