NHL Player News

Schwindt (lower body) has resumed skating and could be back in the lineup as early as Tuesday versus Ottawa, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports Thursday.

Schwindt will miss Thursday's tilt versus Minnesota, as well as a pair of weekend games in New York against the Rangers and Islanders. Schwindt has already missed 12 games ahead of Thursday's contest with an injury suffered versus Toronto on Feb. 26. He has three goals and an assist in 22 games this season.

Samoskevich (neck) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Wild, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Samoskevich was believed to have a chance to return for Thursday's matchup, but he'll be unavailable for a third consecutive game. However, head coach Paul Maurice said Thursday that Samoskevich is close to returning, so he'll presumably be in the mix to suit up Saturday against the Islanders or Sunday against the Rangers.

Tarasov will guard the home cage versus Minnesota on Thursday, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Tarasov has allowed 10 goals on 61 shots (.836 save percentage) in his last two starts, both road losses. He returns home Thursday, where he is 5-3-2 with a 2.46 GAA and a .915 save percentage in 11 contests. Overall, Tarasov is 9-12-2 with a 3.01 GAA and an .896 save percentage in 24 games this season. The Wild are generating 3.22 goals per game in 2025-26, 12th in the NHL.

Koppanen was recalled from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday.

Koppanen only had one assist in 10 NHL games this season before he was sent to the AHL on Jan. 20. He has been okay at best with the Baby Pens, tallying seven goals and adding 12 assists across 37 appearances. He will likely be a fourth-line player if he enters the lineup Thursday, but he's more likely to be the Penguins' 13th forward in Ottawa.

Hayes was recalled from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thursday.

Hayes was sent to the minors last Thursday, but he'll rejoin the NHL club a week later. He's appeared in 11 games for Pittsburgh this year, racking up two goals, 13 hits, 12 PIM and seven blocked shots while averaging 10:37 of ice time, and he'll provide additional depth while the team deals with multiple injuries.

Nyman scored twice in AHL Coachella Valley's 5-2 win over Calgary on Wednesday.

Seattle returned Nyman to the minors ahead of Wednesday's game while bringing up Oscar Fisker Molgaard. It's unclear if that will be a more permanent move, but by playing in Wednesday's matchup, Nyman is eligible to be recalled to the Kraken. At the AHL level this season, the winger has earned 20 goals, nine assists and a plus-20 rating over 30 appearances. He also has six points in 26 NHL contests.

Highmore scored twice in AHL Bridgeport's 3-2 win over Charlotte in Wednesday.

Highmore has picked up the pace with five goals and three assists over his last 11 contests. For the season, the 30-year-old forward has 13 goals, 34 points and 78 shots on net over 62 appearances with Bridgeport. He saw a one-day stint in the NHL in October but hasn't been in the mix for a call-up since.

Thompson notched two power-play assists and three shots on goal in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Bruins.

Thompson had gone seven games without a helper, and he had just two goals in that span. He set up Jason Zucker twice in Wednesday's contest, helping the Sabres add one standings point to their total for the year. Thompson has been a big part of the team's success with 36 goals, 38 helpers, 22 power-play points, 242 shots on net, 75 hits and a minus-5 rating over 72 appearances in a top-line role.

Benson scored a goal on two shots in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Bruins.

Benson is on a four-game point streak, earning three goals and three assists in that span. The 20-year-old winger remains in a fourth-line role and is lacking a power-play role currently, but he's finding ways to remain productive. He's up to 10 goals, matching his total from 75 games last season. He's added 25 assists, 92 shots on net, 35 hits and a plus-25 rating over just 55 appearances in 2025-26.

Zucker scored two power-play goals on four shots in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Bruins.

Zucker had only one assist over his previous six outings. Despite that slump, he's retained a spot on the top power-play unit, and that's where he was able to cash in twice in this contest. Zucker is up to 22 goals, the most he has had in the last three years, and 39 points over 53 contests this season. The veteran winger has added 111 shots on net, 50 hits, 21 PIM and a minus-4 rating while regularly seeing second-line usage at even strength.