NHL Player News

DiPietro was assigned to AHL Providence on Friday, Scott McLaughlin of WEEI reports.

DiPietro was recalled by Boston on an emergency basis Wednesday, but his return to the minors will allow him to play in games for Providence over the weekend. Over 28 appearances in the AHL this year, he's gone 21-5-0 with a 1.64 GAA and .942 save percentage.

Kiersted was reassigned to AHL Iowa on Friday.

Kiersted has one assist in four NHL games this season. The 27-year-old defenseman had one goal and five helpers in 31 AHL games this season before his recall.

Thomas (leg) participated in Friday's practice session, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.

Thomas underwent a minor leg procedure at the end of January with the expectation that he would be ready to return in the first game after the Olympic break. While it's not yet clear whether Thomas will officially get the green light for Thursday's game against Seattle, it's at least encouraging that he's back at practice.

Saros will patrol the Finnish crease versus Canada in semifinals action Friday at the 2026 Winter Olympics, according to Ethan Sears of the New York Post.

Saros gave up three goals on 24 shots in a loss to Slovakia, but the 30-year-old has been outstanding since then while turning aside 70 of 73 shots to enable Finland to make it to the semifinals. Canada enters the game as the favorite, but will be without the services of Sidney Crosby (lower body).

Binnington is slated to start for Team Canada against Finland in Friday's semifinals match at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Mark Lazerus of The Athletic reports.

Binnington made some huge saves to keep Canada's medal hopes alive in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime win over Czechia in the quarterfinals. He has a 3-0 record at the tournament while allowing five goals on 64 shots. Finland defeated Switzerland in Wednesday's quarterfinal contest with a 3-2 comeback overtime win.

Morrissey (undisclosed) has been ruled out of Friday's semifinal game versus Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports.

Morrissey has been skating but hasn't played since getting hurt in Canada's tournament opener against Czechia on Feb. 12. He has 10 goals and 32 assists across 56 appearances for Winnipeg this season. It remains unclear if he will play in the bronze- or gold-medal game for Canada on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Crosby (lower body) will not be available for Team Canada versus Finland in semifinal action at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Friday, Mark Masters of TSN reports.

Crosby sustained a suspected knee injury against Czechia on Wednesday. He hasn't been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament, but it's unclear if he will be ready to play in Sunday's gold medal game or Saturday's bronze medal matchup. Connor McDavid will serve as Canada's captain in Friday's contest due to Crosby's absence, while Sam Bennett (illness) will be in the lineup.

Hellebuyck will patrol the United States crease against Slovakia for Friday's semifinals contest at the 2026 Winter Olympics, according to Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press.

Hellebuyck was almost perfect in Wednesday's quarterfinal matchup against Sweden, turning aside 28 shots in a 2-1 overtime win. He has allowed three goals on 71 shots in wins over Germany, Latvia and Sweden. Slovakia won Group C and defeated Germany 6-2 in Wednesday's quarterfinal matchup.

Schafer scored twice in QMJHL Chicoutimi's 6-2 win over Rouyn-Noranda on Thursday.

Schafer had been limited to two goals and three assists over his previous nine games. The Capitals prospect has done fine this season with 17 goals, 34 points and a plus-8 rating across 40 appearances. Schafer could still take a number of different paths in his development after this year, but he's in position for a deep run in the QMJHL playoffs for one of the league's top teams.

McDonald was loaned to AHL Lehigh Valley on Thursday.

A day after he was called up by the Flyers, McDonald will return to the minors, likely so he'll be available for the AHL club's weekend series against Hershey. McDonald has yet to appear in an NHL game and will likely remain with Lehigh Valley once the Flyers resume play.