NHL Hockey Player News

Smith has been sidelined since December 21st with a lower-body injury he suffered while blocking a shot. He'll replace Mark Jankowski, who is out week-to-week, on the Nashville fourth line.

Thrun is battling an undisclosed ailment and his status for Tuesday's game against the Nashville Predators is up in the air. The 23-year-old defenseman has been a regular on San Jose's blue line this season, tallying eight points (0G / 8A) in 40 games this season.

Kovalenko has not played since suffering an upper-body injury on January 7th, missing five straight, but will re-enter the lineup on Tuesday against the Nashville Predators. The 25-year-old Kovalenko has 14 points (5G / 9A) in 40 games this season. Carl Grundstrom will be a healthy scratch to accommodate Kovalenko's return.

Howden had an impressive outing in Monday's 5-4 shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues, recording one goal, five shots, and one hit in 13:29 time-on-ice, but is battling an illness, making his status uncertain for Thursday's rematch. The 26-year-old Howden is averaging 15:10 time-on-ice and has 22 points (16G / 6A) in 47 games.

Schwindt played only 6:13 time-on-ice in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks and has been sidelined since due to a lower-body injury. The 23-year-old has seven points (0G / 7A) in 38 games this season. Alexander Holtz drew into the lineup as Schwindt's replacement on Monday.

Zucker had a strong performance in yesterday's 6-4 loss to the Seattle Kraken, tallying two points (1G / 1A), but his status for Tuesday's match against the Vancouver Canucks is up in the air due to an illness. The 33-year-old Zucker has only topped 48 points once in his career, a 67-point campaign (33G / 31A) in the 2017-18 season as a member of the Minnesota Wild, but is well on pace to do so this season. He has 35 points (16G / 19A) in 46 games.

Zegras has not played since December 4th, missing 22 straight games due to a knee injury and rehabilitation from meniscus surgery. Before his injury, he averaged 16:57 time-on-ice and had 10 points (4G / 6A) in 24 games. The 23-year-old will likely play on a line with Leo Carlsson and Alex Killorn.

McGinn suffered a lower-body injury on December 23rd and will miss the next 7-9 months after undergoing ACL reconstruction surgery. Before his injury, the 30-year-old McGinn had eight points (4G / 4A) in 26 games this season.

Lundestrom exited Saturday's 3-0 loss to the Florida Panthers after a knee-on-knee hit by Sam Reinhart. Reinhart was ejected from the game. The 25-year-old Lundestrom is averaging 14:01 time-on-ice and has seven points (4G / 3A) in 44 games this season.

Tavares has missed three straight games with a lower-body injury and remains week-to-week. Before his injury, Tavares had been held off the scoresheet in three straight games but still producing at a near point-per-game pace, scoring 42 points (20G / 22A) in 43 contests.

Pacioretty has missed some time this season due to various injuries and will be sidelined for a second consecutive contest on Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 36-year-old Pacioretty has 12 points (5G / 7A) and 89 hits in 32 games this season.

Dewar played only 5:10 time-on-ice in Monday's 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning and will not play on Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets due to an upper-body injury. The 25-year-old forward is averaging 10:07 time-on-ice and has three points (0G / 3A) in 29 games this season.

Kastelic played the last two games, returning from a two-game absence due to an upper-body injury, but will return to the sidelines for at least a week after being placed on Injured Reserve. The 25-year-old Kastelic has 13 points (4G / 9A) in 45 games this season and is among the league leaders with 175 hits.

Hintz has missed the previous three games due to an undisclosed injury but will return to the lineup on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 28-year-old Hintz only has 27 points (19G / 8A) in 41 games this season but has been more productive lately, with 11 points (8G / 3A) in his last 14 contests.

Smith has not played since December 21st, missing 11 straight games, but is nearing a return to the lineup. The 29-year-old Smith was averaging 13:03 time-on-ice and has five points (2G / 3A) in 34 games before his injury.

Dobson exited Monday's 3-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets after 15:38 time-on-ice due to a lower-body injury and will be out of the lineup indefinitely. The Islanders's offense, which ranks fifth-worst in the league with only 124 goals through 46 games, will greatly miss the services of Dobson's 24 points (6G / 18A) from the blue line.