December 27, 2025
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh (undisclosed) won't suit up for Saturday's Battle of Florida against the Panthers. He has re-aggravated a previous injury, which recently sidelined McDonagh for 18 games. He made only three appearances before landing back on the shelf. The Lightning are expected to use Steven Santini as McDonagh's replacement in the lineup. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay's blue line will continue to rely heavily on Darren Raddysh, who has been on fire over the last couple of weeks, tallying nine points (five goals, four assists) in seven games.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL
December 27, 2025
St. Louis Blues forwards Jordan Kyrou (lower body) and Jimmy Snuggerud (wrist) will return to action Saturday night against the Nashville Predators. Kyrou has missed nine games due to a lower-body injury, while Snuggerud is returning from a wrist injury that cost him 12 games. Both players will have middle-six roles and operate on St. Louis' first power-play unit. Nashville has the eighth-best penalty kill in the league this season (82.6 percent), but this is still a favorable matchup for the Blues, as they face the NHL's sixth-worst defense.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
December 27, 2025
Boston Bruins winger Tanner Jeannot (undisclosed) will exit the lineup on Saturday, missing his first game of the season against the Buffalo Sabres. The power forward suffered an undisclosed injury in Tuesday's loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Jeannot leads the Bruins with 113 hits and has amassed 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 38 games. His first chance to return will come on Monday night against the Calgary Flames. It's currently unclear who will take over Jeannot's spot on the third line. Meanwhile, the top six will continue to lean on David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie, who have combined for 39 goals and 79 points this season.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
December 27, 2025
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (personal) won't be in the lineup on Saturday against the Boston Bruins. He is in his native Sweden, visiting his fiancée, who had a heart transplant last summer. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff expects Dahlin to rejoin the team for an upcoming three-game road trip, which begins on Monday against the St. Louis Blues. Dahlin ranks third on his team with 28 points (four goals, 24 assists) in 33 outings. His defensive work should also not be underestimated, as Dahlin has recorded 41 blocks and 27 hits. With Dahlin unavailable, Jacob Bryson will re-enter the lineup, while Bowen Byram will slot into the first power-play unit. This is a good matchup for Buffalo's power play against a 79.2 percent penalty kill.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
December 27, 2025
Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson (upper body) is expected to end an eight-game absence on Saturday against the San Jose Sharks. He will center the first line, flanked by Evander Kane and Kiefer Sherwood. Pettersson has bagged eight goals and 22 points in 28 outings, including eight points (two goals, six assists) with the man advantage. Vancouver's power play could have another productive night on Saturday, as San Jose has killed only 78 percent of its penalties in 2025-26. Pettersson has scored three goals over his last three appearances against the Sharks.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
December 27, 2025
Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson (lower body) will return from a one-game absence on Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings. He missed the final game before the Christmas break due to a lower-body injury. Carlsson will occupy his usual spot as the top-line center and work with the first power-play unit. The young Swedish star has gone scoreless in three appearances, but he's had an excellent campaign overall. Across 36 outings, Carlsson has tallied 17 goals and 41 points. Carlsson totaled three points (one goal, two assists) when Anaheim and Los Angeles faced each other for the first time this season.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
December 27, 2025
Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (lower body) will miss Saturday's big matchup against the Colorado Avalanche. After recently dealing with an illness, Eichel is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He will sit out a fifth consecutive contest. Despite his recent absence, Eichel has held on to his spot at the top of Vegas' scoring charts, producing an impressive 41 points (12 goals, 29 assists) in 31 appearances. Due to Eichel's absence, Alexander Holtz will hold a second-line role on Saturday. The Swedish forward will have a good opportunity to contribute against Colorado, though he remains without a point after nine games this season.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
December 27, 2025
New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (lower body) was moved to Injured Reserve and won't be available for this weekend's back-to-back against the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets. The move is retroactive to Dec. 20. Sorokin has missed two games already due to a lower-body injury. While Sorokin has battled some consistency issues during the 2025-26 campaign, he has logged a 2.55 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage, and three shutouts, going 12-10-2 across 24 starts. David Rittich, who holds an 8-3-2 record, will start on Saturday, with Marcus Hogberg recalled from the minors to serve as his backup.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
December 27, 2025
New York Islanders center Bo Horvat (lower body) will be back in the lineup on Saturday when the team returns from the holiday break with a matchup against the New York Rangers. Horvat missed the last five games before the break due to a lower-body injury. Anthony Duclair is expected to be a healthy scratch to accommodate Horvat's return. The Islanders' top scorer will skate alongside Jonathan Drouin and Emil Heineman on the first line. Horvat is flirting with his second career 70-point campaign this year, notching 19 goals and 31 points in 32 appearances. He scored twice in this season's first Battle of New York.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
December 24, 2025
Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid continued his ridiculous run of form with a five-assist performance in Tuesday's 5-1 victory over the Calgary Flames. It was his second career five-assist game, tying him with Leon Draisaitl and Paul Coffey for second place in Oilers history. Draisaitl had a hat trick of power-play goals on Tuesday night. Following Tuesday's victory, McDavid boasts 12 goals and 31 points through his last 11 appearances. He's had almost half of his season's total during that stretch. Recently, the Oilers captain has been locked in a close race with Nathan MacKinnon for the league's scoring lead, but McDavid now sits comfortably in first place with a six-point advantage over the Colorado Avalanche star. In 38 outings across the season, McDavid has tallied 67 points (23 goals, 44 assists).
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
December 24, 2025
Utah Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka (upper body) missed a scheduled start on Tuesday night against the Colorado Avalanche. He was sidelined by an upper-body injury, prompting the team to sign Colten McIntyre to an amateur tryout agreement as a backup to Vitek Vanecek for the night. Vanecek had a strong performance, stopping 25 of 26 shots, but Utah still lost to the dominant Avalanche 1-0. The Mammoth have the rest of the week off, giving Vejmelka time to recover. Whether that will be sufficient for the Czech goaltender to avoid missing additional action remains uncertain. In 29 starts this season, Vejmelka has posted a 16-10-2 record, a 2.70 goals-against average, a .896 save percentage, and one shutout.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
December 24, 2025
Montreal Canadiens winger Alexandre Texier (upper body) was hurt during Tuesday's physical matchup against the Boston Bruins, leaving a 6-2 win after logging only 4:20 of ice time. He was ruled out for the rest of the game after the second intermission. Texier recently had a four-game point streak, but he has now finished four consecutive appearances without making a mark in the scoring department. The French forward has registered six points (three goals, three assists) and 16 hits in 15 appearances since joining the Canadiens in late November. Montreal continues its season on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, giving Texier some additional time to recover. If he can't play, Sammy Blais or Brendan Gallagher might move up in the lineup.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
December 24, 2025
Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin (ankle) missed the final few minutes of Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers, Cory Lavalette of The North State Journal reports. The Russian blue-liner exited with 3:46 remaining in regulation and was spotted icing his right ankle after the game. Carolina's defense has taken several injury hits throughout the campaign and just lost Jaccob Slavin (upper body) for the second time this season. Nikishin is having a fine debut campaign, logging 13 points (four goals, nine assists), 60 shots, 46 blocks, and 69 hits with a team-best plus-13 rating in 35 outings.
--Taavi PailkSource: Cory Lavalette
December 24, 2025
Philadelphia Flyers forward Denver Barkey (undisclosed) missed the third period of Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. He was injured on a hit from behind and will be re-evaluated over the holiday period. Barkey played his third career game on Tuesday night. He has slotted well into the middle six and registered two assists in his NHL debut against the New York Rangers last week. Before making a step up into the big league, the 20-year-old registered 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 26 AHL appearances.
--Taavi PailkSource: Jackie Spiegel
December 24, 2025
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim was removed from Tuesday's matchup against the Blackhawks by a concussion spotter, Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Sanheim wasn't available for the final 12:33 of action in a tightly-contested 3-1 road win. Speaking to reporters after the game, Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet didn't seem too concerned about Sanheim's status, suggesting that he might not have to miss additional time. With the league taking a Christmas break, the 29-year-old will have some additional time to recover. Philadelphia will return to work on Sunday against the Seattle Kraken. Sanheim has produced 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) in 36 games and shares the team lead with 65 blocked shots.
--Taavi PailkSource: Jackie Spiegel
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