NHL Hockey Player News

Nielsen suffered a lower-body injury vs. Chicago last Friday and will miss the rest of the 2021 season. Nielsen was in and out of the Red Wings lineup all year, so this won't affect their lineup too much.

Bertuzzi has not played since January 30th, so this isn't overly surprising with Detroit all but eliminated from the playoffs. Bertuzzi finishes the season with just seven points (5G / 2A) in nine games.

Larkin was hurt late in Tuesday's loss in Dallas and will not be available for Thursday's rematch in Detroit. The Red Wings' captain will undergo further evaluation and a more detailed injury report will likely be revealed in the coming days. Expect Evgeny Svechnikov to draw back into the lineup to replace Larkin.

With the team out of the playoff race, the Sabres will turn to a youth movement on the blueline on Thursday. Miller will be scratched in favor of Will Borgen, who returns from a two-month absence. Miller has scored just one goal with two assists in his last 22 games.

Borgen has been out for two months after suffering a forearm fracture in late February but is set to play Thursday vs. the Bruins. Borgen, who is pointless in four games this season, will replace Colin Miller on the third pairing.

Kapanen has been out since March 24th but has been skating recently and took part in the morning skate on Thursday, lining him up to be a game-time decision vs. the Devils. It's unclear where Kapanen will slot into the lineup but following the addition of Jeff Carter, he could start out on the third line.

Verhaeghe is set to miss his sixth straight game on Thursday and he's not expected to play until the Panthers' next homestand, which doesn't start until May 3rd. On Thursday, Patric Hornqvist will skate on the top line to be the latest player to replace Verhaeghe in that role.

Acciari is expected to miss the next two games but shoulder return in Nashville next week. With Acciari and Carter Verhaeghe both on the path to return in the next two weeks, the Panthers are going to have to make some very difficult lineup decisions.

Driedger was not on the ice for Thursday's morning skate and is expected to miss a few days with a minor lower-body injury. This isn't a huge deal for the Panthers, who have Sergei Bobrovsky playing well and Spencer Knight was terrific in his NHL debut on Tuesday.

O'Connor has been out since March 31st but he's expected to replace Joonas Donskoi (COVID-19) in the lineup on Thursday. O'Connor has scored three goals with two assists (five points) in 22 games this season.

Donskoi remains on the COVID-19 protocol list and is expected to miss Thursday's game in St. Louis. It's unclear when Donskoi is expected to join the Avalanche, so consider him day-to-day for now. With Mikko Rantanen also on the list, Martin Kaut and Logan O'Connor are expected to play.

The Avalanche return to action on Thursday but Rantanen did not travel to St. Louis to start the trip. Head coach Jared Bednar said that he could play next Wednesday in Vegas, so it looks like he'll miss all three games in St. Louis. In addition to Rantanen, the Avalanche will be without Joonas Donskoi and Philipp Grubauer due to COVID-19 protocols.