NHL Player News

Panarin (personal) will miss Saturday's home clash against the Flames, per Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.

Panarin is expected to miss his first game of the 2026-27 campaign Saturday due to family reasons. Prior to Saturday's contest, the 35-year-old star drove the Kings' offense, as he posted eight goals, 19 points and 56 shots on net over 17 appearances this season. In his absence, Alex Turcotte is expected to join the Kings' top line for Saturday's home game. Panarin's next chance to return is in Tuesday's road clash against the Bruins.

Barzal (knee) was activated from the injured non-roster list Saturday.

After missing the first 18 games of the 2026-27 campaign, Barzal is poised to play against Anaheim on Saturday. He had 19 goals, 72 points, 184 shots on net and 50 blocked shots in 81 appearances during the 2025-26 regular season.

MacLean was put on non-roster waivers by the Islanders on Saturday.

MacLean has no points, 17 PIM and 21 hits in eight appearances in 2026-27. Putting him on non-roster waivers, as opposed to the regular version, means he's been taken off the NHL roster even before he officially clears. Mathew Barzal (knee) was activated off injured reserve in a corresponding move, which is why the Islanders wanted to create a roster opening immediately.

Acciari (upper body) is expected to play against Columbus on Saturday, per Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Acciari exited Wednesday's game against Edmonton, but it appears the injury won't cost him a full match. He has three goals, four points, 46 hits and 17 blocks in 21 appearances in 2026-27. The 34-year-old should continue to serve in a bottom-six capacity.

Forsberg is expected to protect the home net against Calgary on Saturday, according to Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.

Forsberg is still seeking his first win of the 2026-27 campaign. He has gone 0-5-1 in seven appearances and has allowed 16 goals on 172 shots. Calgary (8-10-1) sits 28th in the league this season with 2.47 goals per game.

Lyon will defend the road crease in Saturday's clash against the Stars, per Robert Tiffin of NHL.com.

After anchoring the Sabres to an overtime loss in his first outing of the 2026-27 campaign, Lyon will be called upon for the second straight game. The 33-year-old netminder returned to an open competition for opportunities between the pipes, as neither Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen nor Colten Ellis have run away with the No. 1 job. Lyon posted a 20-10-4 record, three shutouts, a 2.77 GAA and a .906 save percentage over 36 appearances during the 2025-26 campaign. Given head coach Lindy Ruff's confidence to put Lyon in net for two consecutive games, Lyon is a solid streaming option in deep fantasy leagues for the time being.

Schmaltz (lower body) isn't expected to play against San Jose on Saturday, and it's unclear when he will be ready to return, Brogan Houston of the Deseret News reports.

Schmaltz is poised to miss his second straight game after being injured in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to Vegas. The Mammoth expect to know more about his timeline soon. Schmaltz has nine goals, 20 points and 48 shots on net in 19 appearances this season.

Askarov will guard the road goal in Saturday's clash against the Mammoth, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.

Askarov will draw his third consecutive start Saturday after anchoring the Sharks to an overtime loss against Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Overall, the 24-year-old netminder has a 5-8-1 record, a 3.12 GAA and an .894 save percentage across 14 outings this season. With Alex Nedeljkovic faring similarly to Askarov between the pipes this season, San Jose will likely continue to roll with the latter, as he holds the higher upside after posting 21 wins a season ago. Askarov is a decent streaming option in two-goalie fantasy formats for the time being.

Hellebuyck will defend the road net against Washington on Saturday.

Hellebuyck is coming off a 26-save performance in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Capitals. He has allowed only 12 goals on 143 shots during his season-opening six-game winning streak. Washington (10-7-0) ranks ninth in the league this campaign with 3.41 goals per game.

Kolyachonok (illness) will not play in Saturday's road clash against the Capitals, per Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site.

Kolyachonok is the second New Jersey blueliner to sustain an illness this week, as neither he nor Brett Pesce made the team's trip to Washington D.C. The 25-year-old Kolyachonok was effective in his season debut, finding the back of the net and posting a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Capitals. In his absence, Anton Silaev was called up from AHL Utica to skate on the team's third defensive pairing Saturday.