5 Mike Matheson D

Matheson (upper body) joined Pittsburgh for its four-game road trip and took part in Tuesday's optional skate. Coach Mike Sullivan told reporters, "The fact that he's on the ice and has made the trip is encouraging. It suggests that he's getting closer to a return to play. His status has not changed."

Based on Sullivan's comments, Matheson won't be available for Tuesday's matchup with Boston and might not play at all considering he is still considered week-to-week. With Juuso Riikola (upper body) and Marcus Pettersson (upper body) both out long term, the club could certainly use Matheson back sooner rather than later. In the meantime, Cody Ceci should see an uptick in minutes while Chad Ruhwedel and rookie Pierre-Olivier Joseph make up the third pairing.

Matheson (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Sunday, Seth Rorabaugh of TribLive.com reports.

Head coach Mike Sullivan said Sunday that Matheson will be out "longer term" but didn't provide the nature of the defenseman's injury. Due to his placement on IR, Matheson will miss at least a week, and it sounds like he'll miss further time, too. Juuso Riikola slotted into the lineup in Matheson's place Sunday and could handle the third-pairing role moving forward.

Head coach Mike Sullivan said Sunday that Matheson is out "longer term" with an upper-body injury, Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Matheson was scratched from Sunday's shootout win over the Capitals, and Sullivan revealed the reason for his absence after the game. There's still no clear timeline for the 26-year-old's return. It appears he'll also miss Tuesday's game against the Capitals.

Matheson was traded to Pittsburgh from Flordia, along with Colton Sceviour, in exchange for Patric Hornqvist on Thursday.

Matheson will provide the organization with some extra depth following the expected departure of Justin Schultz. The blueliner will likely see the bulk of the games next year, though he could face challenges from Juuso Riikola and Chad Ruhwedel for regular minutes. The 25-year-old Matheson reached the 20-point mark for the third straight season this year and could get back to challenging for 30 in a full 82-game season.

Matheson has been fined $2,500 for high-sticking the Islanders' Brock Nelson.

Many thought Matheson may face a suspension or at least a fine for his high hit on New York's Johnny Boychuk (undisclosed), who missed Tuesday's Game 2 after exiting Saturday's Game 1 following the hit, but it was his high-sticking of Nelson which ultimately drew the league's attention. The 26-year-old blueliner has gone scoreless while averaging 16:34 of ice time through the first two games of the series.

Matheson could face supplemental discipline after an illegal hit to the head on Islanders' defenseman Johnny Boychuk in the second period of Saturday's game.

Matheson originally received a match penalty, but had it reduced to a minor upon video review. Boychuk did not return to the game.

Matheson (illness) logged 14:29 of ice time while registering one hit and one blocked shot during Tuesday's 2-1 win over Arizona.

Matheson had missed Florida's previous three games with an illness, so it's not exactly surprising that he was quiet in his return to action. The 26-year-old blueliner should continue to see bottom-pairing minutes Thursday against Toronto.

Matheson (illness) isn't expected to suit up in Thursday's game against the Kings, George Richards of The Athletic reports.

Matheson returned to Florida ahead of the team's four-game west-coast trip Tuesday so this news isn't surprising. The 25-year-old has been a steady contributor for the Panthers, accumulating 19 points in 51 games while averaging 18:06 of ice time. Josh Brown will likely continue to draw into the lineup unless Matheson re-joins the team on their road trip.

Matheson is dealing with an illness and will return to Florida ahead of Wednesday's game against Anaheim, George Richards of The Athletic reports.

Florida has four games remaining in its five-game road trip, so it appears as though Matheson could be facing an extended absence. The Panthers are expected to release another update on the 25-year-old blueliner's condition in the coming days, but for now, he can be considered out indefinitely.

Matheson scored a goal and two assists in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Devils.

The Panthers' makeshift fourth line of Noel Acciardi between two converted blueliners in Matheson and Mark Pysyk came through with another huge effort, as the trio combined for three goals and eight points on the night. Matheson has two three-point efforts through six games in February but goose eggs in the other four games, making him a risky fantasy option regardless of his role.

Matheson had three assists and three shots on goal with a plus-2 rating in Monday's 5-3 win over Toronto.

Matheson was in on two of Mark Pysyk's three goals while also drawing a helper on Mike Hoffman's game-winner. It was just his second multi-point game of the season, both of which have been three-point efforts. Matheson has six goals and 16 points through 45 games this season.

Matheson picked up an assist in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Blackhawks.

Matheson is up to 13 points and 82 shots on goal this season. The 25-year-old defenseman has posted back-to-back 27-point campaigns, but he's probably going to fall short of that mark in 2019-20.

Matheson scored his sixth goal of the season in a 4-3 win over the Kings on Thursday.

After picking up only two points in his first 23 games, Matheson has kickstarted his offensive game. Over his past 17 games, he has scored six goals and 10 points while moving back up to the first defensive pairing with Aaron Ekblad. If he keeps up this new offensive pace, he's worth a look in deeper fantasy leagues.

Matheson tallied a goal on two shots and added two blocked shots in Sunday's 8-4 win over the Maple Leafs.

Matheson's marker 49 seconds into the second period ended Frederik Andersen's night early. The 25-year-old blueliner is up to five goals and 11 points in 39 games this season. He's added 76 shots on goal, 34 hits and 37 blocks, but Matheson doesn't excel enough at any one thing to warrant much fantasy consideration.

Matheson picked up an assist in a 4-1 win over the Penguins on Sunday.

Through 15 games in December, Matheson scored four goals and eight points with 25 shots on goal. Early in the season, Matheson was struggling to pick up points, recording only two in his first 21 games. Despite picking up the offense, Matheson is only on pace to score 21 points after back-to-back 27-point campaigns.

Matheson delivered a goal and two assists with a plus-4 rating and two hits in Sunday's 6-5 win over Montreal.

It was the first career three-point game for Matheson, who notched the game-winning goal 45 seconds into the third period. It was his third goal of the season, with all of them coming during the month of December. Matheson also had two assists in a game for the first-time since Nov. 2018. He has eight points in 32 games after back-to-back seasons of 27 points.

Matheson scored a goal in Monday's 6-1 win over the Senators.

Just three games after scoring his first goal of the year, Matheson managed to squeak through another. Jonathan Huberdeau swung around the net and fed Matheson at the left circle, who blasted it on goal. Senators goalie Anders Nilsson got most of the puck, but it found its way into the net. Matheson now has four points in 27 games this season.

Matheson scored his first goal of the season in a 5-1 win over the Sharks on Sunday.

It has been a rough start to the season for Matheson -- who managed only two points and a minus-9 rating through his first 23 games -- but hopefully Sunday's goal breaks the ice for the 25-year-old. He has recorded back-to-back 27-point seasons but is on pace to only hit 10 this year.

Matheson fired four shots on goal in 12:46 of ice time in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Wild.

After starting the season in the top four, Matheson has been moved down to the bottom pairing. That has impacted Matheson's ice time, knocking him down to below 14 minutes on average over the last three games. The 25-year-old has not had a great season, recording only two points with a minus-11 rating in 22 games.

Matheson picked up an assist in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Flyers.

Bumped down to the third pairing, Matheson saw a season-low 14:15 in ice time but still managed to pick up his second assist of the season. The 25-year-old has had a rough start, with only two points through 16 games while sporting a minus-8 rating.