Nikolas Matinpalo News: Seeing little playing time
Matinpalo was scratched for the 16th time in 18 games in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Hurricanes.
That span is from the start of January. Matinpalo sat just once during December, but Jordan Spence has claimed a larger share of playing time since the calendar flipped to 2026. Matinpalo has earned four assists, 19 shots on net, 27 hits, 33 blocked shots and 10 PIM over 30 NHL outings this season. The 27-year-old defenseman could get an uptick in usage while representing Finland at the Olympics, though the national team has six other NHL-level blueliners on the roster as well.
