NHL Hockey Player News

Wood will take a seat on Tuesday in favour of Danton Heinen. Wood has appeared in 44 games for the Blue Jackets this season, tallying six goals and eight assists.

The Maple Leafs have effectively played themselves out of playoff contention, losing seven straight since the Olympic break (0-5-2), and will need a heroic effort from Woll to return them to the victory column. That said, the 27-year-old Woll has been hard-pressed for strong performances lately as well, including allowing five goals on 23 shots (.783 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 6-2 loss to the New York Rangers. The Maple Leafs enter Tuesday's contest as +149 road underdogs against a Montreal Canadiens team that has scored four or more goals in five of its last six games (3-1-2).

Metsa will be the odd-man out on the Sabres back-end on Tuesday in order to make way for Logan Stanley's debut. Metsa has two goals and two assists in 33 games this season.

Stanley was acquired at the trade deadline along with Luke Schenn from Winnipeg for Isak Rosen, Jacob Bryson, a 2027 2nd Round Pick, and conditional 2026 4th Round Pick as a consolation prize. Stanley is a 27-year-old towering defender who had spent his first six NHL seasons with WInnipeg. He has already set career highs in most statistical categories this season including goals (9), points (21), PIMs (99) and PPP (1).

Vasilevskiy has battled some adversity lately, but he was excellent in his most recent outing, saving 27 of 29 shots (.931 SV%) in a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 31-year-old goalie has only two wins in five games since the Olympic break (2-3-0), both against the struggling Maple Leafs, and has a dreadful 5.17 GAA and .813 SV% in outings against other teams (0-3-0). Still, Tampa Bay enters Monday's contest as significant -235 home favourites against a Columbus Blue Jackets team that has lost four of seven games since the Olympic break (3-1-3).

Andersen has had a largely disappointing 2025-26 season, but recent struggles from Brandon Bussi have given him more opportunities, during which he has shown some encouraging signs. The 36-year-old veteran Andersen is sporting an under-.500 record for the first time in his career (9-11-5), but he has been much more dependable in recent games, posting a 4-1-3 record in his last eight, albeit with an underwhelming 2.59 GAA and .886 SV%. The Hurricanes enter Tuesday's contest as significant -204 home favourites against a Pittsburgh Penguins team that is 3-3-2 since the Olympic break, while playing without Sidney Crosby (lower body) and, more recently, Evgeni Malkin (suspension).

Wolf has not been able to live up to the high standards he set as a rookie in the 2024-25 season, when he finished as the runner-up for the Calder Trophy. His struggles have been epitomized by his last two starts (1-1-0), during which he allowed eight goals on 46 combined shots (.826 SV%). The 24-year-old Wolf has a concerning sub- .900 SV% in nine of his last 14 outings (4-9-1). The Flames enter the action on Tuesday as +112 road underdogs against a New York Rangers team that played last night and won 6-2 over the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Sabres have evenly rotated goalies since returning from the Olympic break and will continue that trend on Tuesday, with Lyon tending the twine against the San Jose Sharks. The 33-year-old Lyon was solid in his most recent outing, saving 23 of 25 shots (.920 SV%) in a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators, and has been excellent for most of the season. In his last 16 games, Lyon has only two losses (14-2-0), boasting an impressive 2.32 GAA and .925 SV%. The Sabres enter Tuesday's contest as sizable -202 home favourites against a Sharks team that has scored two or fewer goals in three of their last four games (2-0-2).

Kuemper allowed four goals on 23 shots (.826 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 4-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, continuing a downward trend for the veteran goalie. The 35-year-old Kuemper started the season with a dazzling 2.19 GAA and .917 SV% in his first 23 appearances (10-6-6), but has a concerning 3.53 GAA and .866 SV% in his last 16 (5-7-3). The Kings enter Tuesday's contest as +133 road underdogs against a Boston Bruins team coming off a disappointing 5-4 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Murray has been out since November 15th due to a lower-body injury but was activated off IR on Tuesday and will join the Kraken. Through five appearances this season, the 31-year-old has a 0-2-1 record with a 2.21 GAA and .922 SV%.

Dostal entered the Olympic break on an outstanding run, winning eight of nine games (8-1-0) while posting a tremendous 1.96 GAA and .930 SV%. That said, he has not been able to carry that momentum into the post-Olympic stretch, allowing four or more goals in four of five games, though he has salvaged a solid 4-1-0 record. The Ducks enter Tuesday's contest as +123 road underdogs against a Winnipeg Jets team with points in six straight games (4-0-2).

With Erik Gudbranson (lower body) sidelined, Christiansen will re-enter the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 26-year-old Christiansen has only played one game since the beginning of February. He is averaging 10:15 time-on-ice and has two assists in 33 games this season.

After a string of high-quality efforts in six starts heading into the Olympic break (5-1-0), posting an excellent 2.03 GAA and .925 SV%, Merzlikins has returned to predictably unreliable performance between the pipes, posting a dreadful 3.79 GAA and .850 SV% in three games (1-1-1) since returning from the league stoppage. Merzlikins and the Blue Jackets have a tough challenge ahead of them on Tuesday, entering the action as significant +208 road underdogs against a Tampa Bay Lightning team that scored 12 goals in their last two games (1-1-0).

After 17 seasons and one Stanley Cup victory, John Carlson was surprisingly traded by the Washington Capitals to the Anaheim Ducks before last week's trade deadline. Carlson has been nursing an injury and has not played since February 5th, but is aiming to make his Ducks' debut this weekend. The 36-year-old appeared in 1143 games with the Capitals, picking up 166 goals and 771 points while posting an impressive a +117 plus/minus. He should step right in to a top line and power play role with the Ducks and will make an excellent mentor of budding star Jackson LaCombe.

Jansen Harkins will re-enter Anaheim's lineup on Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets, sending Vatrano to the press box as a healthy scratch. The 31-year-old Vatrano is averaging 12:18 time-on-ice and has just eight points (4G / 4A) through 41 games, a steep decline after scoring over 20 goals in his previous three seasons.

Frank Vatrano will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday, allowing Harkins to re-enter the lineup against the Winnipeg Jets. The 28-year-old Harkins is averaging 10:12 time-on-ice and has six points (3G / 3A) in 36 games this season.

Wolf has not been able to live up to the high standards he set as a rookie in the 2024-25 season, when he finished as the runner-up for the Calder Trophy. His struggles have been epitomized by his last two starts (1-1-0), during which he allowed eight goals on 46 combined shots (.826 SV%). The 24-year-old Wolf has a concerning sub- .900 SV% in nine of his last 14 outings (4-9-1). The Flames enter the action on Tuesday as +112 road underdogs against a New York Rangers team that played last night and won 6-2 over the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Oilers have received more consistent goaltending from Connor Ingram in recent weeks and will turn to him again on Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche for his fifth start in the last six games. The 28-year-old Ingram saved 24 of 26 shots (.923 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 4-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, and has a 3.01 GAA and .882 SV% in four starts since the Olympic break (3-1-0). The Oilers enter Tuesday's contest as +151 road underdogs against an Avalanche team on a five-game winning streak.

Lindstein was a first-round pick of St. Louis in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old Swedish defenseman has yet to play an NHL game and is currently playing his first professional season in North America, tallying 14 points (6G / 8A) in 56 games with Springfield (AHL).

O'Connor underwent hip surgery last June and has yet to play this season. He practiced on Tuesday, albeit in a non-contact jersey, an encouraging sign towards his impending season debut. The 29-year-old O'Connor has been a reliable bottom-six forward for several seasons with Colorado. He has 21 points (10G / 11A) in 80 games last season.