NHL Hockey Player News

Guentzel left Wednesday's contest vs. Florida late in the third period after 18:30 TOI due to an upper-body injury and is being evaluated post-game. The 29-year-old is one of the Penguins' top trade pieces coming into the March deadline and will hope to have him back as they are in the middle of a back-to-back with a game on Thursday. He is currently tied for the team lead in points with 52 (22G/30A) in 50 games played this season.

Hellebuyck snapped a three-game losing skid in his last outing, saving 35 of 36 shots (.972 SV%) in a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, and will return to the crease on Wednesday night. The 30-year-old Hellebuyck has been amongst the league leaders all season, boasting a stellar 2.19 GAA and .925 SV% through 37 games (24-10-3). He is poised for a strong performance on Wednesday as the Jets are overwhelming -444 home favourites against the league's lowest-scoring team, the San Jose Sharks (2.08 GF / GP).

Couturier becomes the Flyers' 20th captain in franchise history and the first since Claude Giroux was traded in the 2021-22 season. The 12-year-veteran has spent his entire career in Philadelphia, amassing 191 goals and 302 assists in 771 regular season games, and has been an alternate captain for the team since the 2019-20 season. The team also announced Travis Konecny and Scott Laughton will be the team's full-time alternate captains moving forward.

The New York Rangers will continue to dip into their wealth of minor talent as they called up their eighth forward of the season from Hartford (AHL) in Alex Belzile on Wednesday. The 32-year-old winger last appeared in the NHL in 2022-23 with Montreal where he had 14 points (6G/8A) in 31 games. He will serve as a 13th forward for the time being for the Rangers.

Gallagher was handed a match penalty for an illegal check to the head of New York's Adama Pelech on January 25th and was suspended for five games. The 31-year-old's frustration boiled over as he is in the midst of another disappointing season with only eight goals, eight assists 103 SOG, 47 PIMs and a -21 plus/minus in 48 games played this season.

Theodore has not played since mid-November after undergoing surgery for an upper-body injury but appears to be nearing a return after being a full participant at practice on Wednesday. Theodore was pacing for the most productive season of his career with 18 points (4G / 14A) in 20 games and will likely draw back onto the top powerplay unit upon his return. Head coach Bruce Cassidy stated "I think next week is probably more realistic" in regards to his return.

After playing five straight for the Rangers, Pitlick was a healthy scratch on Monday before being placed on waivers on Tuesday. Adam Edstrom replaced Pitlick in the lineup on Monday. In 34 games this season, Pitlick has four points (1G / 3A) while averaging 10:12 time-on-ice.

Pitlick has regularly been a healthy scratch the last couple of weeks, playing only one of the last five games for the Blackhawks. In nine games this season, Pitlick has zero points, 13 shots, and nine hits while averaging 15:35 time-on-ice.

Despite Cayden Primeau posting a shutout in a 5-0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, snapping a two-game losing skid, the Canadiens will turn back to Montembeault between the pipes on Thursday night. Montembeault played well in his last outing, saving 35 of 38 shots (.921 SV%), but came up short as the Canadiens fell 3-2 to the Dallas Stars. The 27-year-old Montembeault has held the opposition to three or fewer goals in his last three games (2-1-0), posting a stellar .935 SV%.

Minnesota is riding a three-game winning streak and will turn to Fleury to tend the twine on Wednesday night. Fleury has been excellent lately, saving 79 of the last 83 shots he's faced (.952 SV%) while posting a 2-0-0 record. Minnesota is a slight -107 road favourite heading into action against a struggling Arizona Coyotes club that has been held to three or fewer goals in five games during their current six-game losing skid (0-5-1).

Nylander, John Tavares, and Mitch Marner were all absent from practice on Wednesday due to an illness. They will be reevaluated ahead of Thursday's contest against the Philadelphia Flyers. Nylander has five points (3G / 2A) in his last four games.

Samsonov will return to the crease for the Maple Leafs on Thursday night, giving him seven of their last eight starts. Samsonov was excellent on Tuesday night, albeit lightly tested, needing to save only 14 of 15 shots (.933 SV%) in a commanding 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues. After being sent down to the Toronto Marlies last month, Samsonov has flipped a switch on his season, allowing three or fewer goals in five of his last six games (5-1-0) while posting a stellar .927 SV%.

O'Brien was a late scratch on Monday night and will remain out of the lineup on Wednesday due to an upper-body injury. O'Brien has three goals and five assists in 49 games this season.

The Coyotes gave Ingram a rare night off in their last outing in an attempt to snap a five-game losing skid but were unable to, losing 5-3 to the Philadelphia Flyers. The 26-year-old Ingram has allowed three or more goals in four straight (0-4-0), posting an ugly .857 SV%, well below his season average (.912 SV%). The Coyotes are slight -103 home underdogs against a Minnesota Wild club riding a three-game winning streak, including an impressive 5-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday.

Pelletier exited Tuesday's game against the New York Rangers early in the first period with an upper-body injury after playing only 54 seconds. Pelletier has been limited to only four games this season as he previously recovered from shoulder surgery. The Flames recalled Cole Schwindt from the Calgary Wranglers (AHL), indicating that Pelletier will likely be unavailable for the Flames' Thursday night matchup against the San Jose Sharks.

Grundstrom played only 3:43 time-on-ice before exiting Tuesday's 7-0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres with a lower-body injury. Before his injury, Grundstrom had one point (1G / 0A), eight shots, and 13 hits in his last three games.

Sanderson has not played since exiting the Senators' game on January 31st against the Detroit Red Wings after playing only 4:49 TOI due to a lower-body injury. The 21-year-old sophomore has taken a step forward across all aspects of his game in his second season and has seven goals, 24 points, 99 SOG, 19 PIMs and a +5 plus/minus in 47 games prior to his injury.

Schwindt has not dressed since before the All-Star break (January 27th) but has been recalled from the Calgary Wranglers (AHL). The 22-year-old rookie right-winger has appeared in three games this season for the Flames, playing a minor role and picking up one SOG, two PIMs, and a -1 plus/minus while averaging a minuscule 6:30 TOI.

Okhotyuk will be the odd man out of the lineup on Wednesday, allowing Mario Ferraro to return from a lower-body injury. Okhotyuk played 10 straight for the Sharks, registering one goal, 27 hits, and 11 shots on goal.