NHL Hockey Player News

Jets' newcomer Vilardi will miss approximately four to six weeks after suffering an injury yesterday (sprained MCL) in a matchup against the Los Angeles Kings. In three games this season, Vilardi was seeing time on the top line and top powerplay unit, recording one assist and nine shots on goal. The loss is a sizeable one for the Jets, who will likely turn to Mason Appleton and Alex Iafallo for an increase in playing time.

The Jets have been completely inept at keeping the puck out of their net this season and have been outscored 14-10 in only three games (1-2-0). They hope to have their early season defensive struggles solved tonight as Brossoit will suit up against his former team for his first start of the 2023-24 campaign. Last season, as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights, Brossoit played exceptionally, recording a 2.17 GAA and .927 SV% in 11 games (7-0-3). Now on the other side, Brossoit and the Jets find themselves as +101 road underdogs against the Golden Knights.

Thrun has two assists, one SOG, and a -1 plus/minus through two games with San Jose in 2023-24 but finds himself the odd man out on their roster as he was reassigned to the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) Wednesday. The 22-year-old will endure his first taste of AHL action after he made the jump to the NHL straight from Harvard (NCAA) in 2022-23.

Buchnevich has been officially ruled out for the Blues' Thursday night matchup against the Arizona Coyotes. Despite being held without a point or shot in his two games played this season, the talented Russian winger will unquestionably return to the top line and top powerplay unit for the Blues when he is ready to play.

Samuelsson left the Sabres' game Tuesday vs. Tampa after 17:36 TOI due to an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day according to head coach Don Granato. The 23-year-old defensive cog collected his first assist of the season Tuesday but also is a +2 plus/minus with three SOG through three games this season. If he is forced to miss time it will be a huge loss as the towering defensemen is averaging over 20+ TOI for the second straight season (20:25).

Samsonov will return to the starter's crease on Thursday after watching Joseph Woll allow three goals on 30 shots in a 4-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday. Despite a perfect 2-0-0 record, Samsonov has been shaky in the Maple Leafs crease this season, posting a 4.42 GAA and .839 SV%. Samsonov will look to get his game back on track against a Florida Panthers team that has struggled out of the gate, being outscored 11-8 in their first three games (1-2-0). Last season, Samsonov recorded an excellent 1.44 GAA and .953 SV% in three games against the Panthers (2-0-1) before ultimately losing favour to Woll in the Maple Leafs' 4-1 series loss to them in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Jarry will get his third start of the season for the Penguins who, after losing their season opener, have convincingly won two games in a row, outscoring their opposition 9-2. In Jarry's two games so far (1-1-0), he has a terrific 1.53 GAA and .944 SV%. Tonight, Jarry and the Penguins (-122 road favourites) face off against the Detroit Red Wings, who are also off to a hot start as well, outscoring opponents 13-8 in their first three games (2-1-0). Though the Red Wings have an improved offence this season, Jarry posted a .950 SV% and 1.01 GAA in his only meeting against them last season.

Friedman will likely make his Vancouver Canucks debut on Thursday after being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday with Ty Glover in a trade for Jack Rathbone and Karel Plasek. The 27-year-old Friedman has 65 NHL games under his belt, all with the Penguins, where he amassed 12 points (4G / 8A) along with 102 hits and 59 blocked shots. Akito Hirose was sent to Abbotsford (AHL) to make room for Friedman on the Canucks roster.

Hirose will return to Abbotsford of the AHL after playing two games for the Canucks, recording zero points, four blocks, and three hits. Mark Friedman will replace Hirose on the backend after being acquired yesterday via trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

This is promising news for Werenski, who was injured in the Blue Jackets' season-opener after missing 69 games last season. Werenski was held pointless in 13:43 of ice time, but the talented 26-year-old has 79 goals since the 2016-17 season, eighth most amount defencemen despite playing at least 49 games fewer than everyone ranked above him. If Werenski can play, he will likely assume his duties on the Blue Jackets top powerplay unit immediately.

In three games with the Rangers this season, Bonino is averaging 11:07 time-on-ice, the lowest total for the 15-year veteran since the 2010-11 season. He has zero points and eight blocks playing primarily as the fourth-line center. Bonino's status remains uncertain for the Rangers' Thursday night matchup against the Nashville Predators.

Schenn's status has been up in the air after sitting out the last three games but is now been confirmed to miss the next four to six weeks with a lower-body injury. He recorded one block and four hits in 15:11 time-on-ice in his only game this season. Last season, Schenn had a league-leading 318 hits along with 22 points (4G / 18A) in 70 games. Dante Fabbro has, and will likely continue, to fill in on the back end in his absence.

An early-season setback in his return from an ongoing shoulder injury created some pessimism in Norris' likelihood to return to the lineup but after only three missed games, he will make his season debut Wednesday against the Washington Capitals. Norris only played eight games last season, recording three points (1G / 2A), but has 93 points (54G / 39A) in his 133-game career. He is projected to line up at even strength with Dominik Kubalik and Drake Batherson and re-assume his position on the top powerplay unit.

The Senators have an early-season goalie rotation in effect as Forsberg will likely get the start for the second time in four games. In his first start of the season, Forsberg wasn't heavily tested but managed to save 19 of 21 shots, aiding the Senators to a 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. If the Senators can continue getting strong performances from both netminders, they will likely continue to rotate starts to keep them both fresh. The Senators are -170 home favourites tonight against a Washington Capitals team that has only scored twice in their first two games (1-1-0). A season ago, Forsberg shut the door in his only matchup against the Capitals, saving 22 of 24 shots in a 5-2 victory.

Dach and the Montreal Canadiens' worst fears were realized as it was confirmed he will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season with a torn ACL and MCL. Dach only had the opportunity to suit up twice this season, recording two points (0G / 2A), leaving before the completion of his second game. The 22-year-old has already battled a myriad of injuries in his young career. At least for the time being, newcomer Alex Newhook will presume the duties of second-line center for the Canadiens.

Despite getting the victory in each of his first two starts of the season, Andersen would have been hoping for a better start to the year following a relatively down season in 2022-23 which saw him post a .903 SV% across 34 appearances, but his performance thus far has left plenty to be desired. His perfect 2-0-0 record masks the fact that he’s surrendered eight goals on just 60 shots, good enough for a measly .867 SV% and a 3.84 GAA. The Hurricanes have one of the more capable backups in the league in Antti Raanta, and with Pyotr Kochetkov also waiting in the wings in Syracuse (AHL), Andersen will need to turn his game around fast if he wants to maintain his status as Carolina’s undisputed number one.

Aho was a late scratch to Tuesday's game thanks to the surprise upper-body injury, with the team announcing his absence just 30 minutes before puck drop. The driving force behind Carolina's offense, Aho has enjoyed a nice start to the season, picking up two goals and one assist with eight shots on goal through the first three games of the season. Teuvo Teravainen will attempt to fill the void left by Aho as he'll serve as the team's first line centre to begin Tuesday's game against the Sharks.

Oettinger makes his second start of the season after an impressive 23-save performance in a 2-1 shootout win over the St. Louis Blues in the Stars' season-opener. Oettinger and the Stars should be well rested, having not seen game-action in five days, and are listed as slight -115 road favourites over the defending Stanely Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights. In three games against the Golden Knights last season (3-0-0), Oettinger was lights-out, recording a 0.96 GAA and .967 SV%. This rematch of the Western Conference Finals makes for a highly contested matchup in what has traditionally been low-scoring affairs between the two teams.

Samuelsson's absence will create a hole on the Sabres blue-line should it extend at all passed just the remainder of Tuesday's game. The 23-year-old blue-liner has become a dependable partner for Rasmus Dahlin on Buffalo's top pair. He scored two goals and added eights assists in 55 games last season with an ATOI of 22:11.