NHL Hockey Player News

Howard allowed three goals on 37 shots in the Red Wings loss to the Panthers on Saturday. He was terrific on back-to-back games, stopping 69 of 74 shots (.932 SV%) but was still 0-1-1. Even when he plays well he can't snap his lengthy losing streak and he draws a brutal road assignment in Colorado. Not to mention it's his third start in four nights.

Francouz allowed four goals on 30 shots in Colorado's loss to the Penguins on January 10th. Francouz has lost three in a row while allowing 10 goals on 95 shots (.895 SV%). Despite a few tough outings in a row, he is 11-4-2 with a .926 SV% on the season, so you should be able to trust him this afternoon vs. the last place Red Wings.

Schultz was on the ice for Monday's practice and has not been ruled out for Tuesday's game in Philadelphia. This would be a huge boost to the Penguins blueline, who have seen John Marino and Marcus Pettersson step-up in his absence. Schultz had two goals and six assists (eight points) in 27 games before getting hurt in mid-December.

Simon was forced to leave Sunday's game vs. the Bruins but was able to return to the ice for Monday's practice and is expected to play tomorrow. Simon has been tearing it up since Sidney Crosby returned to the lineup, scoring two goals with two assists (four points) in four games.

Kahun was forced to leave Sunday's game in the second period and did not return. He was not on the ice for Monday's morning skate and head coach Mike Sullivan announced that he has been diagnosed with a concussion. Luckily the Penguins bye week is around the corner, so Kahun could only end up missing about three games.

Toninato was a late-scratch Saturday in Detroit but is expected to play tonight in his home state. He has been playing with quality linemates (Hoffman & Vatrano) lately and comes in with three assists in his last four games.

Bobrovsky stopped 27 of 28 shots in the Panthers win in Detroit on Saturday. It was a strong return to the crease for Bobrovsky, who has now won his last two starts while stopping 57 of 60 shots (.950 SV%). Tonight he faces a Wild team that has lost four of their last six but are coming off of a 7-0 win over the Stars on Saturday.

This isn't surprising with the Islanders in town. Georgiev started both games vs. the Isles last week, going 2-0 while stopping 70 of the 74 shots (.946 SV%) that he faced. He is now 4-1-0 with a 1.40 GAA, .955 SV% and one shutout in his career against the Islanders and makes for a solid option on a quiet Tuesday in the NHL.

Hunt's absence started as a healthy scratch but he's now been sidelined for a few games due to an illness. He was on the ice for Monday's morning skate but will miss his fifth consecutive game.

Koivu was a late-scratch on Saturday and it looks like he'll miss his second straight game on Monday. Koivu took part in the Wild's morning skate but is not expected to play vs. the Panthers. After a 7-0 win, head coach Bruce Boudreau may not want to change things.

Stalock stopped all 27 shots that he faced in the Wild's 7-0 shutout win over the Stars on Saturday night. He has won two in a row while stopping 45 of the 47 shots ( .957 SV%) that he's faced and will make his third straight start tonight vs. the Panthers. Stalock has been excellent at the Xcel Energy Center, going 7-1-1 with a 2.10 GAA and .924 SV% in 11 games (9 starts).

Raffl suffered an upper-body injury late in Saturday's game vs. the Kings and is questionable for play Tuesday vs. the Penguins. German Rubtsov has been recalled to take Raffl's spot if he's unavailable.

Michael Raffl is questionable to play Tuesday due to an upper-body injury, so Rubtsov could play in his fourth career NHL game. The 21-year-old has two goals and 10 assists (12 points) in 28 AHL games this season.

Filppula left Saturday's game vs. the Panthers after being hit by Vincent Trocheck late in the first period and missed Sunday's practice. Head coach Jeff Blashill did not have much of an update on Filppula's status but labelled him as questionable for Monday's afternoon game. With Filppula likely out, look for Brendan Perlini to draw into the lineup.

Donskoi ditched the non-contact sweater and was a full participant in Sunday's practice. Still, Donskoi will miss his fifth straight game and will take the 11 days between games to get back to 100 percent. Look for him to travel on their five-game road trip and return to the lineup on February 1st in Philadelphia.