NHL Hockey Player News

Ritchie had one assist in 8:15 TOI in his return to the lineup on Tuesday but will be replaced by David Backes on Thursday.

Backes has been a healthy scratch for the last three games but will replace Brett Ritchie on Thursday, getting him in the lineup during their "moms" trip. Backes has scored just one goal with two assists in 15 games this season.

Kulikov has been out since November 29th but will likely replace Sami Niku or Anthony Bitetto on the third pair on Thursday. He has one goal and three assists in 25 games this season.

Caggiula has been battling concussion symptoms for a long time and Thursday will be his first game since November 10th. Caggiula will draw in on the Blackhawks' top line with Jonathan Toews and Dominik Kubalik and comes in with three goals and one assist in 15 games this season.

Ullmark allowed two goals on 34 shots in the Sabres win over the Panthers. Ullmark has started seven straight games, going 3-4-0 with a 2.62 GAA and .905 SV%. He starts in St. Louis, where the Blues have won six in a row while scoring 3.67 goals per game.

Binnington allowed two goals on 29 shots in the Blues win over the Sharks on Tuesday. Dating back to the middle of December, Binnington has gone 7-1-0 with a 2.76 GAA and .906 SV%. He'll face a Sabres team that has lost nine of their last 10 road games (1-6-3) while scoring just 2.30 goals per game.

Halak allowed three goals on 25 shots in the Bruins loss to the Oilers last Saturday. Halak and Tuukka Rask have alternated starts for the last eight games and their goalie rotation will continue tonight vs. Winnipeg. Halak has lost three of his last four starts (1-1-2) while posting a 2.20 GAA and .927 SV%. The Jets have gone 2-0-1 while scoring 3.00 goals per game in the first three games of their road-trip.

Krug missed the morning skate because he has the flu and head coach Bruce Cassidy has labelled him as a game-time decision. With Krug not on the ice, John Moore skated with Brandon Carlo, Matt Grzelcyk was on PP1 and Steven Kampfer was on PP2.

Lindgren was hurt in a fight with Nazem Kadri after hitting Joonas Donskoi and did not return to Tuesday's game. He was originally expected to face supplemental discipline but then the NHL Department of Player Safety changed their mind, making him eligible to play on Thursday. He has no points in his last seven games.

Shesterkin allowed three goals on 32 shots in the Rangers win over the Avalanche on Tuesday. Shesterkin had a tough start, giving up two early goals but settled in and recorded a win in his NHL debut. On Thursday he will face a Devils team that has won four of their last five road games (4-1-0) while scoring 3.20 goals per game.

Chiarot suffered a lower-body injury in Detroit on Tuesday and will miss Thursday's game vs. the Oilers. With Chiarot out, Marco Scandella will be on the top-pair with Shea Weber and Cale Fleury will be back in.

Crawford allowed two goals on 28 shots in the Blackhawks 2-1 loss to the Flames on Tuesday. Robin Lehner is expected to return as Crawford's backup tonight but he'll make his third straight start on Thursday. Crawford has stopped 45 of 49 shots (.918 SV%) in his previous two outings and faces a Predators team that has gone 1-4-1 while scoring 3.00 goals per game in their last six games.

Price surrendered three goals on 27 shots in the Canadiens loss to the Jets on Monday. Charlie Lindgren started Tuesday in Detroit, so they'll come back to Price tonight vs. Edmonton. He's on a five-game losing streak (0-4-1), posting a 3.89 GAA and .874 SV% since Christmas and could have a tough time with Connor McDavid in town. The Oilers are 2-0-1 while averaging 4.00 goals per game in the first three games of their current road-trip.

Gallagher missed the last four games with a concussion but will play Thursday vs. the Oilers. Gallagher was back on the top line and top power-play unit in Thursday's morning skate and comes in with 13 points (5G / 8A) in his last 13 games.

Hill stopped 37 of 39 shots in the Coyotes win in Florida on Tuesday. Hill's first start of the season couldn't have gone better but he'll be in tough in Tampa Bay on Thursday. He has stopped 47 of 51 shots (.922 SV%) in his two appearances this season and will face a Lightning team that has won eight in a row while averaging 4.75 goals per game.

Hayton was hurt in the World Juniors semi-finals and played through the injury to lead Canada to a gold medal. Hayton re-joined the Coyotes on Wednesday but is expected to miss multiple weeks with a shoulder injury.

Vasilevskiy allowed two goals on 23 shots in the Lightning's win over the Canucks on Tuesday. Vasilevskiy extended his winning streak to six games, posting a 2.17 GAA and .932 SV% in the process. Tonight he takes on a Coyotes team with their third-string netminder but also riding a four-game winning streak.

Shesterkin allowed three goals on 32 shots in the Rangers win over the Avalanche on Tuesday. Shesterkin had a tough start, giving up two early goals but settled in and recorded a win in his NHL debut. On Thursday he will face a Devils team that has won four of their last five road games (4-1-0) while scoring 3.20 goals per game.

Lizotte was forced to leave Wednesday's game vs. Dallas early in the first period and did not return. The 22-year-old's absence allowed Michael Amadio to move up to the third line and Matt Luff will draw in on the fourth line in Vegas.

Couture was forced to leave Tuesday's game against the Blues with an obvious lower-body injury that he suffered while crashing into the end boards. Couture had to be helped off of the ice and it didn't look good right away. The early reports are that Couture suffered a fractured ankle and is "week-to-week" but will likely be out until mid-February. Look for the Sharks to release a detailed timetable in the coming 24 hours.