NHL Hockey Player News

Ericsson was on the ice for the Red Wings’ morning skate, but will miss his third consecutive game due to back spasms. Ericsson is expected to play on Thursday vs. the Kings.

Lindholm has missed the last five games with a lower-body injury, but will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Canucks. Lindholm will skate on the top line with Jordan Staal and Joakim Nordstrom—he comes in with seven points (2G / 5A) in 23 games this season.

Staal has missed the last seven games, but will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Canucks. Staal will centre the Hurricanes’ top line with Joakim Nordstrom on the left side and Elias Lindholm on the right. Staal has nine points (5G / 4A) in 21 games this season.

Gostisbehere missed Sunday’s game with a swollen hand, but said he is good-to-go Wednesday in Colorado. Gostisbehere has registered an assist in four straight games and has four goals and 12 assists (16 points) in 29 games this season.

Okposo missed Monday’s practice but was on the ice for an optional morning skate and is hopeful to be in the lineup tonight. Okposo is feeling better, but consider him a game-time decision.

Dubnyk surrendered one goal on 23 shots in the Wild’s win over the Blues on Sunday. Dubnyk has won four games in a row while posting a 1.45 GAA and .948 SV%. Tonight he will take on the Panthers for the first time this season—Dubnyk has gone 8-3-0 with a 1.55 GAA and .942 SV% in 11 starts on home-ice.

Howard stopped 35 of 36 shots in the Red Wings’ 1-0 overtime loss to the Flyers on Sunday. Howard has stopped 42 of 43 shots (.977 SV%) since returning from his groin injury. Howard has gone 2-3-1 with a 1.31 GAA and .958 SV% at Joe Louis Arena this season and he is a must-start vs. a Coyotes team that has lost seven of eight.

Raanta stopped all 19 shots that he faced in the Rangers’ shutout win over the Devils on Sunday. Raanta has won three in a row, with two straight shutouts and will make his fourth consecutive start tonight vs. the Blackhawks. His 0.33 GAA and .984 SV% in his last three will lead to another night off for Henrik Lundqvist.

Harpur, 21, has registered just three assists in 20 games with Binghamton this season. The 6-foot-6, 214 lbs. defenseman appeared in five NHL games last year, collecting just one assist. He skated with Chris Wideman in Tuesday’s practice, so expect him to make his season debut on Wednesday.

Ward allowed four goals on 20 shots in the Hurricanes’ loss in San Jose on Saturday. Ward has followed up a strong November with a 2-1-2 record, 2.13 GAA and .924 SV% in five December starts. Tonight he makes for an excellent option, at home against the Canucks—he is 6-2-0 with a 1.64 GAA and .941 SV% home home-ice this season.

Raanta stopped all 19 shots that he faced in the Rangers’ shutout win over the Devils on Sunday. Raanta has won three in a row, with two straight shutouts and is expected to make his fourth consecutive start tonight vs. the Blackhawks. His 0.33 GAA and .984 SV% in his last three will lead to another night off for Henrik Lundqvist.

Howard stopped 35 of 36 shots in the Red Wings’ 1-0 overtime loss to the Flyers on Sunday. Howard has stopped 42 of 43 shots (.977 SV%) since returning from his groin injury. Howard has gone 2-3-1 with a 1.31 GAA and .958 SV% at Joe Louis Arena this season and he is a must-start vs. a Coyotes team that has lost seven of eight.

Andersen allowed one goal on 33 shots in the Maple Leafs’ win in Boston on Saturday. Andersen has gone 3-1-1 with a .930 SV% in his last five starts and tonight he will make his 23rd start of the season, which is tied for fifth in the league. He’ll face a Sharks team that has won four of their last six.

Lehner allowed three goals on 28 shots in the Sabres’ loss to the Washington last Friday. Lehner has lost his first three starts of December (0-2-1) while posting a 2.67 GAA and .915 SV%. Tonight he will take on a Kings team that is three games above .500 and come in having lost three of their last five.

Halak surrendered six goals on 38 shots in the Islanders’ loss in Columbus on Saturday. It was a rough outing for Halak, who is 2-1-1 with a 3.06 GAA and .919 SV% in his last four outings. Tonight he’ll face the Capitals for the second time in two weeks—he posted a 38-save shutout on December 1st.

Di Giuseppe had one goal and one assist in seven games during this call-up, to give him two points (1G / 1A) in 18 games with the Hurricanes this season. Carolina is expected to get Jordan Staal and Elias Lindholm back on Tuesday, so Di Giuseppe returns to Charlotte.

Musil, 23, had one goal and five assists in 16 games when he was called up, but never appeared in a game with the Oilers.

Mueller, 21, has registered seven assists in 18 games with the Barracuda this season, which ranks him third among San Jose (AHL) defenseman. Mueller has one goal and three assists in 50 career NHL games (all last season).

Allen allowed two goals on 24 shots in the Blues’ 3-1 loss in Minnesota on Sunday. Allen has gone 1-2-0 with a 2.03 GAA and .917 SV% in the first three games of the Blues’ current road-trip that continues tonight in Nashville. In his first start vs. the Predators, Allen stopped 30 of 31 shots in a 3-1 victory.

Murray allowed three goals on 23 shots in the Penguins’ win in Tampa Bay on Saturday. Murray has registered three consecutive wins while posting a 1.96 GAA and .929 SV%. Murray is a must-start on Monday against a Coyotes team that has lost six of their last seven game (1-3-3) while averaging just 1.71 goals per game.