NHL Hockey Player News

Rittich was yanked after allowing three goals on seven shots in the Flames 5-2 loss to the Canucks on Sunday. It was a rough outing for Rittich, who is 5-2-1 with a 2.90 GAA and .909 SV% in December. Tonight he faces a Blackhawks team that has won four of their last five while scoring 3.60 goals per game.

Dowd is with his wife, who is in labour with their first child, and will not play vs. the Islanders this afternoon. Tom Wilson is expected to be back in the lineup this afternoon, replacing Dowd in the lineup--but Travis Boyd will centre the fourth line.

Oshie missed yesterday's morning skate and was listed as a game-time decision for this afternoon's game. Oshie has just one goal inn his last six games and will be in his usual spot with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jakub Vrana.

Varlamov allowed one goal on 26 shots in the Islanders win in Minnesota on Sunday. He seems to have taken over the No.1 job for head coach Barry Trotz and gets set to face the team that drafted him for the second time this season. He allowed two goals on 28 shots in a 2-1 loss in his Islanders debut.

Bobrovsky surrendered five goals on 43 shots in the Panthers win over the Canadiens on Sunday. Bobrovsky has won two of his last three even though he's allowed 15 goals on 108 shots (.861 SV%). Tonight he makes his return to Columbus to face an injury-ravaged Blue Jackets team. He stopped 33 of 34 shots in a 4-1 win in his first start vs. Columbus.

Grubauer stopped 38 of 40 shots in Colorado's 3-2 shootout loss in Dallas on Saturday. It was a great game for Grubauer but it extended his winless streak to five games (0-3-1). He has posted a 3.01 GAA and .912 SV% over that stretch and tonight he faces a Jets team that has lost five of their last six (1-4-1) while averaging 2.83 goals per game.

Carey Price has started seven straight games but has given up 11 goals in his last two games, so Lindgren will make his season debut in Carolina. The 26-year-old netminder was 7-6-2 with a 2.67 GAA and .893 SV% in 16 AHL games before being called up. He has previously suited up in 18 NHL games, going 8-8-2 with a 2.89 GAA and .912 SV%.

Vasilevskiy allowed four goals on 43 shots in the Lightning's win over the Canadiens on Saturday. Vasilevskiy has won six of his last eight starts while posting a 2.48 GAA and .920 SV%. The 25-year-old is 2-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .923 SV% in his first two starts against the Sabres this season.

Backes has been a healthy scratch for the last four games but will replace Danton Heinen in the lineup on Tuesday afternoon. Backes has just one goal and two assists in 14 games this season.

Heinen has been held pointless in his last five games and has just one goal and one assist in his last 12 games. David Backes will draw back into the lineup to replace Heinen.

Rask allowed two goals on 26 shots in the Bruins win over the Sabres on Sunday. Rask has turned things around recently, winning two in a row while stopping 63 of the 68 shots (.927 SV%) that he faced. He still has not lost in regulation on home-ice this season, going 10-0-5 with a 2.22 GAA, .925 SV% and two shutouts and gets set to face a Blue Jackets team that has been devastated by injuries.

Holl was a second-round pick of the Blackhawks back in 2010 but signed with the Maple Leafs in 2016. The 27-year-old defenseman has registered 11 points (1G / 10A) in 38 games this season, his first full-NHL campaign.

Carey Price has started seven straight games but has given up 11 goals in his last two games, so Lindgren will make his season debut in Carolina. The 26-year-old netminder was 7-6-2 with a 2.67 GAA and .893 SV% in 16 AHL games before being called up. He has previously suited up in 18 NHL games, going 8-8-2 with a 2.89 GAA and .912 SV%.

Filppula missed Sunday's game with an upper-body injury but is expected to draw back into the lineup tonight vs. the Sharks. Filppula, who has 14 points (3G / 11A) in 39 games this season will replace Andreas Athanasiou, who is out with a lower-body injury.

Bernier stopped 37 of 39 shots in the Red Wings 2-1 loss in Tampa Bay on Sunday. It was a strong outing from Bernier, who has gone 2-2-0 with a 2.21 GAA and .940 SV% in his last five starts. Despite playing for the worst team in the NHL, Bernier has played very well recently and draws a nice matchup tonight vs. San Jose--the Sharks have lost four straight on the road while scoring just 1.25 goals per game.

Haula was not on the ice for Monday's practice or Tuesday's morning skate but head coach Rod Brind'Amour is hopeful that Haula will be available vs. Montreal. Since returning to the lineup on December 21st, Haula has two goals and two assists (four points) in four games.

Athanasiou's difficult season gets worse as he'll now be out until at least mid-January with a lower-body injury. Athanasiou started to improve in the absence of Anthony Mantha, posting three assists with 13 shots in his last four games.

Guentzel injured his shoulder while falling awkwardly into the boards after scoring his 20th goal of the season and will miss at least four months. The Penguins have battled injuries all season-long and have managed to go 24-11-4 (2nd in the Metro) but this is a huge blow to their top-6.

Holtby allowed five goals on 28 shots in the Capitals 6-4 loss in Carolina on Saturday. Holtby has struggled mightily in his last two outings, allowing a combined nine goals on just 39 shots (.769 SV%). This afternoon he faces the Islanders for the first time this season. He is 8-1-3 with a 2.52 GAA and .918 SV% on home-ice.