NHL Hockey Player News

Elie has been in and out of the Sabres lineup since being claimed off of waivers, but will be out tonight with Patrik Berglund returnnign from being a healthy scratch on Thursday.

Thompson has not recorded a point while averaging 11:44 TOI/GM in his first seven games as a Sabre. Johan Larsson will draw in and take Thompson’s spot in the bottom-6.

Larsson has not played since October 11th, but will replace Tage Thompson in the lineup on Saturday. Larsson has a career-high of just 17 points (4G / 13A) in 80 games last year.

Markstrom has not started since October 9th, when he allowed five goals on 33 shots in the Canucks loss in Carolina. Anders Nilsson has played very well for the Canucks, but Markstrom will get back between the pipes tonight. He has allowed a combined 10 goals on 68 shots (.853 SV%) in his last two starts, so look elsewhere for a starter tonight.

Berglund was a healthy scratch on Thursday, but is expected to replace Remi Elie in the lineup on Saturday. Berglund has just one assist while averaging 14:25 TOI/GM in six games with the Sabres.

Vaakanainen, 19, has registered two assists in six games with Providence so far this season. The 2017 first round pick (No.18 overall) could draw into the lineup in Vancouver after being called-up on an emergency basis, suggesting someone is hurt.

Saros stopped all nine shots that he faced to guide the Predators to a win after replacing Pekka Rinne last night. Rinne landed on IR this afternoon, so Saros will be their No.1 netidner moving forward and comes into Saturday at 3-0-0 with a 2.23 GAA and .917 SV% in three starts.

Nelson was a healthy scratch on Thursday, but will be back in the lineup for the injured Nathan Beaulieu on Saturday. Nelson has no points and a minus-1 rating while averaging 16:03 TOI/GM in his first five games of the season.

Beaulieu played just 12:00 TOI on Thursday and will not play Saturday because of an undisclosed injury. Casey Nelson will draw into the Sabres lineup for Beaulieu.

Andersen stopped 36 of 37 shots before the Penguins added two empty net goals to beat Toronto 3-0 on Thursday. Andersen has won three of his first five starts while posting a 2.70 GAA and .914 SV%. The Blues possess one of the deepest lineups in the NHL, but they’re 21st in goal-scoring (2.83 GF/PG) in the early going.

Ullmark stopped all 36 shots that he faced in the Sabres win in Arizona last Saturday. It was a great season debut for Ullmark, who will make his second start this afternoon in Los Angeles. The Kings are expected to get Anze Kopitar back, but still rank 28th in the NHL in scoring (2.00 GF/PG).

Svoboda, 23, has gone 2-0-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .946 SV% in two starts with the Atlanta Gladiators this season. With Pekka Rinne going on IR, Svoboda has been recalled to backup Juuse Saros in tonight’s game in Edmonton.

Saros stopped all nine shots that he faced to guide the Predators to a win after replacing Pekka Rinne last night. Rinne landed on IR this afternoon, so Saros will be their No.1 netidner moving forward and comes into Saturday at 3-0-0 with a 2.23 GAA and .917 SV% in three games.

Rinne suffered what appeared to be a head injury during the Predators win in Calgary last night. Rinne was pulled from the game by a trainer after a collision with teammate Kevin Fiala. His move to IR means that he will miss at least one week and Juuse Saros will take over as the Predators No.1 netminder.

Fleury stopped 26 of 27 shots in the Golden Knights win over the Sabres on Tuesday. After a couple rough outings on the road, Fleury has settled in his last two starts—winning both games while stopping 52 of 53 shots (.981 SV%). Tonight he faces a Ducks squad that is banged up but is still 20th in the NHL in scoring (2.86 GF/PG).

Jones stopped 24 of 25 shots in the Sharks win over the Sabres on Thursday. Jones snapped his losing streak at two and has now posted a 2.63 GAA and .896 SV% in five starts this season. Tonight he faces an Islanders team that sits 18th in the NHL in scoring (3.17 GF/PG) through their first six games.

Howard allowed two goals on 30 shots in the Red Wings loss in Tampa Bay on Thursday. It was Howard’s best game of the young season, but he is still winless while posting a 3.57 GAA and .893 SV% in his first five starts. Tonight he meets a Panthers team that is coming off of their first win of the season last night, but the back-to-back makes Howard a more viable option.

Matt Benning replaced Garrison in the lineup on Thursday, but was placed on IR on Friday. With Benning out for at least a week, Garrison will draw in next to rookie Evan Bouchard on the Oilers’ third pair.

Vasilevskiy made 29 saves on 30 shots in the Lightning’s win over the Red Wings on Thursday. Vasilevskiy has been spectacular to open the 2018-19 season, winning three of his first four starts with a 1.48 GAA and .954 SV%. He is a great matchup again tonight vs. a Wild team on back-to-back and averaging just 2.43 goals for per game (tied 25th).