NHL Hockey Player News

Zajac was hurt late in Thursday’s game vs. the Jets and will not be available against the Predators tonight. With Zajac and Pavel Zacha both out of the lineup, Brian Gibbons will move up the lineup and centre the second line tonight.

Kinkaid turned aside 29 of 33 shots in the Devils win over the Canadiens on Tuesday. Cory Schneider found himself on the losing end for the third straight game on Thursday, so Kinkaid will get another start tonight in Nashville. He has a terrible matchup in Nashville an his 3.25 GAA and .904 SV% on the road doesn’t lend a lot of confidence in the 28-year-old.

Quick allowed one goal on 26 shots in the Kings win over the Capitals on Thursday. Quick has won three of his last four starts while allowing just nine goals on 111 shots (.919 SV%). He will look to stay hot against a struggling Blues team on home-ice, where hs has gone 12-11-2 with a 2.31 GAA and .923 SV% this season.

Grubauer allowed two goals on 28 shots in the Capitals loss in Los Angeles on Thursday. With Braden Holtby struggling, Grubauer is expected to get another game today in San Jose. Grubauer has allowed two or less goals in his last eight appearances (5 starts, 3 relief) while posting a rock solid 1.58 GAA and .948 SV% in the process.

Edmundson is nearing his return to the Blues lineup, but he isn’t ready to go this afternoon in Los Angeles. With Edmundson still out, Jordan Schmaltz will remain on the third pairing.

Hutton was hurt in practice this week and will miss his second straight game with an undisclosed injury. With Hutton out, Jake Allen will start again and Ville Husso will serve as his backup. Hutton is day-to-day.

Allen allowed just one goal on 35 shots in the Blues loss in San Jose on Thursday. It was a tough luck loss for the Blues’ netminder, who is still searching for his 20th win of the season. He recorded the ‘W’ in his first start vs. the Kings this season, a 26-save performance in a 4-2 win vs. L.A. in late-October.

Jones stopped all 16 shots that he faced in a shutout win over the Blues on Thursday. It was an easy night for Jones, who won for the third time in four games. He struggled in his start in Washington, but he is more reliable on home ice this season—having gone 14-7-2 with a 2.40 GAA and .916 SV% so far this year.

Kuemper allowed one goal on 17 shots in the Coyotes win in Vancouver on Wednesday. Since joining the Coyotes, Kuemper has posted a 2.68 GAA and .900 SV% in three games. Tonight he will face an Avalanche team that has lost three straight games in a overtime and comes in tied for 9th in goals for (3.12) through 67 games.

Dubnyk allowed two goals on 32 shots in the Wild’s win in Vancouver last night. Despite starting yesterday, the Wild will stick with Dubnyk tonight in Edmonton. He comes in having won seven of his last eight starts, but has limped to 11-9-0 on the road this season. Against Connor McDavid, tonight is no given for the former Oiler.

Klefbom will miss at least two games but they will determine if he needs more time off after the procedure. It has been a tough season for Klefbom, who has just 19 point (4G / 15A) in 63 games, which is a far cry from his 12 goals and 38 points last year.

Niemi allowed two goals on 50 shots in the Canadiens loss in Boston last Saturday. He ended up missing the next two games with a lower-body injury, but will draw back into the crease this afternoon. He has played a lot better as of late, allowing just seven goals on the last 149 shots (.953 SV%) that he has faced.

Kinkaid turned aside 29 of 33 shots in the Devils win over the Canadiens on Tuesday. Cory Schneider found himself on the losing end for the third straight game on Thursday, so Kinkaid will get another start tonight in Nashville. He has a terrible matchup in Nashville an his 3.25 GAA and .904 SV% on the road doesn’t lend a lot of confidence in the 28-year-old.

Mrazek allowed four goals on 27 shots in the Flyers loss to the Penguins on Wednesday. Mrazek’s Flyers career got off to a blistering start, but he has now lost four in a row while giving up 18 goals on 123 shots (.854 SV%). He will look to get back on track this afternoon, but it won’t be easy with the Winnipeg Jets in town.

Jarry allowed two goals on 28 shots in the Penguins win in Philadelphia on Wednesday. Jarry has won three straight while posting a 2.25 GAA and .925 SV%, so he will make his fifth straight start tonight in Toronto. He was yanked in his first start vs. the Maple Leafs after allowing three goals on 16 shots in the first period of a 4-3 loss in mid-December.

The veteran blueliner has great numbers in the AHL throughout his career, but hasn’t been able to translate it into NHL success. Butler, who has 24 points (8G / 16A) in 52 games with the Rampage this season has no points in two games with the Blues.

With Dmitry Kulikov out, Joe Morrow will draw into the lineup on Saturday and Poolman has been recalled to serve as an extra defenseman. Poolman has just one goal in 15 games with the Jets this year, but has picked up 10 points (1G / 9A) in 17 games with the Moose.

Schmidt has missed the last four games with an undisclosed injury but will play vs. the Sabres this afternoon. Schmidt, who has 30 points (5G / 25A) in 63 games this season, will skate with Brayden McNabb on the top-pairing.

Fleury stopped all 28 shots that he faced in the Golden Knights shutout win over the Red Wings on Thursday. It was a big outing for Fleury, who had been struggling a bit heading into Thursday’s game. He makes for a great option again this afternoon in Buffalo. Fleruy is 11-4-1 with a 1.99 GAA and .938 SV% on the road this year—so they're not just great in Vegas.