NHL Hockey Player News

Smith is feeling under the weather, probably could have played tonight but coach Dave Tippett said it makes sense to go with McKenna.

Elliott made 40 saves on 41 shots in the Blues 2-1 shootout win over the Panthers on Sunday. He has won back-to-back games while stopping 66 of 70 shots (.943 SV%). Tonight he will start vs. the Stars for the second time this season—he made 25 saves in a 4-3 OT win in the first meeting.

McKenna, 31, will make his Coyotes debut tonight in Colorado. He has gone 18-14-2 with a 2.09 GAA and .933 SV% with Portland (AHL) this season. He is 5-10-2 with a 3.40 GAA and .891 SV% in 21 career NHL appearances between the Lightning, Devils and Blue Jackets.

Lack allowed four goals on 41 shots in the Canucks win in Chicago on Wednesday. It was a solid outing for Lack, who has gone 2-0-0 with a 2.35 GAA and .928 SV% since the All Star break. Tonight he will start against the Wild, who beat the Canucks 5-3 last Monday.

Clendening, 22, has recorded one assist, a plus-4 rating and six shots on goal in seven games with the Canucks. If Edler does not play tonight, Clendening will fill-in on the top power-play unit.

McKenna, 31, will make his Coyotes debut tonight in Colorado. He has gone 18-14-2 with a 2.09 GAA and .933 SV% with Portland (AHL) this season. He is 5-10-2 with a 3.40 GAA and .891 SV% in 21 career NHL appearances between the Lightning, Devils and Blue Jackets.

Rask gave up four goals on 24 shots in the Bruins loss in Vancouver on Friday. He has lost three straight games while allowing a combined seven goals on 78 shots (.910 SV%). Tonight it looks like he will make his first start of the year against the Flames—he has gone 7-8-3 with a 2.72 GAA and .913 SV% on the road this season.

There was no word why Michalek was not on the ice for the morning skate. He is not believed to be battling an injury, however he is believed to be on the move before the trade deadline. Expect an update ahead of tonight’s game in Colorado.

Kulikov was suspended for his low hit on Seguin on Friday. Seguin suffered a knee injury on the play and will miss 3-6 weeks. Kulikov already served one game of his suspension, so he will be eligible to return on Sunday in Pittsburgh.

Edler left Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury and his absence from the morning skate is not a good sign that he will be available tonight vs. the Wild. Coach Willie Desjardins did not have an update on Edler’s status and said that he is still under evaluation.

Gonchar left Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury and it will keep him out of tonight’s game vs. the Red Wings. With Gonchar out, Tom Gilbert will be in the lineup.

Quick made 27 saves on 28 shots in the Kings 3-1 win over the Capitals on Saturday. After losing three in a row after the All Star break, he has won four straight while posting a 2.25 GAA and .910 SV%. He has a difficult matchup with the Lightning in town—however he made 26 saves in a 4-2 win in Tampa Bay on February 7th.

Varlamov made 24 saves on 25 shots in Colorado’s 4-1 win over the Stars on Saturday. After losing four straight, Varlamov turned in a great performance over the weekend and will start against the Coyotes tonight. He has not faced Arizona yet this season, but has gone 10-6-1 with a 2.16 GAA and .931 SV% at the Pepsi Center.

Price allowed one goal on 29 shots in the Canadiens 2-1 shootout win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday. Price has won four games in a row while posting a 1.21 GAA and .955 SV%. In his first start against the Red Wings he stopped 27 shots in a 2-1 OT win back in October.

Talbot stopped 34 of 35 shots in the Rangers 5-1 win over the Coyotes on Saturday. He has won each of his last three starts while posting a 2.67 GAA and .918 SV%. He draws a tough matchup against the Islanders—Talbot has gone 5-5-0 with a 2.93 GAA and .903 SV% on the road this season.

Ward surrendered two goals on 17 shots in the Hurricanes 2-1 loss to the Ducks last Thursday. Since the All Star break, Ward has gone 2-2-1 with a 2.16 GAA and .921 SV%. Tonight he will face the Senators in Ottawa—Ward has struggled on the road, going 5-12-1 with a 2.90 GAA and .902 SV%.

Bobrovsky has missed the last nine games with a groin injury, but Blue Jackets head coach Todd Richards is hopeful that Bobrovsky will be able to return before the end of the month.

Biega, 26, has three goals and 12 assists (15 points) in 42 games with Utica this season. With Yannick Weber likely going into the lineup for Alex Edler, Biega has been recalled to be the Canucks seventh defenseman.

Hemsky missed Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury and will not play on Tuesday, but he is hopeful that he can play on Thursday against San Jose. Monitor his status leading up to Thursday’s morning skate.

Hendricks will be held out of the second straight game with a lower-body injury. He participated in the Oilers morning skate, but still won’t be in the lineup. Monitor his status prior to Wednesday’s game.