NHL Hockey Player News

Crosby was absent during the Penguins practice session on Wednesday, making him questionable for Thursday’s game against the Lightning. Monitor his status during tomorrow’s morning skate.

Fleury allowed five goals on 27 shots in the Golden Knights loss in Montreal last Saturday. Fleury has alternated wins and losses in his last six starts (3-3-0) while posting a 3.03 GAA, .887 SV% and one shutout. The 33-year-old stopped 17 of 18 shots in a 3-1 win in his first start vs. the Ducks.

Fortin has four points (2G / 2A) in 13 games this season, but will come out of the lineup tonight with Brandon Saad returning from injury.

Rutta has one goal and one assist in his last four games, but is expected to be replaced by Brandon Manning tonight.

Davidson will be replaced by Gustav Forsling, who was recalled from Rockford on Tuesday. Davidson is listed as day-to-day.

Forsling was recalled from Rockford (AHL) on Tuesday and will play in his 80th career NHL game tonight vs. the Blues. Forsling, who had two assists in five AHL games before he was called up, had 13 points (3G / 10A) in 41 games with the Blackhawks last season.

Saad has missed the last two games with a right arm injury, but will draw back in tonight vs. the Blues. Saad, who has eight points (4G / 4A) in 16 games this season, will skate on a line with Artem Anisimov and John Hayden.

Allen allowed five goals on 45 shots in the Blues 5-1 loss to Minnesota on November 3rd. Chad Johnson ended up starting all three games last week, but Allen will start the first game this week. The 28-year-old has already faced the Blackhawks three times this season, going 1-0-2 with a putrid 4.34 GAA and .879 SV%.

Hagelin has recorded just three points (1G / 2A) in 16 games this season, despite playing exclusively with Evgeni Malkin. Hagelin brings a lot of speed to the Kings lineup and trading away Pearson with three years left on his deal, will open up $3.75M this offseason.

Pearson has recorded back-to-back 40-plus point seasons, but has struggled in the first 17 games of the season. Pearson has just one assist and 24 shots this season and carries a 49.1 CorsiFor%. With Hagelin going back the other way, that opens the door for Pearson to play on a line with Evgeni Malkin. Pearson is in the second year of a four-year contract that carries a $3.75M AAV cap-hit.

Haula was stretchered off of the ice in Toronto on November 6th, but his injury remains a bit of a mystery. TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported that Haula’s injury is complex and the Golden Knights won’t know the full extent of the injury until he receives second and third medical opinions. It sounds like the second-line centre will miss at least a couple of months.

Holtby allowed three goals on 21 shots in the Capitals loss to the Coyotes on Sunday. In his last six starts, Holtby has gone 1-4-1 with a 3.01 GAA and .914 SV% in his last six starts. Holtby has been great at even-strength (.923 SV%) but has struggled short-handed (.705 SV%), but that should correct itself as the season progresses.

Hellebuyck allowed two goals on 36 shots in the Jets win over the Devils on Sunday. Hellebuyck has won three of his last four starts while allowing 10 goals on 130 shots (.923 SV%). The 25-year-old is starting to play more like the Hellebuyck of 2017-18 and should be a solid start against a Capitals team on the tail-end of a back-to-back.

Budaj allowed one goal on 11 shots after replacing Jack Campbell in the Kings loss in Ottawa on October 13th. With both Campbell and Jonathan Quick each out with torn meniscus, Budaj will make his first start of the season. The last time Budaj was the Kings’ No.1 netminder, he went 27-20-3 with a 2.12 GAA, .917 SV% and seven shutouts.

Saros gets the nod for the Preds on Tuesday after Rinne lead them to a 2-1 victory over the Ducks last night. Saros has performed well in limited action, posting a 7-2-0 record on the season. He draws a difficult matchup tonight on the road against the Sharks.

Domingue allowed three goals on 25 shots in the Lightning’s win in Ottawa on November 4th. Domingue has won three of his first four starts while posting a 3.77 GAA and .885 SV%. The Lightning have provided Domingue with 3.75 GF/PG in goal-support this far, making him a candidate for a win tonight in Buffalo.

Markstrom will make his second start in as many nights after getting the nod against the Rangers on Monday. He stopped 25 of 27 shots as the Canucks fell short by a score of 2-1. He continues to be leaned on heavily by coach Travis Green despite a lackluster .900 SV% on the season. He draws a difficult matchup tonight against a high-scoring Islanders team.

Andersen allowed one goal on 39 shots in the Maple Leafs win over the Devils last Friday. Garret Sparks gave him the night off on Saturday, so Andersen will kick-off the Maple Leafs road-trip tonight in Los Angeles. The Kings are starting their third-string goalie and Andersen is 5-0-0 with a 2.20 GAA, .932 SV% and one shutout on the road.

Alzner replaced Noah Juulsen in the lineup in the last two games, but with Juulsen back in, Alzner will be scratched again.