NHL Hockey Player News

Goc will be held out of tonight’s contest with an illness. Coach Mike Johnston said that he is just sick, nothing else (i.e mumps). With Goc out, Zach Sill will return to the lineup tonight.

Martin, who returned to practice on Tuesday, was on the ice for the Penguins game day skate this morning. Coach Mike Johnston said that Martin could return tonight, but if he doesn’t he will definitely be back on Saturday vs. the Canadiens. Monitor his status during pre-game warmups.

Fleury surrendered four goals on 33 shots in the Penguins 4-1 loss to the Canadiens on Saturday. It has been a rough six-game stretch for Fleury—he has gone 1-4-1 with a 3.16 GAA and .898 SV%. The Penguins have been very banged up, but are starting to get healthy, so expect things to turn around for Fleury soon.

Kadri is on the ice for the second straight day and is taking line rushes on the top-line with Phil Kessel and Daniel Winnik. Kadri has missed the last two games, but it appears as if he will return ahead of schedule and get back in tonight vs. the Capitals. He has 24 points (11G / 13A) in 38 games this season.

Bernier allowed three goals on 29 shots in the Maple Leafs loss to the Wild last Friday. The loss snapped Bernier’s brief two game winning streak and moved him to 15-9-3 on the year. Tonight he will make his second start of the year vs. the Capitals—he made 35 saves in a 6-2 win in late November.

Maatta has been skating for over a week but still needs to join full practice, before a return is imminent. He is one and a half weeks into a four-week timetable, and there has been no word on whether or not he is ahead of schedule.

Carrick, 22, has scored three goals with 13 assists (16 points) in 31 games with the Marlies this season. He spent five games with the Maple Leafs earlier in the year, but did not register a point. He could be in the lineup tonight vs. the Capitals.

Jurco suffered a back injury in the Red Wings win over the Oilers last night. After the game head coach Mike Babcock said that Jurco will not play on Wednesday in Calgary, so expect either Dan Cleary or Joakim Andersson to reenter the lineup in Jurco’s place.

Vrbata was a late scratch on Tuesday night because of an illness and was replaced by Linden Vey. The Canucks are back in action on Thursday, so keep an eye on Vrbata to make sure he gets back into the lineup.

Hanzal missed Tuesday’s game with an upper =-body injury, but because the Coyotes did not hold a morning skate, his status was not discovered until pre game warmups. He is day-to-day and in danger of missing Thursday’s game vs. Winnipeg.

Lundqvist turned aside 24 of 25 shots in the Rangers win over the Sabres on Saturday. King Henrik started the year out at 9-7-2, but he has won nine of his last 10 starts and sits at 18-8-3 with a 2.35 GAA and .914 SV%. Things have really turned around for Lundqvist, who enters play tonight with at 7-3-1 with a 2.16 GAA and .919 SV% on the road this season.

Lindback allowed one goal on 10 shots after replacing Kari Lehtonen in the Stars shootout win over the Oilers on December 21st. He comes into play tonight with a 1-5-0 record, 4.28 GAA and .864 SV%. Yep, those are real numbers, so be extremely careful with Lindback.

Parise will not play tonight because he is with his father who continues to battle stage 4 lung cancer. Jason Zucker will play on the top line with Mikko Koivu and Jason Pominville with Parise out.

Volchenkov was on the ice for the Predators morning skate, but is not on the ice for warmups which means he will not play tonight vs. the Hurricanes. He will be replaced by Victor Bartley. Volchenkov is day-to-day.

Neal will miss his third straight game with a lower-body injury. The next chance for him to return is Thursday against the Stars.

Rinne allowed six goals on 30 shots in the Predators crazy 7-6 overtime win over the Kings on Saturday. It was not his best performance, but Rinne was spotted a 5-1 lead and was able to hold on. Tonight he draws a nice matchup at home, where he is 14-2-1 with a 1.84 GAA and .931 SV% on the year.

Giroux was listed as a game-time decision, but will play tonight vs. Ottawa. He will centre the top-line with Brayden Schenn and Jakub Voracek on his wings. Giroux has 13 goals and 30 assists (43 points) in 38 games this season.

Thornton skated on Tuesday morning, but only with the team’s scratched players. Coach Todd McLellan is unsure whether or not Thornton will be available on Thursday. The Sharks have off on Wednesday, so it may not be known until Thursday morning if Thornton will be ready.

Giroux had a brief chat with trainers at the bench after a few laps and is now taking line rushes in warmups, that is a good sign that he will be back in tonight. With Giroux coming back, Zac Rinaldo will go from first line winger to healthy scratch.

Hertl had to leave the game about two minutes into the third period after Logan Couture inadvertently fired a puck into his own team’s bench. The 21-year-old immediately left the ice while holding a towel to his face, and received 16-to-18 stitches. He will wear a full cage against the Wild. Hertl has seven goals and eight assists for 15 points in 40 games, but just one goal in his last 13.