NHL Hockey Player News

Vitale missed the last two games with a lower-body injury but will be back in tonight vs. the Blue Jackets. He has three goals and three assists in 35 games this season.

Miller allowed three goals on 40 shots in the Canucks 3-2 loss to the Kings on New Years Day. He has stopped 161 of 170 shots (.947 SV%) in his last five starts, going 3-1-1 in the process. Tonight he will take on the Red Wings for the second time this season. In the first, he was shelled for four goals on 29 shots in a 5-3 loss.

Giroux left Saturday’s game with a leg injury and did not return. Giroux was cut near his ankle and he originally feared that he severed his Achilles tendon. "It was pretty scary," Giroux said. "I tried to get up, but it felt really weird. I tried to put pressure on it, but it didn't feel too good.” The injury obviously looked worse than it was and he is expected to be in the lineup tonight vs. the Devils.

Luongo stopped all 30 shots that he faced in the Panthers 2-0 shutout win over the Sabres on Friday. Luongo has been hot for the last month, winning seven of his last 10 starts while posting a 1.93 GAA and .929 SV% in the process. Today he will face the Capitals for the second time this season—he made 23 saves in a 2-1 marathon shootout win in the first meeting.

Arcobello will crack the lineup this afternoon for the first time since being traded to the Predators on Monday. Arcobello has seven goals and five assists (12 points) in 36 games.

There is no word on how all four lines will shakeout or who will come out of the lineup, but we do know that Perron will start his Penguins career on a line with Crosby. He leaves the dumpster fire in Edmonton to play with the best player in the World, not a bad deal for Perron. His fantasy value is obviously on the rise.

Quick stopped 14 of 16 shots in the Kings 3-2 win over the Canucks on New Years Day. It was a nice easy night for Quick, who has not been tested all that frequently as of late. He has only faced an average of 21.13 shots against of the last eight games. Despite the light workload, he is 4-2-2 with a 2.59 GAA and .876 SV% over that span.

Rinne gave up two goals on 28 shots in the Predators win over the Blues on Tuesday. Rinne has won five of his last six starts while posting a 2.42 GAA and .921 SV%. He will make his second start against the Kings this season—he made 18 saves in a 4-3 shootout win in November.

Neal missed Friday’s practice with a lower-body ailment and it will hold him out of this afternoon’s game in Los Angeles. Neal has registered 13 goals and 10 assists in 35 games this season. Consider him day-to-day.

Fraser is expected to make his Devils season debut tonight because Eric Gelinas is out with an illness and Peter Harrold is out with a face injury. Fraser has three points (1G / 2A) and 45 PIMS in 18 games with Albany this season. It will be his first game with the Devils since the 2010-11 season. He has 98 career NHL games with New Jersey.

Harrold left Friday’s game after taking a stick to the face. The injury will hold him out of tonight’s game, so the Devils have recalled Mark Fraser, who is expected to suit up in his Devils debut.

Sestito, 27, appeared in three games with the Canucks this season registering one assist and has played three games with Utica. His return to the AHL made room for Zack Kassian to return to the lineup tonight.

Kassian missed the last 14 games with a finger injury, but will be back in tonight vs. Detroit. Kassian will skate on the third line with Shawn Matthias and Brad Richardson. He has five points (2G / 3A) with a minus-5 rating and 26 PIMS in 17 games this season.

Crawford allowed three goals on 35 shots in the Blackhawks 3-2 loss to the Capitals in the Winter Classic. Crawford was great but a late third period goal was the difference in this one. He has won two of five with a3.17 GAA and .894 SV% since returning from his foot injury in mid-December.

Thornton left Wednesday’s game in the first period after suffering a shoulder injury. He practiced on Friday, but will not play tonight vs. the Blues. Missing tonight’s game snaps Thornton’s ironman street of 319 consecutive games. Thornton had been hot as of late, registering two goals and nine assists (11 points) in his last nine games.

Niemi stopped all 28 shots that he faced in the Sharks 3-0 shutout win over the Ducks on Wednesday. The win snapped a mini two-game losing streak for Niemi, who will make his 28th appearance tonight vs. the Blues. Niemi has gone 7-3-2 with a 2.39 GAA and .904 SV% at home this year.

Lehtonen stopped all 32 shots that he faced in the Stars 6-0 shutout win over the Coyotes. The Stars dominated all night, earning Lehtonen his third shutout of the season and third straight win. Tonight he will face the Wild for the fourth time this season. He has gone 0-2-1 with a 3.67 GAA and .872 SV% in the first three meetings.

Versteeg suffered a hand injury while blocking an Eric Fehr shot in the Winter Classic. He will be out until late-January or early-February with the injury, which will give the Blackhawks a good chance to get their first look at Teuvo Teravainen this season.

Miller allowed three goals on 40 shots in the Canucks 3-2 loss to the Kings on New Years Day. He has stopped 161 of 170 shots (.947 SV%) in his last five starts, going 3-1-1 in the process. Tonight he will take on the Red Wings for the second time this season. In the first, he was shelled for four goals on 29 shots in a 5-3 loss.

The Blues recalled Fraser for Friday’s game so that he could play vs. his former team in Los Angeles. Fraser was with the Kings from 2011-2014. He did not record a point and was a minus-1 in the contest. He gets sent back to the AHL to make room for Jaden Schwartz to be activated from IR.