NHL Hockey Player News

Upshall will miss his ninth straight game with an ankle injury. He skated on Friday, but will not return to the lineup. He is day-to-day and questionable for Saturday.

Barkov will miss his fifth straight game tonight. He continues to battle through a hand injury that he suffered on November 1st. He is day-to-day and questionable for Saturday.

Lehner allowed four goals on 32 shots in a loss to the Lightning on November 29th. He missed some time with a knee injury, but will return to the crease this afternoon in Boston. In his first start vs. the Bruins, Lehner gave up four goals on 30 shots in a 4-2 loss.

Luongo allowed three goals on 27 shots in the Panthers loss to the Blues on Monday. He will get the call vs. Detroit tonight, which means Al Montoya is likely for Saturday. Bobby Lu made 38 saves in a 4-3 win over the Red Wings 10 days ago. However, since that loss Detroit is 3-0-1 while outscoring opponents 12-6.

MacArthur missed Thursday’s game with the flu but was back in practice this morning and should be in the lineup tomorrow. With Chris Neil out, MacArthur will reclaim his spot on the top line and Colin Greening will stay in the lineup for Neil.

With Danny DeKeyser out, Xavier Ouellet was recalled on Thursday and will play tonight vs. Florida. Ouellet has one goal and one assist in five games with the Red Wings this season. He will be paired with Jakub Kindl tonight.

Abdelkader will miss his sixth and seventh consecutive game on Friday and Saturday, but hopes to be back in next Tuesday. Monitor his practice availability over the weekend, that should give you a good idea if he is on pace to return vs. the Blue Jackets.

The Blackhawks return to action on Saturday vs. the Islanders. Toews is expected to be OK after a scary hit on Thursday night. Monitor his status during Saturday’s morning skate.

Letang has missed the last five games with a groin injury, but is expected to be back tonight according to coach Johnston. Letang has registered 18 points (4G / 14A) in 22 games this season and is a premiere fantasy option on the back-end.

Hornqvist has missed the last two games with a head injury, but should be back in the lineup tonight according to coach Johnston. Hornqvist was in the morning skate so all signs point towards him returning to the lineup tonight vs. the Flames. He has 11 goals and 14 assists (25 points) in 25 games this season.

Fleury allowed four goals on 29 shots in the Penguins 4-3 OT loss loss to the Rangers on Monday. It looks like Fleury will go tonight vs. the Flames, which would leave Thomas Greiss for Saturday’s tilt in Columbus. Fleury is 9-3-1 with a 2.20 GAA and .924 SV%.

Polak has been sidelined with a strained left knee since November 22nd. He was scheduled to miss four weeks, which would put him on track to return a week from tomorrow. Since he just returned today, it looks like he will be out passed that original timetable, but this is a positive sign for the Maple Leafs’ blue line.

Crosby missed Thursday’s practice because he was under the weather, but he is on the ice this morning for the game-day skate, so expect him to suit up tonight vs. Calgary. He could also have Patric Hornqvist returning to his wing tonight.

Neil left Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury that was later deemed a knee injury that would keep him out week-to-week rather than day-to-day. Ottawa is back in action on Saturday and if Clarke MacArthur is not ready to return from the illness that held him out of last night’s game, the Senators will need to make a roster move.

Palat missed Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury, but head coach Jon Cooper said he expects the forward to play on the upcoming five-game trip that starts on Saturday in Washington. Palat is day-to-day.

Toews was hit head-first into the end-board by Bruins' blueliner Dennis Seidenberg. Toews was shaken up and left the game late in the second period. Seidenberg was assessed a two-minute minor on the play, but is expected to avoid suspension. “We’ll see how he is tomorrow,” Coach Joel Quenneville told reporters. “Looks like he’s going to be all right.”

The Predators did not have a morning skate, but with no back-to-back on Friday, it is expected to be Rinne against the Coyotes. Rinne stopped all 26 shots in the Predators 3-0 win over the Avalanche. Rinne has gone 2-2-0 with a 1.77 GAA and .938 SV% in four December starts.

MacArthur was listed as a game-time decision, but is not on the ice for warmups so he will not play tonight vs. the Kings. Colin Greening will take his spot on the top-line.

Palat is not on the ice for pre-game warmups, so it looks like he will sit tonight vs. the Hurricanes. Expect Jonathan Drouin to suit up in Palat's place.

Quick allowed one goals on 16 shots in the Kings 1-0 loss to the Sabres on Tuesday. It was an unexpected loss to say the least, but hopefully coach Sutter lit a fire under his guys and will get them going tonight in Ottawa. Quick is 1-3-0 despite posting a 1.52 GAA and .931 SV% in his last four starts.