NHL Hockey Player News

Malkin has not played in over a month, but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils. The 39-year-old Malkin was having a renaissance season before his injury, scoring 29 points (8G / 21A) through 26 games. The future Hall of Famer has not finished a season above a point-per-game pace since the 2022-23 season.

The Maple Leafs have been rolling lately, with points in seven straight games (5-0-2), and will turn to Hildeby on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers. The 24-year-old Swedish goalie was solid in his most recent outing, entering the contest in relief of Joseph Woll, saving 22 of 23 shots (.957 SV%) in a 6-5 win over the Winnipeg Jets. He has a 2.90 GAA and .912 SV% in 15 appearances this season (3-5-4). The Maple Leafs enter the action on Thursday as slight +108 road underdogs against a Flyers team that has scored five or more goals in three of their last four games (3-1-0).

The Devils will unsurprisingly turn to Allen between the pipes tonight after Jacob Markstrom was tagged for nine goals in Tuesday's embarrassing loss on Long Island. Allen himself took the loss in his last start, allowing three goals on 29 shots in a 3-1 loss to the Hurricanes on Sunday. The 35-year-old netminder is enjoying another successful season as New Jersey's backup, logging an 11-9-1 record and a .911 SV% across 22 appearances. Allen and the Devils enter action on Thursday at -105 on the money line.

Lukas Dostal will get a rare night off on Thursday, clearing the way for Husso to make his first start of 2026. Husso's last start came way back on December 16th, when he was tagged for four goals on 28 shots in a 4-3 overtime loss in Columbus. The 30-year-old netminder carries a 5-3-1 record and an .884 SV% into Thursday night's matchup, where the Ducks enter action as heavy underdogs at +185 on the money line.

Backup Devin Cooley is reportedly ill and not quite feeling 100%, so Wolf will get the rare opportunity to make starts on back-to-back nights. Wolf took the loss in Montreal on Wednesday, allowing four goals on 35 shots in the 4-1 defeat. The 24-year-old netminder leads the league both in starts and losses heading into Thursday night's matchup, where the Flames enter action at +115 on the money line.

The Sabres have relied exclusively on Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen since Alex Lyon (lower body) was injured nearly two weeks ago, but Ellis will tend the twine on Thursday against the New York Rangers. The 25-year-old Ellis has not played since December 9th, when he suffered an injury late in the first period. He has a 3.25 GAA and .895 SV% in eight appearances this season (4-3-0). The Sabres have won 11 of their last 12 games (11-1-0) and enter Thursday's contest as -122 road favorites against a Rangers team that is missing several key players, including their starting goalie, Igor Shesterkin.

Igor Shesterkin was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, so Quick will begin his era as the Rangers' interim starter when they travel to Buffalo on Thursday. Quick himself will be looking to snap a seven-game winless streak that spans over two months, with his last victory coming way back on November 7th, though that's largely due to a lack of goal support. The 40-year-old's record sits at 3-6-2 on the season despite posting a .919 SV% and 2.23 GAA across 11 appearances. Quick and the Rangers enter action on Thursday at +105 on the money line.

Slavin has been plagued with bad luck this season. He played the first two games of the season, then suffered a lower-body injury that sidelined him for over two months. He returned to the lineup and played three games, then suffered an upper-body injury has kept him out for the past three weeks. His next chance to return will be on Saturday against the Seattle Kraken.

With Noah Philp (concussion) sidelined, Jankowski will re-enter Carolinas' lineup on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks. The 31-year-old Jankowski has six points (2G / 4A) in 31 games this season.

With Pyotr Kochetkov (lower body) likely out for the remainder of the season, Andersen has seen more time between the pipes, but his struggles have continued. The 36-year-old veteran goalie is on a miserable nine-game losing skid (0-7-2), posting an unsightly 3.85 GAA and .840 SV%. The Hurricanes enter the action on Tuesday as -207 home favorites against Andersen's former team, the Anaheim Ducks, whom they defeated 4-1 earlier this season.

Montembeault has played in two of five games for the Canadiens since returning from a conditioning stint with Laval (AHL) and has played well, winning both contests and saving 52 of 57 shots (.912 SV%). The Canadiens hope Montembeault can build off his recent success after starting the 2025-26 season with an abysmal 3.35 GAA and .857 SV% in his first 15 games (5-9-1). The Canadiens enter the action on Thursday as slight -104 home underdogs against a Florida Panthers team they defeated 3-2 in overtime less than two weeks ago.

Jiricek has split time this season between Iowa (AHL) and Minnesota, and was recalled earlier this week because of a Zach Bogosian (lower body) injury. That said, he has been reassigned to Iowa to correspond with Daemon Hunt being activated from IR. The 22-year-old Jiricek has zero points in 18 games with Minnesota this season.

Hunt has not played in nearly four weeks, but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Seattle Kraken. The 23-year-old defenseman is averaging 12:26 time-on-ice and has two assists in 12 games this season.

Eller has not played in nearly a month, but is nearing his return after being activated from Injured Reserve. The veteran 36-year-old forward has six points (2G / 4A) in 28 games this season, but had been held off the scoresheet in 16 straight games before his injury.

Christiansen has been a regular for the Blue Jackets in recent weeks, but he will head to the press box as a healthy scratch on Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 26-year-old defenseman is averaging 10:11 time-on-ice and has one assist in 26 games this season.

Heinen has played the last three games for the Blue Jackets, but will head to the sidelines as a healthy scratch on Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 30-year-old Heinen has two points (1G / 1A) in 16 games this season.

Ellis is in the 7th year of an eight-year, $50 million contract, but is not eligible to play due to a significant back injury, making this trade a salary dump for San Jose. Ellis's last NHL appearance was in the 2021-22 season.