NHL Hockey Player News

Bussi emerged out of nowhere last season as a 27-year-old making his NHL debut, playing admirably in the Hurricanes' crease and ultimately helping lead them to a Stanley Cup. He carried that momentum into the 2026-27 season, saving 19 of 20 shots (.950 SV%) in his season debut, a 1-0 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers. That said, he struggled in his following outing, allowing five goals on 27 shots (.815 SV%) in a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals. The Hurricanes will likely alternate between Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov this season, but they will start Bussi on Tuesday for the third time in four games. Carolina enters the action on Tuesday as -117 road favourites against the Montreal Canadiens, who have scored eight goals in their first two games (1-0-1).

The Red Wings are off to a disappointing 0-2-0 start to the 2026-27 season, but they don't have Gibson to blame for their struggles. The veteran 33-year-old goalie has a solid 2.07 GAA and .915 SV% through two games (0-2-0), but his offence has provided little support, producing only two total goals. The Red Wings will look for their first win on Tuesday, entering the action as slight -109 home favourites against an undefeated Ottawa Senators team (2-0-0).

Vejmelka played a career-high 64 games last season and could be due for another busy season, with rookie Sebastian Cossa as his backup. The 30-year-old Vejmelka was perfect in his opening game, saving all 15 shots he faced in a 6-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, but struggled in his follow-up outing, allowing three goals on 18 shots (.857 SV%) in a 4-2 loss to the New York Rangers. The Mammoth enter Tuesday as slight +111 road underdogs against a New Jersey Devils team coming off an embarrassing 6-0 loss to the New York Islanders.

Ellis will make his first start of the 2026-27 campaign on Tuesday as Buffalo hosts the 2-0-0 Minnesota Wild. The 26-year-old Ellis came to Buffalo off waivers last season and posted a solid 8-4-2 record, with a 2.90 GAA and .903 SV% in 16 games played. The sophomore will hope for more NHL success on Tuesday as he welcomes the tough task of the undefeated Minnesota Wild into Buffalo.

Linus Ullmark was removed from Ottawa's win on Monday vs. Boston and will sit tonight, meaning Samuel Ersson will take over the Senators' crease as they head to Detroit on Tuesday. Ersson is entering his fifth NHL season and his first in the nation's capital after posting a 14-11-5 record last season, with a 3.12 GAA and .870 SV%. He heads to Detroit to battle the winless Red Wings (0-2-0), who are welcoming back their star centre Dylan Larkin and have averaged just 1 goal per game.

Celebrini was a late scratch for San Jose's Monday loss to Dallas and is being considered day-to-day for now after the Sharks announced that their star forward is still being evaluated. The 20-year-old is in his third NHL season and has five assists, nine SOG and a +2 plus/minus while averaging 22:20 TOI/GP across two games this season.

Ullmark exited Ottawa's previous game in the third period with an undisclosed injury. He will not dress on Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings, but Senators' Head Coach Travis Green insists that they are not concerned and that Ullmark will be back in the crease soon. The 33-year-old Swedish goalie has a 1.20 GAA and .949 SV% through two appearances this season (2-0-0).

Greig has yet to play this season, serving a postseason suspension, but will make his debut on Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings. The 24-year-old forward scored a career-high 35 points (13G / 22A) last season in 77 games. Hayden Hodgson will be a healthy scratch to make room for Greig's return.

Pachal has been a solid NHL-level depth defenseman over the past several seasons, but has spent significant time in the AHL as well. The 27-year-old played a career high 76 games with the Flames in 2024-25, but saw that decrease to just 39 games last season.

Zary has shown some offensive promise in his first three seasons, but has struggled with consistency, and will report to the Calgary Wranglers (AHL) after clearing waivers. The 25-year-old 24th-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft has one assist in two games with the Flames this season.

The Panthers have high expectations for Markstrom after acquiring him in an offseason trade, and they'll turn to him to tend the twine for the third time in four games. The 36-year-old Swedish goalie has been solid early in his return to Florida, the team that drafted him in 2008, posting a 1.40 GAA and .914 SV% in two games (1-0-1). The Panthers enter Tuesday as -114 road favourites against a Los Angeles Kings team that has been outscored 13-8 through two games (0-1-1).

Barkov missed the entire 2025-26 season after undergoing surgery to repair ACL and MCL injuries. After a strenuous recovery, the 31-year-old Barkov was ready to return as an elite offensive producer, but he returned to the sidelines after suffering a lower-body injury in the second game of the season. Fortunately for Barkov, the injuries are unrelated, but he is still expected to miss about two months of hockey.

O'Connor has missed Colorado's first two games of the season with a lower-body injury but returned to practice on Sunday in a regular practice jersey. The 30-year-old is entering his eighth season in Colorado after only managing to appear in 13 games last season due to a hip injury. He will be a key part of the Avalanche's bottom-six when he is fully able to return to the lineup.

L'Heureux's Avalanche debut has had to wait after the bruising forward missed the team's first two games due to a lower-body injury but was a full participant in practice on Sunday. The 23-year-old former 1st-round pick (2021 - 27th overall) appeared in 25 games with Nashville last season, picking up four goals, five points and 25 PIMs.