NHL Hockey Player News

The Sabres have received stout netminding regardless of who tends the twine lately, and they will continue their goalie rotation on Thursday, turning to Luukkonen against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 26-year-old Finnish goalie was outstanding in his previous outing, saving 36 of 38 shots (.947 SV%) in a 6-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. He has an excellent 1.51 GAA and .955 SV% in two games since returning from the Olympic break (2-0-0). The Sabres enter Thursday's contest as -109 road favourites against a Penguins team that defeated them 5-2 last month.

The Flyers are on the outside looking in, battling for a Wild Card spot, with Vladar doing everything in his power to help his team. The 28-year-old Czech goalie has returned from representing Team Czechia at the Olympics with a vengeance, doing what he has for most of the season, posting a stellar 1.64 GAA and .942 SV% in three games (2-1-0). He has allowed two or fewer goals in five straight games (3-1-1). The Flyers enter Thursday's contest as +113 home underdogs against a Utah Mammoth team coming off a 3-2 win against the Washington Capitals.

James exited Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres late due to a leg injury and has not played since. He underwent successful surgery to address his injury and will effectively be sidelined for the remainder of the regular season. The 23-year-old James is averaging 12:14 time-on-ice and has 15 points (7G / 8A) in 43 games this season.

Goncalves was limited to 8:17 time-on-ice in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, exiting the game with an undisclosed injury and has not played since. The 25-year-old forward is averaging 12:11 time-on-ice and has 20 points (7G / 13A) in 54 games this season.

The Flyers are on the outside looking in, battling for a Wild Card spot, with Vladar doing everything in his power to help his team. The 28-year-old Czech goalie has returned from representing Team Czechia at the Olympics with a vengeance, doing what he has for most of the season, posting a stellar 1.64 GAA and .942 SV% in three games (2-1-0). He has allowed two or fewer goals in five straight games (3-1-1). The Flyers enter Thursday's contest as +113 home underdogs against a Utah Mammoth team coming off a 3-2 win against the Washington Capitals.

While Stuart Skinner has been serviceable for the Penguins, Silovs has quietly taken the reins in their crease and will look to continue his stellar play on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres. The 24-year-old Silovs saved all 22 shots he faced in his most recent outing, a 5-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, for his second shutout of the season. Silovs has won five of his last six games (5-1-0) while boasting a tremendous 1.68 GAA and .939 SV%. The Penguins enter Thursday's contest as slight -101 home underdogs against a surging Sabres team riding a four-game winning streak.

Shesterkin is coming off one of his worst outings of the season, allowing five goals on 29 shots (.828 SV%) in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. It marked the first time that Shesterkin has allowed more than four goals in a game since October. That said, before his most recent blip, the 30-year-old Shesterkin remained a reliable presence for an otherwise disappointing and inconsistent Rangers team, posting a stellar 2.12 GAA and .929 SV% in his previous nine appearances (5-1-2). The Rangers enter Thursday's contest as -128 home favourites against a reeling Toronto Maple Leafs team that suffered a 4-3 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils last night to extend their post-Olympic losing streak to five games (0-3-2).

The Blue Jackets are regularly winning with whoever is tending the twine, and on Thursday, they will turn to Greaves for a second consecutive outing. The 24-year-old goalie was solid in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators, saving 21 of 23 shots (.913 SV%). He has an impressive 2.34 GAA and .914 SV% in his last nine games (7-1-1). The Blue Jackets enter the action on Thursday as slight -108 home favourites against a Florida Panthers team on a three-game losing streak (0-3-0).

Simashev was drafted sixth-overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and made his NHL debut this season, scoring one assist in 24 games with the Mammoth. That said, the 21-year-old defenseman has spent the last couple of months in the AHL, where he has excelled, with 28 points (8G / 20A) in 30 games with the Tucson Roadrunners.

Lindgren returns from an undisclosed injury on Wednesday, replacing Cale Fleury in the Kraken lineup. The 28-year-old defenseman is averaging 18:30 time-on-ice and has nine points (2G / 7A) in 57 games this season.

Fleury will take a seat on Wednesday in favour of Ryan Lindgren, who returns from an undisclosed injury. Fleury has one goal and one assist in 18 games this season.

Seattle has snuck their way into a Wild Card spot after a 7-3-0 run, and will turn to Grubauer on Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues. The 34-year-old Grubauer entered the Olympic break on an outstanding run, posting a 1.99 GAA and .933 SV%, but has not been able to recapture that momentum since returning, allowing eight goals on 62 combined shots (.871 SV%) in two games (0-2-0). The Kraken enter the action on Wednesday as -140 home favourites against a Blues team that defeated them 5-1 last week.

Helleson will take a seat on Wednesday along with Jansen Harkins as the Ducks opt to get some fresh legs into the lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano will draw into the lineup in their place.

Harkins will take a seat on Wednesday along with Drew Helleson as the Ducks opt to get some fresh legs into the lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano will draw into the lineup in their place.

Strome will slot in along with Frank Vatrano on Wednesday as the Ducks opt to get some fresh legs into the lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Jansen Harkins and Drew Helleson will draw out of the lineup in their place.

Vatrano has not played since the end of December. The 31-year-old Vatrano has scored over 20 goals in each of his past three seasons, but has struggled to produce in 2025-26, with only six points (3G / 3A) through 38 games.

Frederik Andersen was awarded rare consecutive starts for the Hurricanes, but the team will return to Bussi on Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks. The 27-year-old rookie goalie had a shaky performance in his most recent outing, but continued his winning ways despite allowing four goals on 28 shots (.857 SV%) in a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Bussi has a 2.00 GAA and .911 SV% during an eight-game winning streak. The Hurricanes enter Wednesday's contest as enormous -302 road favourites against a Canucks team that has scored two or fewer goals in nine straight games (1-6-2).

The 34-year-old Kane's name has circulated trade rumours, and with the trade deadline on Friday, he may have played his final game with the Canucks if he is unable to suit up on Wednesday. He has two points (2G / 0A) in his last three games and 27 points (11G / 16A) in 59 outings this season.

The Ducks will unsurprisingly turn to their backup netminder Husso for the tail-end of their back-to-back on Wednesday. Husso's last start came way back on January 26th when he was tagged for five goals on 30 shots in a 7-4 loss in Edmonton. The 30-year-old goaltender has made 11 starts for the Ducks this season, logging a 6-5-1 record and an .882 SV%. Husso and The Ducks enter action on Wednesday at -105 on the money line.

Mangiapane's brief and disappointing career as an Oiler comes to an abrupt end on Wednesday, with the Oilers shipping him and a first-round draft pick out in exchange for forwards Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach. Mangiapane just couldn't find his footing in Edmonton after signing a two-year, $7.2-million contract in the off-season. The 29-year-old winger scored just seven times in 52 games and struggled to even hold a place in Edmonton's lineup toward the end of his Oilers tenure. Luckily for Mangiapane, he should be afforded plenty of ice time and opportunity to rediscover his game on a young and upcoming Chicago team.