NHL Hockey Player News

The Penguins are in a heap of trouble, being outscored 27-13 during a six-game losing skid (0-5-1), and will turn to Nedeljkovic between the pipes. Unsurprisingly, given the Penguins' struggles, Nedeljkovic is still searching for his first victory, sporting a troubling 3.94 GAA and .874 SV% in three games (0-2-1). Despite his struggles, Nedeljkovic has kept his team afloat at times, especially early in games, saving 34 of 35 first-period shots on goal (.971 SV%). The Penguins enter the action on Thursday as rare -176 home favorites against an Anaheim Ducks club that has only scored 21 goals this season, the fewest in the league.

Geekie will miss his second game of the season on Thursday, being replaced by Max Jones. The 26-year-old Geekie posted career highs last season in goals (17), assists (22), and points (39) in 76 games, but has only one point (0G / 1A) through nine contests this season.

Morgan Geekie will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Jones to re-enter the Bruins lineup. The 26-year-old Jones has been limited to only three games this season, recording zero points, eight penalty minutes, and five hits.

The Bruins failed to score on Tuesday when they gave the night off to Swayman, a 2-0 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, and have been outscored 16-7 during a 1-3-1 skid. Swayman will return to the crease on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes and hopes to improve on a pedestrian start to the season, sporting a 2.97 GAA and .900 SV% in seven games (3-3-1). The Bruins enter the action on Thursday as +157 road underdogs against a Carolina Hurricanes club riding a four-game winning streak.

Lizotte suffered a concussion during training camping and has missed the first 11 games of the season, but could make his debut on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks. The 28-year-old signed a two-year, $3.7 million contract in the offseason with Pittsburgh after five solid seasons in Los Angeles. In 62 games in 2023-24, Lizotte had seven goals, 15 points, 76 SOG and 20 PIMs while averaging just 11:49 TOI/GP.

After being re-evaluated, the Hurricanes received bad news regarding Andersen's lower-body injury, downgrading his initial day-to-status to week-to-week. The only positive news regarding Andersen's injury is that it is not related to the blood clotting issues that caused him to miss most of the 2023-24 season. The 35-year-old netminder has a 1.48 GAA and .941 SV% through four outings this season (3-1-0). Expect Pytor Kochetkov to control the Hurricanes' crease in Andersen's absence.

Watson played his second game of the season on Wednesday, filling in for Vladimir Tarasenko (illness), playing 9:06 time-on-ice, recording four hits and a -1 plus/minus. Watson had a one-game stint with the Red Wings earlier this season but has spent most of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL, scoring six points (0G / 6A) in seven games with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

The Maple Leafs have been bleeding defensively lately, being outscored 19-12 over their last four games (1-2-1), and will turn to Woll for his second start of the season. Woll showed some rust last week, returning from a lower-body injury, allowing four goals on 26 shots (.846 SV%) in his season debut, a 5-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues. That said, the Maple Leafs handed the Winnipeg Jets their first loss of the season in their last outing and will enter the action against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday as -184 home favorites.

The Penguins are in a heap of trouble, being outscored 27-13 during a six-game losing skid (0-5-1), and will turn to Nedeljkovic between the pipes. Unsurprisingly, given the Penguins' struggles, Nedeljkovic is still searching for his first victory, sporting a troubling 3.94 GAA and .874 SV% in three games (0-2-1). Despite his struggles, Nedeljkovic has kept his team afloat at times, especially early in games, saving 34 of 35 first-period shots on goal (.971 SV%). The Penguins enter the action on Thursday as rare -176 home favorites against an Anaheim Ducks club that has only scored 21 goals this season, the fewest in the league.

The Canadiens had a disastrous 8-2 loss against the Seattle Kraken in their last outing and will rotate to Primeau in the crease on Thursday against the Washington Capitals. Primeau entered Tuesday's loss to Seattle in relief of Samuel Montembeault, allowing three goals on 13 shots (.769 SV%). That said, Primeau has been solid in his previous three outings (1-0-1), posting a .907 SV%. The Canadiens enter the action on Tuesday as +180 road underdogs against the Washington Capitals.

Xhekaj has played the last three games but will return to being a healthy scratch on Thursday against the Washington Capitals. Through eight games this season, Xhekaj has seven blocks and 16 hits but an ugly -6 plus/minus.

Barron has not played since October 22nd, missing three games due to an upper-body injury, but will draw back into the lineup on Thursday. In 7 games played this season, Barrron has a goal and six PIMs.

Guhle has not played since October 17th, missing five games due to an upper-body injury, but will draw back into the lineup on Thursday. The 22-year-old defender was off to an excellent start to the season before his injury, scoring four points (1G / 3A) in five games.

Alexeyev was the 31st overall pick of the Capitals in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and will make his season debut on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens, replacing Jakob Chychrun (upper body). The 24-year-old Alexeyev had three points (1G / 2A) in 39 games with the Capitals last season.

With Connor McDavid's expected to miss the next 2-3 weeks with a lower-body injury, the freshly recalled Philp will make his NHL debut on Thursday against the Nashville Predators. The 26-year-old Philp has spent the last three seasons in Bakersfield (AHL) awaiting his NHL debut. Philp has three points (2G / 1A) in six games with Bakersfield this season.

The Capitals are off to an excellent 6-2-0 start to the season and will continue their goalie rotation, turning to Lindgren between the pipes for his fifth start. Lindgren has been serviceable in the crease for the Capitals this season, albeit unspectacular, posting a 2.52 GAA and .895 SV% in four contests (2-2-0). The Capitals enter the action on Thursday as sizeable -197 home favorites against a Montreal Canadiens club with a -12 goal differential this season (4-5-1).

After losing six straight (0-5-1), the Flyers have won their last two contests with Ersson between the pipes, including a stellar 23-save shutout on Tuesday in a 2-0 win over the Boston Bruins. The 25-year-old Ersson has had an inconsistent start to the 2024-25 season, a byproduct of porous team play, posting a 3.00 GAA and .891 SV% in seven appearances (3-2-1). The Flyers enter the action on Thursday as -136 home favorites against a St. Louis Blues club pummeled 8-1 by the Ottawa Senators in their previous game.

The Avalanche, amid a myriad of injuries, finally received some good news on the injury front. Lehkonen is expected to return from a shoulder injury and make his season debut on Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken. The 29-year-old Lehkonen has been productive since joining Colorado three seasons ago, including a 34-point campaign (16G / 18A) in 45 games last season.

With Frederik Andersen still sidelined due to a minor injury, the Hurricanes will roll with Kochetkov for a second consecutive game. The 25-year-old Kochetkov has won three of four starts (3-1-0), allowing three or fewer goals three times, posting a 2.77 GAA and .894 SV%. The Hurricanes, riding a four-game winning streak, enter the action on Thursday as -169 home favorites against a Boston Bruins club with a 4-5-1 record.

Ponomarev was the 53rd overall pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2020 NHL Draft. The 22-year-old had a two-game stint with the Hurricanes in the 2022-23 season, scoring two points (1G / 1A), but has predominantly been an AHL player so far in his career.