NHL Hockey Player News

Aston-Reese started the season with Cleveland (AHL), but injuries afforded him the opportunity to play with the Blue Jackets. The 31-year-old bottom-six forward scored five points (1G / 4A) with Columbus before being placed on waivers and ultimately returning to the AHL.

With Dan Vladar (lower body) activated from Injured Reserve, Kolosov will return to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL). The 24-year-old Kolosov has spent most of the season in the AHL and struggled in limited NHL action, posting a 4.00 GAA and .830 SV% in four appearances with the Flyers (0-2-0).

Gibson allowed two goals on 21 shots (.905 SV%) in a 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, a rare loss for the 32-year-old Gibson, who has been near-perfect in recent weeks. The American goalie has only lost three times in his past 20 outings (17-3-0), posting a dazzling 2.05 GAA and .930 SV%. Odds will be in Gibson's favour on Thursday against a Washington Capitals team that has lost six of its last seven games (1-5-1).

Already without top-six forwards Robert Thomas (lower body) and Dylan Holloway (ankle), the Blues' injury woes worsened in Tuesday's game against the Dallas Stars, with Jordan Kyrou (upper body) and Jake Neighbours (lower body) both exiting the game early. That said, the team was reassured on Wednesday morning, with the announcement that neither Kyrou nor Neighbours is expected to be out for long. The 23-year-old Neighbours has 21 points (12G / 9A) in 41 games this season, but has struggled lately, with only one assist in his last five outings.

Already without top-six forwards Robert Thomas (lower body) and Dylan Holloway (ankle), the Blues' injury woes worsened in Tuesday's game against the Dallas Stars, with Jordan Kyrou (upper body) and Jake Neighbours (lower body) both exiting the game early. That said, the team was reassured on Wednesday morning, with the announcement that neither Kyrou nor Neighbours is expected to be out for long. The 27-year-old Kyrou has had a disappointing season, with only 24 points (11G / 13A) through 43 games. Over his previous four seasons, Kyrou was nearly a point-per-game player, with 285 points in 317 games (0.9 PTS/GP).

Dobes has had a wildly inconsistent season, varying month to month. He had an elite 2.03 GAA and .930 SV% in six October games (6-0-0), which he followed up with a dreadful November, posting a 4.02 GAA and .849 SV% in seven games (2-3-2). The 24-year-old Czech goalie has been more reliable lately, is coming off a stellar 32-save performance (.941 SV%) in a 3-2 overtime win over the Vegas Golden Knights, and has won six of his last seven outings (6-0-1).

Middleton played a career-high 41 games with the Avalanche last season, but has spent the entirety of the 2025-26 campaign in the AHL. The 27-year-old defenseman has nine points (2G / 7A) in 39 games with the Eagles (AHL) this season.

Gostisbehere has missed several multi-week stints this season, most recently being sidelined since January 13th because of a lower-body injury. That said, when healthy, the 32-year-old Gostisbehere has been one of the most productive blueliners this season, scoring 32 points (6G / 26A) in 35 games. He hopes to return to lineup when Carolina returns to action on Thursday against the Utah Mammoth.

Colorado has battled some adversity lately, amid their worst 10-game stretch of the season (4-4-2), but received tremendous goaltending from Blackwood in their previous outing, saving 32 of 33 shots (.970 SV%) in a 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Before that, the 29-year-old Blackwood has allowed 11 goals on 47 combined shots (.766 SV%) in his previous two games (0-2-0). He will look to build some momentum off of his recent victory, with the Avalanche entering Wednesday's contest as -137 road favorites against an Ottawa Senators team that is coming off an impressive 7-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights.

The struggling Rangers are coming off a rare victory, 4-3 in overtime over the Boston Bruins. Still, they will revert from Jonathan Quick to Spencer Martin on Wednesday against the New York Islanders. The 30-year-old Martin played well in his previous outing, but did not receive ample goal support, saving 28 of 31 shots (.903 SV%) in a 3-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks. The Rangers enter Wednesday's contest as +115 road underdogs against the New York Islanders, who defeated them 2-0 last month.

Juulsen did not play in Philadelphia's previous game, but he will return to the lineup on Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 28-year-old defenseman is averaging 14:06 time-on-ice and has eight points (1G / 7A) in 37 games this season.

Vladar has not played since suffering a lower-body injury two weeks ago and will return to the crease on Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Before his injury, the 28-year-old Czech goalie was arguably Philadelphia's most valuable player, posting a 2.23 GAA and .909 SV% in his previous 11 games (6-2-3). The Flyers went 2-4-1 without Vladar and enter Wednesday's contest as slight +106 road underdogs against a Blue Jackets team that has won six of their last seven games (6-1-0).

Adam Fox is in his second stint on Long-Term Injured Reserve this season, but appears to be nearing a return after practicing in a non-contact jersey on Wednesday. The 27-year-old Fox has had trouble staying healthy, but has been extremely productive when in the lineup, scoring 28 points (4G / 24A) in 30 games. Fox will not be eligible to be activated until the Rangers have two games left before the Olympic Break, and it is unclear whether he is targeting those games.

Linus Ullmark (personal) returned as a backup to Mads Sogaard in Sunday's 7-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, and will return to that role on Wednesday, backing up James Reimer against the Colorado Avalanche. The 37-year-old Reimer has kept his team in most games since making his debut two weeks ago, but had a poor showing in his most recent outing, allowing four goals on 19 shots (.789 SV%) in a 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Senators enter Wednesday's contest as +122 home underdogs against the league-leading Avalanche, who are in their worst stretch of the season, losing six of their last 10 games (4-4-2).

Bourgault was a first-round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and made his NHL debut earlier this season, playing one game with Ottawa. The 23-year-old forward has 37 points (14G / 23A) in 43 games with Belleville (AHL) this season.

Merzlikins has not played in over a week but has seen more action lately, after playing only three times in the previous month. The 31-year-old Merzlikins has played better since Rick Bowness took over as the Blue Jackets' new Head Coach, saving 64 of 70 shots (.914 SV%) in three games (2-1-0), but consistency has been a significant issue for the Latvian goalie. The Blue Jackets enter Wednesday's contest as -135 home favorites against a Philadelphia Flyers team that is coming off a 4-0 loss to the New York Islanders.

Rittich has been reliable in a supporting role for most of the season, but suddenly finds himself battling some adversity. The 33-year-old Czech goalie has allowed three or more goals in four of his last five games (1-3-1), posting an ugly 3.51 GAA and .832 SV%. He will look to return to the form he showcased in his first 16 games of the season (10-4-2), posting a 2.39 GAA and .918 SV%. The Islanders enter Wednesday's contest as -125 home favorites against a New York Rangers team that is coming off a 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins.

Philp is an undrafted 27-year-old who made his NHL debut last season after some success at the AHL level. He scored three points (2G / 1A) in 15 games with the Oilers this season before being placed on waivers and ultimately claimed by the Carolina Hurricanes. He has zero point in two games with Carolina and has not played since suffering a concussion on January 6th.