NHL Hockey Player News

Lilleberg will slot in on Tuesday as the Lightning opt to dress an extra defenceman. Curtis Douglas will sit in his place.

Douglas will take a seat on Tuesday as the Lightning opt to dress an extra defenceman. Emil Lilleberg will dress in his place.

Askarov struggled in his previous outing, but was able to snap a four-game losing skid (0-3-1), saving 20 of 24 shots (.833 SV%) in a 5-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers. The 23-year-old rookie goalie has faced a myriad of adversity in recent weeks, allowing three or more goals in all but one of his last 21 outings (9-10-1) while posting an ugly 4.02 GAA and .868 SV%. The Sharks enter the action on Tuesday as +115 home underdogs against a Montreal Canadiens team that has scored three or more goals in eight straight games (5-1-2).

Wedgewood was excellent in his return from the Olympic break, saving 28 of 30 shots (.933 SV%) in a 4-2 win over the Utah Mammoth, and will return to the crease on Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks. Dating back to the beginning of January, the 33-year-old Wedgewood has faltered a bit in an otherwise tremendous season, posting a 2.80 GAA and .895 SV% in his last eight games (4-3-1). The Avalanche enter Tuesday's contest as -144 road favourites against a Ducks team on a five-game winning streak.

Vasilevskiy has become one of the league's runaway favourites for the Vezina Trophy this season, but he is coming off a forgettable performance, allowing five goals on 14 shots (.643 SV%) in a 6-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. The loss snapped a nine-game winning streak for the talented 31-year-old goalie, where he posted an impeccable 1.63 GAA and .938 SV%. Tampa Bay enters the action on Tuesday as a -135 road favourite against a Minnesota Wild team that has been outscored 8-3 in its last two games (0-2-0).

Pitlick returns to Iowa after making one appearance for the Wild on Sunday. The 34-year-old has appeared in 32 NHL games this season, logging two goals and zero assists.

Brodin has battled injuries this season, with his most recent lower-body ailment keeping him sidelined since January 12th. The 32-year-old is averaging 21:20 time-on-ice, recording 15 points (3G / 12A) through 42 games this season.

One day after the Wild claimed Robby Fabbri off of waivers, the reimagining of their bottom-6 continued on Tuesday night when they acquired McCarron from the Nashville Predators. McCarron is a 6-foot-6 centre who was a prominent penalty killer in Nashville, leading all forwards in shorthanded TOI/gm (2:29), which ranks top-15 leagues wide. McCarron is also tied-16th among forwards in hits (165).

Johnson will draw back into the Blue Jackets lineup in place of Boone Jenner, who is out with an undisclosed injury. The former fifth-overall pick is in the midst of a disappointing season, logging six goals and 12 assists across 56 games.

Jenner was a surprise scratch on Tuesday, with the team not announcing his absence prior to warmups. Kent Johnson will dress in his place.

Protas was a surprise scratch on Tuesday, with the Capitals not announcing his absence prior to warmups. We should get an update on his status ahead of Washington's game in Boston on Saturday.

Werenski is battling an illness and will miss a second straight game on Tuesday against the Nashville Predators. The 28-year-old defenseman had two assists in his most recent game, giving him 13 points (2G / 11A) during a nine-game point streak. He has 65 points (20G / 45A) in 54 games this season.

The Predators are on the tail-end of a back-to-back on Tuesday, so they will turn to backup netminder Justus Annunen between the pipes. Annunen turned in a solid performance in his last start, stopping 21 of the 23 shots he faced in a 4-2 win over the Blackhawks on Thursday. The 25-year-old carries a 6-7-2 record and an .885 SV% into Tuesday night's matchup, where the Preds enter action at +115 on the money line.

The Sabres have received excellent tandem goaltending from Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, aiding them to come out of the Olympic break with a three-game winning streak, looking to extend it to four with Lyon tending the twine on Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 33-year-old Lyon was stellar in his previous outing, saving 27 of 29 shots (.931 SV%) in a 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers. He has been near-perfect in recent weeks, winning 12 of 14 games (12-2-0), posting an impressive 2.27 GAA and .925 SV%. The Sabres enter Tuesday's contest as -137 home favourites against a Golden Knights team coming off an embarrassing 5-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Adin Hill has been among the league's least reliable goaltenders in recent weeks, and the Golden Knights have surprisingly had to rely on Schmid more than expected as a result. The 25-year-old Schmid has been far from stellar, but has still been far and away better than Hill. Schmid has a 2.60 GAA and .898 SV% in his last nine games (5-3-1). The Golden Knights enter Tuesday's contest as +131 road underdogs against a rolling Buffalo Sabres team that has outscored their opposition 11-5 during a three-game winning streak.

Markstrom has struggled with consistency this season, but is in the midst of his best streak so far. Dating back to before the Olympic break, the 36-year-old goalie has strung together four consecutive quality starts for the first time in 2025-26 (2-2-0), posting an impressive 2.02 GAA and .931 SV%. He saved 25 of 26 shots (.962 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues. That said, the Devils enter Tuesday's action as slight +105 home underdogs against a Florida Panthers team on a two-game losing streak (0-2-0).

Vejmelka allowed four goals on 28 shots (.857 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 4-0 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, and has struggled since returning from the Olympic break, posting a 3.37 GAA and .870 SV% in three games (1-2-0). He will return to the crease on Tuesday against the Washington Capitals, looking to return his form before the league stoppage, where he won 10 of 13 games (10-3-0) while posting a solid 2.20 GAA and .919 SV%. The Mammoth enter Tuesday's contest as +108 road underdogs against a Capitals team coming off a disappointing 6-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

Hintz helped Finland capture a Bronze Medal at the Olympics, but has not played yet since the conclusion of the Olympic break and will miss a fourth consecutive game on Tuesday against the Calgary Flames. He is eligible to return to the lineup on Friday against the Colorado Avalanche. The 29-year-old Hintz has 44 points (15G / 29A) in 52 games this season and has seen his goal scoring decrease. Hintz has averaged 33 goals per 82 games over the past four seasons but is on pace for only 24 this season.