NHL Hockey Player News

The Oilers snapped a three-game skid on Thursday with a 6-3 win over the New Jersey Devils courtesy of a strong performance from Calvin Pickard but will turn back to Skinner on the back end of a back-to-back on Friday. Skinner has lost two consecutive starts, allowing eight goals on 43 combined shots (.814 SV%), but had won his previous seven, boasting a tremendous .934 SV%. The Oilers are slight +107 road underdogs against an Eastern Conference powerhouse in the New York Rangers, who have won three straight, outscoring their opposition 12-4, and will likely turn to Jonathan Quick between the pipes.

After winning eight straight, the Oilers have suddenly lost three in a row, being outscored 15-6, and will turn to Pickard on the front end of a back-to-back on Thursday to try and stop the bleeding. Pickard has four appearances with the Oilers this season, most recently allowing five goals on 39 shots (.872 SV%) in a 5-1 loss to the Florida Panthers on December 16th. The Oilers will face off against a New Jersey Devils team also in a skid, being outscored 8-3 over their last two contests (0-1-1).

Brown has failed to materialize as a contributor to the Oilers' offence this season and will likely serve as a healthy scratch on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils. While averaging 14:26 time-on-ice, Brown has scored only one point (0G / 1A) through 23 games, including occasional deployment in the Oilers' top six.

Montembeault will start for the third time in the last four games for the Canadiens on Thursday when they face off against the Minnesota Wild. Over his last nine appearances, Montembeault has recorded a save percentage of .900 or better in each contest, posting a combined .921 SV% and 5-2-1 record. The Canadiens, looking for their first three-game winning streak of the season, will be hard-pressed for a victory against a Minnesota team that defeated them 5-2 on October 17th when Montembeault allowed five goals on 35 shots (.857 SV%).

Severson has missed 14 games with an oblique injury suffered on November 19th and, after being a full participant at practice on Wednesday, could return to the lineup imminently. Head Coach Pascal Vincent used "before Christmas" as a target for Severson's return, suggesting he will play either on Thursday against the Washington Capitals or Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Before his injury, Severson had three points (2G / 1A) in his last two games and has eight points (3G / 5A) in 19 games this season.

Sergachev exited Tuesday's 6-1 win over the St. Louis Blues in the first period after playing only 4:31 time-on-ice with a lower-body injury. He was seen at the practice facility working on his stick handling but did not participate in on-ice drills as he avoided putting weight on his left foot. Sergachev has taken a decreased role this year after a career-best 2022-23 campaign where he scored 64 points (10G / 54A) in 79 games, but will still be a major loss for Tampa Bay if he is out of the lineup for a significant period. The 25-year-old defenseman has 19 points (2G / 17A) and ranks second amongst all players, averaging 22:59 time-on-ice through 33 games this season.

Gauthier suffered an undisclosed injury in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers and exited the game after playing only 4:33 time-on-ice. Gauthier has been a regular in the Islanders lineup for the last month and has played predominantly on a line with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Simon Holmstrom, tallying five points (2G / 3A) in 14 games.

Hinostroza was reassigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL on Tuesday but was immediately recalled on Wednesday. He played three consecutive games for Pittsburgh last week, averaging over 13 minutes per night, but was held off the score sheet. He has four points (2G / 2A) in five games this season with Wilkes-Barre Scranton.

Greenway has only played two of the last 14 games for the Sabres due to an upper-body injury dating back to November 24th. The 6'6 power forward was a full participant at practice on Wednesday and is expected to return to the lineup imminently. He has seven points (2G / 5A), averaging 16:24 time-on-ice while playing predominantly with Casey Mittelstadt and Zach Benson this season.

Skinner has missed the last three games with an upper-body injury but was a full participant at practice on Wednesday, suggesting his return to the lineup could come before the holiday break. Skinner has 22 points (12G / 10A) in 30 games this season and is averaging 17:46 time-on-ice, the most since his inaugural season with the Sabres in 2018-19. The Sabres are 1-2-0 in his absence, including a 9-4 blowout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.

McGing made his season debut on December 9th and played five straight games for the Blues, but we held without a point and registered a -5 plus/minus while averaging under nine minutes on the ice. He has been reassigned to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL, where he has 14 points (4G / 11A) in 21 games.

On the front end of a back-to-back for the Capitals, Kuemper will start for the second straight game. Kuemper is riding consecutive quality starts and wins for only the second time this season, and will look for his first three-game winning streak on Wednesday. The 33-year-old netminder has saved 60 of the last 63 shots he has faced (.952 SV%). The Capitals are -114 home favourites against a New York Islanders team that has been scoring at an impressive rate lately, averaging 4.1 goals per game over their last 11 contests (7-2-2). Kuemper allowed three goals on 21 shots (.857 SV%) in a losing effort to the Islanders last month.

Meyers made his season debut for the Avalanche on December 11th, scoring one point (1G / 0A). He played three more games and was held without a point. He has now been reassigned to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL, where he has 12 points (5G / 7A) in 17 games this season.

Miroshnichenko was the 20th overall pick of the Washington Capitals in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and was recalled from the Hershey Bears of the AHL on Tuesday. In his first season in North America, the 19-year-old has 15 points (8G / 7A) in 27 games with Hershey. He will make his NHL debut on Wednesday against the New York Islanders.

Daws played his first games of the season last week with the Utica Comets (AHL), posting a 2.04 GAA and .937 SV% in two games (1-1-0), making his season debut after being activated from long-term injured reserve. Last season with the Comets, Daws posted a 2.70 GAA and .904 SV% in 33 games (16-14-3). The 22-year-old netminder is no stranger to the NHL, playing 25 games (10-11-1) with the Devils as a rookie, posting a 3.11 GAA and .893 SV%. Depending on how he fares with the Comets, Daws could be an option at the NHL level at some point this season, especially if the goaltending tandem of Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid continues to falter.

Lajoie played three games with the Maple Leafs over the last two weeks, recording two hits and zero points while averaging just over 10 minutes on the ice. Lajoie will return to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, where he has five points (0G / 5A) and a +4 plus/minus in 14 games this season.

Rutta was a game-time decision on Tuesday due to an illness. Rutta has five points (0G / 5A) in 26 games while averaging 18:56 time-on-ice.

Addison was a game-time decision Tuesday and will miss his first game since joining the Sharks earlier this year due to a lower-body injury. In 19 games with the Sharks, Addison has six points (1G / 5A), averaging 18:03 time-on-ice, including significant powerplay deployment.

Kahkonen will return to the crease on Tuesday when the Sharks face off against the Los Angeles Kings. In his last outing, Kahkonen saved 23 of 24 shots (.958 SV%) but was unvictorious in a 1-0 loss to the Arizona Coyotes. The Sharks have lost two straight, being outscored 7-2, and are sizeable +228 home underdogs against a Kings team that has lost three of their last four (1-2-1) and will turn to David Rittich between the pipes for the first time this season.

Pheonix Copley went down with an undisclosed injury last week, prompting Rittich's call-up from the Ontario Reign (AHL). The 31-year-old veteran netminder is In his 9th NHL season and has a 79-51-21 career record with a .904 SV% and a 2.87 GAA. In 16 games with Ontario (7-6-3), Rittich a 2.63 GAA and .901 SV%. He has a favourable matchup in his Kings debut as they are -252 road favourites against a San Jose Sharks team that has scored only four goals combined over their last three games (1-2-0).