NHL Hockey Player News

DeSmith has been nearly unbeatable in limited action this month and will start for the second time in three games when the Canucks visit the Nashville Predators. Despite only winning once in two December games (1-0-1), DeSmith has remarkably saved 56 of 57 shots faced (.982 SV%). The Canucks have won five of their last six (5-0-1) but are +111 road underdogs against a Predators club that has been rolling lately, winning seven of their last eight games (7-1-0).

Adin Hill returned to action on Sunday but exited the game shortly after with an injury. Thompson jumped into the crease and saved 20 of 22 shots in relief (.909 SV%) en route to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators and will start again on Tuesday. Thompson has won five of seven games in December (5-1-1), posting a .904 SV% in the process. The Golden Knights are +118 road underdogs against the Carolina Hurricanes, who have lost two straight games.

Georgiev served as the backup for the Avalanche in two straight games last week but will return to the crease after a strong performance in their last game, saving 25 of 27 shots (.926 SV%) in a 6-2 win over the San Jose Sharks. Georgiev has an unimpressive 2.96 GAA and .897 SV% through 24 games this season (15-7-1) but has a favourable matchup on Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks, whom he saved 18 shots against on October 19th for his only shutout of the season.

Cogliano played 11:52 time-on-ice in his last game and recorded an assist along with three shots on goal but suffered an undisclosed injury at some point and will be out of the lineup on Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 36-year-old Cogliano has nine points (3G / 6A) in 27 games this season.

Hutchinson has played the entire season with the Grand Rapid Griffins of the AHL, posting a 2.98 GAA and .895 SV% through 13 games (5-7-1). He will get the opportunity to serve as the backup to James Reimer as Alex Lyon and Ville Husso are both battling injuries.

Husso surrendered two goals on nine shots before leaving the game against the Anaheim Ducks on Monday with a lower-body injury. With Alex Lyon expected to be out of the lineup until after Christmas, James Reimer will likely start at least two of the next three games for the Red Wings heading into the holiday break. The Red Wings signed goaltender Michael Hutchinson on Tuesday to serve as a backup to Reimer in the interim.

Georgiev served as the backup for the Avalanche in two straight games last week but will likely return to the crease after a strong performance in their last game, saving 25 of 27 shots (.926 SV%) in a 6-2 win over the San Jose Sharks. Georgiev has an unimpressive 2.96 GAA and .897 SV% through 24 games this season (15-7-1) but has a favourable matchup on Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks, whom he saved 18 shots against on October 19th for his only shutout of the season.

Lycksell made his season debut with the Flyers on December 7th, playing 6:11 time-on-ice and recording two penalty minutes but he did not draw back into the lineup after that outing. In a corresponding move, the Flyers have recalled Rhett Gardner.

Olle Lycksell was reassigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL, allowing the Flyers to recall Gardner. Gardner has spent the entirety of the 2023-24 campaign in the AHL, scoring four points (3G / 1A) and 39 penalty minutes in 21 games with the Phantoms.

Makar has not played since exiting Colorado's December 13th contest against the Buffalo Sabres after playing only 17:21 and will miss his third straight contest on Tuesday. Makar has been outstanding this season, scoring 37 points (8G / 29A) in 27 games but will not play for the fifth time in the last nine games as injuries are beginning to become a concern for the elite defenseman. Devon Toews has manned the blueline on the powerplay in Makar's absence.

Andrei Kuzmenko will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday, allowing Di Giuseppe to return to the lineup. Di Giuseppe has eight points (3G / 5A), 17 penalty minutes, and 42 hits while averaging 13:35 time-on-ice through 29 games this season.

After being a healthy scratch at the end of November, Kuzmenko played 10 consecutive games but will again be a healthy scratch on Tuesday against the Nashville Predators. In those 10 games, Kuzmenko has three points (3G / 0A) and is averaging only 13:53 time-on-ice, a significant drop from the 15:24 he was averaging in the 19 games leading up to then.

Cole Guttman will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday, allowing Entwistle to return to the lineup after missing two games due to an illness. Entwistle has five points (2G / 3A) in 21 games this season while playing predominantly on the fourth line with Reese Johnson and Ryan Donato.

Sherwood was a late scratch for Friday's game with the team announcing his absence less than 15 minutes before the puck drop and did not play on Saturday either. He has been cleared to play on Tuesday but will remain out of the lineup. Sherwood has 11 points (5G / 6A), 51 shots, and 83 hits in 29 games this season, playing predominantly on a line with Tommy Novak and Luke Evangelista.

Blackwell will make his season debut after missing the first two and a half months of the season recovering from a groin injury. Blackwell scored 10 points (2G / 8A) in 53 games in his first season with the Blackhawks last year. He is expected to skate on the third line with Jason Dickinson and Nick Foligno.

Binnington will likely start for the fifth consecutive game and look for his third-straight win on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In the two games since Drew Bannister took over coaching duties for the Blues, Binnington has won both games, saving 52 of 57 shots (.912 SV%) in the process. The Blues are +151 road favourites against the Lightning despite defeating them 5-0 in their only other meeting, a 30-save shutout for Binnington, his only one of the season.

Tarasov made an unceremonious season debut on Saturday, allowing five goals on 29 shots (.828 SV%) in a 6-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils, but will return to the crease on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres. After missing the first two months of the season due to a knee injury, Tarasov posted a 2.57 GAA and .915 SV% during a four-game stint with the Cleveland Monster of the AHL earlier this month. The Blue Jackets are sizeable +162 road underdogs against a Sabres team that is 3-6-1 in their last 10 games and was shut out 2-0 by the Arizona Coyotes in their last contest.

Shesterkin has struggled this season but is coming off one of his stronger performances, saving 21 of 22 shots (.955 SV%) in a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Saturday. His 2.91 GAA and .904 SV% through 18 games (11-7-0) are well below what is expected of the 2021-22 Vezina winner. Shesterkin and the Rangers are slight -102 road underdogs on Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who defeated them 7-3 one week ago. The Maple Leafs have scored 19 goals over their last three games (2-0-1) and are the hottest team in the NHL over the last five weeks (10-1-4).

Bellemare exited Monday's game against the Dallas Stars with a lower-body injury after playing only 4:10 time-on-ice. The Kraken finished the game with only 10 forwards as Jared McCann exited the game as well shortly after. The 38-year-old Bellemare has five points (4G / 1A) in 29 games this season while averaging 9:34 time-on-ice.