NHL Hockey Player News

Gustavsson will start for the third straight game on Saturday and look for his third consecutive victory in the process. The Swedish netminder has been outstanding lately, allowing two or fewer goals in each of his last six appearances (5-1-0), posting a phenomenal .950 SV%. Gustavsson and the Wild will face off against the Vancouver Canucks, who they played less than two weeks ago in a 3-0 loss when Gustavsson allowed two goals on 17 shots (.882 SV%).

Hart is battling an illness that kept him from dressing on Thursday and will subsequently not play on Saturday as well. Felix Sandstrom was recalled on an emergency basis Thursday to serve as the backup for Samuel Ersson, which will likely be the case again on Saturday.

Rakell has not played since November 19th due to an upper-body injury but was a full participant at practice on Friday, indicating his return to action is imminent. Before his injury, Rakell was pacing for the worst season of his career, with only four points (0G / 4A) in 17 games. His zero goals on 44 shots rank worst among all forwards with over 30 shots this season.

Spurgeon was not able to play on Thursday due to a lower-body injury and will be a game-time decision on Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks. Minnesota turned to Brock Faber in Spurgeon's absence, playing a season-high 30:08 and seeing increased exposure in all on-ice situations.

Gudbranson was suspended one game for being the aggressor in his altercation with Nick Cousins of the Florida Panthers. Gudbranson did not play on Thursday but will return to the Blue Jackets lineup on Saturday against the New Jersey Devils. Gudbranson has 10 points (2G / 8A), 23 hits, and 66 blocks while averaging 19:34 time-on-ice through 27 games this season.

Mayfield has four assists, 17 PIMs, 19 SOG, and a -1 plus/minus in 20 games played this season but has been placed on the injured reserve and will not be available to return until December 19th against the Edmonton Oilers at the earliest. The 31-year-old bruising defenseman was replaced by Sebastian Aho (upper body) on Wednesday, who returned after an eight-game absence.

MacEwen will play for the first time since December 7th as he will draw into the Senators' lineup as a fresh body on the back end of a back-to-back, replacing Rourke Chartier. The 27-year-old MacEwen has played 10 games this season, recording one point (0G / 1A), 25 penalty minutes, and 15 hits.

Smith has not played the last two games but will be allowed to return to the lineup on Friday as Nico Sturm is battling a mid-body injury. Smith has been held off the scoresheet in nine straight games while averaging 6:39 time-on-ice.

Sturm suffered a mid-body injury on Tuesday that limited him to only 8:44 time-on-ice. The 28-year-old German has only registered on the score sheet once in the last nine games, a two-goal performance on December 7th against the Detroit Red Wings.

Kahkonen has seen a steady dose of action lately and will start for the fourth time in the last eight games for the Sharks. The Sharks have points in four straight games (3-0-1), and Kahkonen has won four of his last five games (4-0-1), highlighted by a .904 SV%. The Sharks remain the league-worst in terms of shot suppression (36.7 SA / GP) but are still +171 road underdogs against the Arizona Coyotes, who have lost four straight (0-4-0).

Laine was seemingly turning the corner on what had already been a disappointing season, scoring five points (3G / 2A) in his last six games, but will instead be sidelined for the next six weeks with a clavicle fracture. Laine had already missed 12 games this season due to injuries, which is becoming a regularity for the Finnish forward. He has only played more than 60 games in a season once since the 2019-20 season.

McTavish has missed the last five games for the Ducks but appears to be nearing a return, but it will not be Friday after he was seen skating earlier in the day. Before his injury, McTavish was held without a point in four straight games, recording a -7 plus/minus and six shots on goal.

Montembeault played well in his last game, saving 27 of 30 shots (.900 SV%), but ultimately came up short in a 4-3, 12-round shootout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday. Montembeault will return to the crease on Saturday against the New York Islanders for his second consecutive start, the second time he has started consecutive games in December, as the Canadiens appear to be favouring the 27-year-old netminder.

Oettinger has allowed three or more goals in his last four games (1-3-0) and will start for the third consecutive game on Friday. After a sensational start to the season, posting a .938 SV% in his first seven games (5-1-1), Oettinger has seen a rapid decline in his play, posting an ugly .884 SV% in his 13 games since (6-1-1). Despite his struggles, the Stars have remained near the top of the Central Division standings and are -197 home favourites against an Ottawa Senators team that played last night and lost 4-2 in St. Louis.

The Bruins coaching staff is implementing some load management tactics for 19-year-old rookie Poitras as he is expected to sit for the second time in the last four games. After posting seven points (4G / 3A) in his first 11 games, Poitras' game has fallen off slightly, posting only five (1G / 4A) in his last 15 games.

Dostal played well in his last contest, a 24-save (.960 SV%) performance in a 1-0 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on December 7th, his only start since November 26th. Dostal was seeing a heavy workload to start the season, but a three-game stretch where he allowed at least five goals (0-3-0), posting a .787 SV%, limited him to strictly backup duties. Another strong performance from Dostal could lead to him seeing more action again, but he will be hard-pressed to do so on Friday as the Ducks are +268 road underdogs against the New York Rangers.

Sorokin has won two straight games and will return to the crease on Friday after serving as the backup in their previous game on Wednesday. Sorokin has won consecutive games only one other time this season and has yet to record three straight victories. The Islanders as a whole are playing their best hockey of the season, riding a season-best four-game winning streak. That said, they are slight +102 home underdogs against a Boston Bruins team that has scored more than three goals only once in their last four games (2-1-1).

Aston-Reese made his Red Wings debut earlier this week, playing 6:21 time-on-ice and registering two hits. He will return to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL where he has seven points (4G / 3A) in 20 games.

Sorokin has won two straight games and will likely return to the crease on Friday after serving as the backup in their previous game on Wednesday. Sorokin has won consecutive games only one other time this season and has yet to record three straight victories. The Islanders as a whole are playing their best hockey of the season, riding a season-best four-game winning streak. That said, they are slight +102 home underdogs against a Boston Bruins team that has scored more than three goals only once in their last four games (2-1-1).

Vejmelka will play the back end of a back-to-back for the Coyotes on Saturday when they face off against the Buffalo Sabres. Vejmelka has played only once since November 25th, a matchup also against the Sabres, when he allowed four goals on 37 shots (.892 SV%) in a 5-2 loss earlier this week. The Czech netminder is now winless in his last nine appearances, dating back to a 2-1 victory against the Anaheim Ducks on October 21st, which also marks the last time he has allowed less than two goals in a game.