NHL Hockey Player News

Hellebuyck has been tremendous lately and will look for his fifth consecutive victory when he starts on Tuesday against the Dallas Stars. After an uncharacteristically poor start to the season, registering a .890 SV% in his first nine games (5-3-1), Hellebuyck has flipped the switch and returned to his Vezina-caliber form, posting a .933 SV% in his six games since (5-1-0). The Jets are slight +109 home underdogs against a Stars team that defeated them 3-2 on November 11th.

Matt Martin has not played since November 15th and will be a game-time decision on Tuesday after being activated from the injured reserve. In 14 games this season, Martin had two points (1G / 1A) and 31 hits while averaging 8:27 time-on-ice., the lowest total of his career since averaging 7:59 in the 2017-18 season.

Vilardi has not played since October 17th due to a sprained MCL but appears to be nearing his return as he participated in practice on Tuesday. Cole Perfetti has been the main benefactor of Vilardi's injury, replacing him on the top powerplay unit. It is unclear if Vilardi will retake his spot on the powerplay, but if he does, it will likely have a great impact on Perfetti's production, as he has scored 16 points (7G / 9A) in the 17 games Vilardi has not been in the lineup.

After much speculation across the league, Patrick Kane has decided to sign with the Detroit Red Wings. Kane underwent hip surgery in the offseason and has not played since a brief playoff run with the New York Rangers in May. It is unclear when Kane will make his Red Wings debut, but he will likely be reunited on a line with former linemate from the Chicago Blackhawks, Alex DeBrincat. Kane scored 57 points (21G / 36A) in 73 games between the Rangers and Blackhawks last season but scored above a point-per-game pace in each of his previous four seasons.

Haula exited the game late in the second period after registering only 9:30 time-on-ice. Haula has five points (1G / 4A) in his last six games along with nine hits and 12 shots. Haula will not be available on Tuesday when the Devils face the Islanders.

Lazar exited Friday's game with an undisclosed injury after playing only 4:14 and did not dress Saturday but is expected to make his return to the Devils' lineup on Tuesday. In 17 games this season, Lazar has five points (3G / 2A), averaging 12:01 time-on-ice. He will likely retake his spot on the third line with Michael McLeod and Alexander Holtz.

Woll was unable to secure a victory for the Maple Leafs on Saturday but played well, saving 32 of 35 shots (.914 SV%) in a 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins and will likely start again on Tuesday against the Florida Panthers. Woll has been inconsistent, posting a .500 record over his past six games (3-3-0) and a subpar .884 SV%. However, he has back-to-back quality starts and will be looking for revenge in his first matchup against the Panthers since losing to them in the second round of the playoffs. The Panthers played in Ottawa last night, a 5-0 victory, which partially contributes to the Maple Leafs being -133 home favourites.

Reaves was a healthy scratch on Saturday after scoring his first goal of the season the night before but is expected to return to the Maple Leafs lineup on Tuesday against the Florida Panthers. He is expected to play on the fourth line with David Kampf and Noah Gregor. Reaves' greatest attribute has always been his high-volume hitting, but this season, he is averaging only 2.00 hits per game, the lowest total of his career.

Brink will likely be featured in the Flyers lineup more regularly going forward, as Noah Cates will miss six to eight weeks with a lower-body injury. Brink has been very productive when in the lineup, scoring 10 points (4G / 6A) in 16 games this season. He is expected to play with Ryan Poehling and Joel Farabee.

Willman played four games with the Devils, scoring one point (1G / 0A), averaging 11:23 time-on-ice. He will return to the Utica Comets of the AHL, where he was especially productive this season, scoring seven points (4G / 3A) in seven games.

Cates is battling an undisclosed injury that will keep him out of the lineup on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes. In 21 games this season, the 24-year-old Cates has four points (1G / 3A), averaging 14:25 time-on-ice. He will be replaced by Bobby Brink, who has been very productive when in the lineup, scoring 10 points (4G / 6A) in 16 games this season.

Hart is coming off consecutive losses where he hasn't looked as dominant as he did earlier this season, allowing six goals on 44 combined shots (.864), but will attempt to get back into the win column as the Flyers' starting goalie on Tuesday. Hart and the Flyers are +145 home underdogs against a Carolina Hurricanes team that has won three of their last four games (3-1-0), including an impressive late come-from-behind 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday.

Berggren has played two games with the Red Wings this season but has spent most of his time with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL where he has been terrific, scoring 11 points (4G / 4A) in 11 games. Last season, Berggren was a regular in the Red Wings lineup, tallying 28 points (15G / 13A) in 67 games.

Mackey was unable to crack the Rangers roster while he was with the team and will return to Hartford, where he has four points (1G / 3A) in nine games this season. In corresponding moves, the Rangers have recalled Jonny Brodzinski and Adam Edstrom.

Edstrom and Jonny Brodzinski have both been recalled in moves corresponding to Connor Mackey being reassigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL. Edstrom was drafted 161st overall by the Rangers in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and is still awaiting his NHL debut but has played well with Hartford this season, scoring nine points (7G / 2A) in 18 games.

Brodzinski and Adam Edstrom have both been recalled in moves corresponding to Connor Mackey being reassigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL. The 30-year-old Brodzinnski has been on fire with Hartford this season, scoring 25 points (11G / 14A) in 16 games.

Lettieri has been recalled from the Iowa Wild of the AHL as a lineup replacement for Ryan Hartman, who is serving a two-game suspension. Lettieri has already spent time in the NHL this season, scoring two points (2G / 0A) in 11 games, most recently playing on November 18th. During his stint with Minnesota, he most commonly played on a line with Connor Dewar and Brandom Duhaime.

For the first time this season, the Coyotes will stray away from their goalie rotation as Ingram will start consecutive games for the first time. This news isn't all that shocking given his heroic performance in his most recent outing where he saved all 34 shots he faced in a 2-0 shutout victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. Ingram and the Coyotes are slight +102 home underdogs against a Tampa Bay Lightning team that played last night and will be turning to goaltender Jonas Johansson, who has allowed three or more goals in nine of his last 10 appearances.

Charlie Lindgren has seen an increased workload in the crease for the Capitals lately but, after allowing five goals in their 5-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Friday, Kuemper will be the starter on Monday and get the chance to regain control of the crease. Kuemper has been wildly inconsistent this season and only has a quality start in three of nine contests this season (.333 QS%), numbers that rival career lows and are significantly lower than his career average of .548 QS%. That said, Kuemper is coming off a serviceable performance in which he saved 24 of 27 shots (.889 SV%) in a 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres that he will hope to build on. The Capitals are heavy -236 road favourites against the last-place San Jose Sharks, who they defeated 4-3 less than a month ago.