NHL Hockey Player News

The Blues are amid a season-best 10-game winning streak and will likely turn to Hofer between the pipes on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 24-year-old Hofer has won four straight, posting an excellent 1.25 GAA and .924 SV%. He has a 2.62 GAA and .905 SV% through 29 appearances this season (15-7-3). The Blues enter the action on Thursday as -220 home favorites against a Penguins team that has only scored five goals in their last three games (1-2-0).

The Canadiens are desperately hanging on to the final Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference and will be desperate for a win Thursday against the Boston Bruins. Montembeault has played well lately, allowing only two goals in his last two contests (2-0-0) and posting a .925 SV%. The 28-year-old goalie has a 2.90 GAA and .899 SV% in 56 games this season (27-23-6). The Canadiens enter Thursday's contest as -198 home favorites against a Bruins team that has lost six straight games in regulation.

Jeffrey Viel will be a healthy scratch on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens, allowing Lysell to re-enter the lineup. The 27-year-old Lysell has played five games in his first NHL season, scoring zero points and averaging 12:50 time-on-ice.

Fabian Lysell will draw back into Boston's lineup on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens, resulting in Viel being a healthy scratch. The 28-year-old Viel is averaging 7:41 time-on-ice and has zero points in five games this season.

The Senators appear to control the first Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference. Still, they will be desperate for a win after losing two straight (0-1-1), turning to Ullmark between the pipes on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ullmark struggled in his most recent outing, allowing four goals on 21 shots (.810 SV%) in a 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. The 31-year-old netminder has a 2.80 GAA and .907 SV% in 40 games this season (21-14-3). The Senators enter Thursday's contest as +127 home underdogs against a Lightning squad outscoring their opposition by a whopping 25-5 score during a four-game winning streak.

The Bruins are 1-8-1 in their last 10 games and have fallen to last place in the Eastern Conference. They will turn to Swayman between the pipes on Thursday against a Montreal Canadiens team hungry to remain in a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The 26-year-old Swayman has an abysmal 4.95 GAA and .840 SV% in his last six games (0-6-0). The Bruins enter Thursday's contest as +177 road underdogs against a Canadiens team coming off an impressive come-from-behind overtime win over the Florida Panthers.

Tkachuk did not play on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres and will remain out of the lineup on Thursday against the Tampa bay Lightning. In his previous game, Tkachuk was playing on a line with Shane Pinto and Ridly Greig, a spot that has been filled by Michael Amadio. The 25-year-old Tkachuk has 55 points (29G / 26A) in 71 games this season.

Bancroft is an undrafted 24-year-old forward that has spent the previous three seasons playing collegiate hockey with Cornell University (ECAC). He scored 27 points (15G / 12A) in 36 games this season.

Lundmark is an undrafted 23-year-old forward that has played exclusively in Sweden, through developmental hockey and now at the professional level. He scored nine points (5G / 4A) in 49 games with Timra IK (SweHL).

The Senators appear to control the first Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference. Still, they will be desperate for a win after losing two straight (0-1-1), turning to Ullmark between the pipes on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ullmark struggled in his most recent outing, allowing four goals on 21 shots (.810 SV%) in a 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. The 31-year-old netminder has a 2.80 GAA and .907 SV% in 40 games this season (21-14-3). The Senators enter Thursday's contest as +127 home underdogs against a Lightning squad outscoring their opposition by a whopping 25-5 score during a four-game winning streak.

Jack Johnson will draw back into the Blue Jackets' lineup on Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche, sending Severson to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 30-year-old Severson is averaging 19:03 time-on-ice and has 25 points (6G / 19A) in 70 games this season.

Damon Severson will be a healthy scratch on Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche, allowing Johnson to re-enter the lineup. The 38-year-old Johnson has not played since March 21st. He is averaging 12:43 time-on-ice and has five points (0G / 5A) in 38 games this season.

The Blue Jackets remain within reach of the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference and will turn to Merzlikins between the pipes on Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche. Merzlikins has struggled lately, allowing 13 goals on 98 shots in his last three games (.867 SV%), but has received adequate goal support, pulling off a 3-0-0 record despite his less-than-stellar statistics. He has a 3.11 GAA and .894 SV% in 49 games this season (25-19-5). The Blue Jackets enter Thursday's contest as +123 home favorites against an Avalanche team coming off a 3-2 shootout win over the Chicago Blackhawks last night.

Drouin did not play after the first period on Wednesday, exiting the game with only 6:16 time-on-ice due to a lower-body injury. An update should be provided on Drouin before Colorado returns to the ice on Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 30-year-old Drouin has been productive lately, scoring nine points (2G / 7A) in his last nine games.

The Maple Leafs did not have an update on Kampf's status after he departed Wednesday's game with an undisclosed injury. Kampf left after logging 8:10 TOI. Expect an update on his status before Saturday's game vs. the Blue Jackets.

The Maple Leafs did not have an update on McCabe's status after he departed Wednesday's game with an undisclosed injury. McCabe left after logging 24:31 TOI. Expect an update on McCabe before Saturday's game vs. the Blue Jackets.

Svechnikov did not play in the third period of Wednesday's win over the Capitals, but head coach Rod Brind'Amour said he doesn't think it's too serious. The Hurricanes are off on Thursday, so there likely won't be an update on Svechnikov's status until Friday.

Barkov was scratched from Wednesday's game in Toronto with an upper-body injury. Head coach Paul Maurice told reporters post-game that he doesn't think "it's a long-term thing." Consider Barkov questionable to play Saturday in Ottawa.

The Kraken will hand Daccord his 50th start of the season when they travel to Vancouver to take on the Canucks on Wednesday. Daccord struggled in his last start, allowing four goals on 20 shots in a 5-1 loss to the Stars on Saturday. The 28-year-old netminder owns a 24-20-5 record on the season to go along with a .907 SV%. Daccord and the Kraken enter action on Wednesday at +130 on the money line.

Thompson was pulled after allowing three goals on 12 shots in the first period of Wednesday's game in Carolina. Charlie Lindgren replaced Thompson and should see a major increase in playing time should Thompson be forced to miss an extended period of time.