NHL Hockey Player News

Schmidt had played 11 straight games for the Jets, tallying only one point (0G / 1A), seven hits, and five shots, before being a healthy scratch on Friday against the Buffalo Sabres. Logan Stanley will sit in place of Schmidt.

Markstrom will be back in net for the Flames on Saturday in search of his fourth straight victory. He stopped 20 of the 22 shots he faced enroute to a 5-2 victory over the red-hot Canucks on Thursday. The 33-year-old netminder is slowly rounding into form. He owns a .906 SV%, a 2.66 GAA, and a 4-6-1 record across 11 appearances. Markstrom and the Flames are slight favourites (-140) to secure a victory over the Islanders on Saturday.

Sorokin will return to the Islanders' crease on Saturday after Semyon Varlamov got the call in Thursday's 4-3 loss in Seattle. Sorokin last appeared in Wednesday's game in Vancouver, allowing four goals on 43 shots in the 4-3 overtime loss. Sorokin is off to a relatively slow start to his 2023-24 season, registering a 3-3-4 record to go along with his .907 SV% and 3.28 GAA. He and the Islanders are slight road underdogs at +120 tonight in Calgary.

Hughes last played on November 3rd when he fell awkwardly into the boards but appears ready to return to action on Saturday after being a full participant at practice on Friday. This would mark approximately two weeks since Hughes last played, the low end of his initial two-to-four-week timeline. Before his injury, Hughes led the league with 20 points (5G / 15A) in 10 games and is expected to retake his place on the Devils' top line and top powerplay unit.

Swayman will be back between the pipes on Saturday after Linus Ullmark got the nod in Tuesday's 5-2 victory over the Sabres. Swayman has picked up right where he left off last season, owning a league best .944 SV% and 1.69 GAA to go along with his sparkling 6-0-1 record. The Canadiens will be hard-pressed to deliver Swayman his first regulation loss of the season on Saturday, with Swayman and the Bruins currently being favoured at -260 to pick up the victory.

The Devils will turn to Vanecek for the second straight game after he allowed just two goals on 23 shots in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Penguins. Given the struggles of Akira Schmid, Vanecek has been just solid enough to maintain a firm grasp on the Devils' starting job. He owns an impressive 7-3-0 record on the season despite an .889 SV% and a 3.30 GAA. Vanecek and the Devils are very slight home favourites (-120) to secure a victory over the Rangers on Saturday.

Shesterkin has missed the Rangers' last four games due to a lower-body injury but will be back between the pipes Saturday in New Jersey. The 27-year-old has been solid as expected prior to his injury, with his 6-2-0 record, 2.36 GAA and .913 SV%. He heads to New Jersey to take on the Devils, who snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory last game and are fourth in the NHL in goals per game (3.73).

Raanta will get his first start in three games Saturday after losing his previous start vs. Florida on November 10th in a 30-save (.882 SV%) loss. The 34-year-old veteran netminder has failed to impress as a Frederik Andersen (injury) replacement, with his 4-2-0 record, 3.01 GAA, and .877 SV%. He will face Pittsburgh on Saturday, who had a five-game winning streak snapped last game but are still leading the NHL in shots per game (34.6).

After playing one game and failing to record a point, Lindblom was placed on the injured reserve with a lower-body injury and is considered out week-to-week. The 27-year-old left-winger had six goals, 15 points, and 18 PIMs with the Sharks in 2022-23.

The Kings are expected to turn to Talbot for the 12th time this season when they host the Blues on Saturday. Talbot was as sturdy as ever against the Panthers on Thursday, stopping 30 of the 31 shots he faced enroute to a narrow 2-1 victory. The 36-year-old netminder has enjoyed a sensational start to his Kings career, owning an 8-3-1 record to go along with his .927 SV% and 2.11 GAA. He draws another strong matchup at home on Saturday with the Kings being -180 favourites over the Blues.

Johansson will start his fifth-straight contest Saturday after winning his last start in a 12-save effort (.857 SV%) over Chicago. The 28-year-old has struggled while trying to hold down the fort in Andrei Vasilevskiy's absence (injury), with his 6-4-4 record, .895 SV%, and 3.36 GAA. He takes on the Edmonton Oilers for a matinee matchup, who have won three-straight and are fifth in the NHL in shots per game (33.8).

Grubauer draws a second consecutive start after he won the Kraken's previous outing vs. the Islanders after stopping 20 of 23 shots (.870 SV%). The 31-year-old is producing a sub .900 SV% for a third-straight season as he's 4-6-0 with a .890 SV% and a 3.30 GAA. He takes on the high flying Vancouver Canucks, who have won seven of their last nine games and are 1st in the NHL in goals per game (4.24).