NHL Hockey Player News

Binnington will get the nod in net on Friday after serving as a backup to Joel Hofer in the Blues' 3-0 victory over the Calgary Flames on Thursday. Despite his first regulation loss in his most recent appearance, Binnington has had a solid start to the season, showcasing a 1.69 GAA and .945 SV% in four games (2-1-1). Binnington hasn't finished either of his previous two seasons with a save percentage above .901 but the Blues coaching staff hope competition from Hofer can help him elevate his game. The Blues are +169 road underdogs against a Vancouver Canucks team that is off to a strong 4-2-0 start, outscoring their opposition 23-15.

St. Louis has decided to go with the unconventional 11 forwards, seven defensemen approach which had led to Scott Perunovich getting his first appearance of the season in the Blues' lineup. The 25-year-old last appeared in the NHL as a rookie in 2021-22 and had six assists, 14 SOG, eight PIMs and a +2 plus/minus in 19 games. He takes the place of Tyler Tucker in the Blues' lineup Thursday.

Bortuzzo has yet to appear in any of the Blues' first five games but will draw into the lineup for the first time in 2023-24 Thursday as they take on Calgary. The 34-year-old had two goals, three assists, 30 SOG, 29 PIMs and a +9 plus/minus in 43 games played in 2022-23.

Vrana has had a decent start to the season, registering three points (1G / 2A) while averaging 12:13 time-on-ice through five games but will be a healthy scratch for the Blues on Thursday. The Blues are opting to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen on Thursday as they welcome Scott Perunovich into the lineup.

Tucker has registered one point (1G / 0A), six blocks, and eight hits in five games and will be a healthy scratch on Thursday. Scott Perunovich will make his season debut and fill in for Tucker on the Blues' blueline.

Hofer will get his second start of the season on Thursday and look to rebound after allowing six goals on 42 shots in his only game thus far, a 6-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes. Hofer expected to challenge Jordan Binnington for starts this season but that endeavor has temporarily paused as Binnington has demanded the net with a blistering start, registering a 1.69 GAA and .945 SV% in four games (2-1-1). The Blues are +162 road underdogs but should be able to give the Calgary Flames a run for their money as they have been outscored 25-17 to start the season (2-4-1).

Mitchell was placed on waivers Wednesday but has been assigned to Providence (AHL) after he passed through unclaimed on Thursday. The 24-year-old had an assist, four PIMs and a +1 plus/minus in two games played with Boston this season. Mitchell was a piece of the trade which saw Taylor Hall head to Chicago in the offseason.

Hofer is likely to get his second start of the season on Thursday and will look to rebound after allowing six goals on 42 shots in his only game thus far, a 6-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes. Hofer expected to challenge Jordan Binnington for starts this season but that endeavor has temporarily paused as Binnington has demanded the net with a blistering start, registering a 1.69 GAA and .945 SV% in four games (2-1-1). The Blues are +162 road underdogs but should be able to give the Calgary Flames a run for their money as they have been outscored 25-17 to start the season (2-4-1).

Ruzicka will be unavailable for the Flames' Thursday night matchup against the St. Louis Blues as he is day-to-day with a shoulder injury. The Slovak forward is off to a solid start this season with four points (2G / 2A), averaging 13:28 time-on-ice through seven games.

Daccord was a bit shaky in his previous outing allowing four goals on 27 shots (.852 SV%) but picked up his second straight victory and is the expected starter Thursday vs. Carolina. The 27-year-old is a five year NHL veteran but has never appeared in more than eight games in any single NHL season. He has a 2-0-1 record, 2.85 GAA and .898 SV% in three games played so far in 2023-24. He takes on the struggling Carolina Hurricanes, who have lost three straight contests and rank last in the NHL in goals allowed (4.71).

Solovyov had a goal, an assist, and two PIMs in four games played with the Calgary Wranglers (AHL) and has earned himself his first career call up to the Calgary Flames Thursday and will make his NHL debut vs. St.Louis. The 23-year-old defensemen was the Flames seventh round pick in 2020 (#205th overall) and has yet to appear in the NHL despite two successful full AHL seasons in the last two years. He will replace Jordan Oesterle in the Flames lineup Thursday.

Oesterle, who has zero points and a -2 plus/minus rating through three games this season, is expected to be a healthy scratch on Thursday. The Michigan-born defenseman, in his first season with the Flames, will be replaced by Ilya Solovyov, who is making his NHL debut.

Barabanov left the Sharks' previous game vs. Florida in the third period after just 14:10 TOI due to an upper-body injury and will miss Thursday's game vs. Tampa Bay and will now be forced to miss "a while" after being placed on injured reserve. The 29-year-old left-winger had surprisingly yet to pick up a point in 2023-24 but had nine SOG, two PIMs, and a -1 plus/minus in six games prior to the injury.

Carpenter has been recalled from the Barracuda (AHL) in relation to Alexander Barabanov being placed on the injured reserve with an upper-body injury. Carpenter has 72 points (27G / 45A) in 330 career NHL games and will likely make his Sharks season debut at some point during Barabanov's absence.

Woll is on his way to cementing himself as the go-to guy between the pipes for the Maple Leafs as he is likely to start for the second straight game. This season, Woll has given the Maple Leafs a chance to win each night, boasting a 1.44 GAA and .957 SV% through three contests (2-1-0). Ilya Samsonov, who entered the season as the Maple Leafs' likely starter, has struggled immensely, posting an ugly 4.34 GAA and .831 SV% in four games (2-1-0). The Maple Leafs are slight -101 road underdogs against an undefeated Dallas Stars team (4-0-1).

Bennett joined the Panthers' practice for the first time since injuring himself in the preseason with a lower-body injury and will be a game-time decision Saturday vs. Seattle. The 27-year-old's missing presence has created a hole in the Panthers' lineup after he put up 16 goals, 40 points, 193 SOG, 54 PIMs and a +5 plus/minus in 63 games played in 2022-23. He is expected to skate at practice again Friday and head coach Paul Maurice said they should know his status from there.

It appears Skinner will be the starting goalie for the Oilers on Thursday after serving as the backup for three of their last four contests. The Oilers, who will once again be without Connor McDavid (upper-body), will be desperate to get their season on track as they are off to a disappointing 1-4-1 start. Last year's best offensive team (3.96 GF/GP) is averaging only 2.83 goals per game and is being outscored by an alarm 17-27 total. The Oilers will be challenged by the New York Rangers (-126 road favourites) and will hope that sophomore Stuart Skinner can recapture some of the magic he had last season as a Calder Trophy finalist.

Markstrom dropped his fourth straight contest in his previous start vs. the NYR after allowing three goals on 20 shots (.850 SV%) but will start Thursday against St. Louis. The 33-year-old is disappointing yet again as he is producing a SV% below .900 for a second-straight season with his 1-3-1 record, .897 SV% and 2.80 GAA. He hosts the St. Louis Blues, who have lost three of their last five games and are struggling mightily offensively as they rank last in the NHL in shots per game (23.2) and goals per game (2.0).

Daccord was a bit shaky in his previous start allowing four goals on 27 shots (.852 SV%) but picked up his second straight victory and is the expected starter Thursday vs. Carolina. The 27-year-old is a five year NHL veteran but has never appeared in more than eight games in any single NHL season. He has a 2-0-1 record, 2.85 GAA and .898 SV% in three games played so far in 2023-24. He takes on the struggling Carolina Hurricanes, who have lost three straight contests and rank last in the NHL in goals allowed (4.71).

The NHL has issued an unprecedented 41-game suspension for Shane Pinto for activities relating to sports wagering, the first suspension for gambling in hockey in 75 years. Pinto, currently without a contract after unsuccessful offseason negotiations, would be eligible to return on January 21, 2024. The Senators forward had 35 points (20G / 15A) in 82 games last season.