NHL Hockey Player News

Holmberg has sat as a healthy scratch since being recalled, so he'll swap places with Bobby McMann, who will likely play Saturday for Ryan Reaves.

McMann is a candidate to draw into the Maple Leafs lineup to replace Ryan Reaves on Saturday. McMann has one assist in 10 career NHL games and three points (2G / 1A) in six AHL games this season.

Jiricek has been a healthy scratch for the last two games, so he heads back to the AHL to make room for Patrik Laine, who will return from an upper-body injury. Jiricek had one goal and two assists in 10 games with Columbus during his call-up.

Laine has missed the last nine games after getting hurt on a hit by Rasmus Andersson. To make room for Laine, who will skate on a line with Boone Jenner and Johnny Gaudreau, the Blue Jackets sent David Jiricek back to the AHL.

McAvoy was suspended for four games following a hit to the head on October 30th but he's eligible to return to the lineup vs. Montreal. McAvoy was back on the top power-play unit in Friday's practice and enters play with eight points (2G / 6A) in nine games this season.

Korpisalo allowed three goals on 30 shots in the Senators win in Toronto on Wednesday. The win snapped a two-game losing skid for Korpisalo, who has given up at least three goals in six of eight starts this season (.902 SV%). On Saturday, he'll face a Flames team that lost in a shootout in Toronto last night and have dropped seven of their last nine games.

Lindblom will finally get the chance to make his season debut in place of Anthony Duclair, who will miss Friday's game with an undisclosed injury. Lindblom was limited to six goals and nine assists across 73 games with the Sharks last season. He'll begin Friday's game skating alongside Nico Sturm and Kevin Labanc on the Sharks' third line.

Duclair was a late scratch for Friday's game with Sharks head coach David Quinn only alluding to "a couple of guys" not feeling well heading into Friday night's game in Vegas. Duclair has three goals and two assists through his first 13 games of the season. Oskar Lindblom will make his season debut in place of Duclair.

Nosek missed the Devils' previous 10 games due to a lower-body injury but has been activated from the injured reserve and was a game-time decision Friday vs. Washington. The 31-year-old failed to pick up a point in his two games played so far in 2023-24 but had 18 points (11G/7A) last season with Boston.

Tuch has managed soreness and an undisclosed injury for the last few weeks but has not missed any game action. Tuch, who was a game-time decision on Friday, hadn't been affected by his injury, resisting nine points (4G / 5A) in his last seven games.

Pesce has missed the Hurricanes' previous eight games due to a lower-body injury and was a game-time decision Friday as the team heads to Florida. The 28-year-old will make a welcome return to the lineup as he's averaged at least 21:42 TOI in each of the last four seasons and has a goal, an assist, seven SOG, four PIMs and a +3 plus/minus through five games prior to the injury.

Levi is the starter for the Sabres on Friday after serving as the backup to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the team's 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. Levi last played on November 4th, saving 25 of 29 shots in a 6-4 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. His rookie season has not gone as smoothly as anticipated, posting a .341 GAA and .885 SV% through five games (2-3-0). The Sabres are -118 home favourites against a Minnesota Wild team coming off a 4-1 loss last night at the hands of the New York Rangers.

Raanta will be the Hurricanes' starting goalie for the second consecutive game since the news that Frederik Andersen will be out indefinitely due to a blood clotting issue. In his first game as the bonafide number-one goalie, Raanta saved 19 of 21 shots (.905 SV%) and is on a personal three-game winning streak, saving 61 of 66 shots in that span (.924 SV%). The Hurricanes are -128 road favourites but will be challenged against a Florida Panthers team with points in six of their last seven games (5-1-1).

Lindgren last played on November 4th, saving an impressive 34 of 35 shots in a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets and will start again on Friday against the New Jersey Devils. Partially due to injuries, Lindgren has been limited to only two appearances this season (1-1-0), posting a 2.51 GAA and .929 SV%. The Capitals and Lindgren will have their work cut out for them against a Devils team that ranks fourth-best in the league offensively (3.67 GF / GP) but will once again be without one of the league's best scorers, Jack Hughes.

Vanecek allowed five goals on 31 shots on Tuesday in a 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche but will look to rebound on Friday. Before that most recent loss, Vanecek had won four consecutive games, saving 108 of 120 shots faced (.900 SV%). Lindy Ruff's high-tempo offensive structure isn't particularly conducive to low-scoring affairs, but Vanecek should continue to garner a healthy amount of victories throughout the season. On Friday, the Devils are -170 home favourites against a Washington Capitals team that ranks second-worst in the league offensively (2.00 GF / GP).

Spurgeon has missed the Wilds' first 13 games of the season due to an upper-body injury but has been activated from the LTIR Friday and will make his season debut Friday vs. Buffalo. The 33-year-old is entering his 14th NHL season and had 11 goals and 34 points in 79 games played in 2022-23.