NHL Hockey Player News

Petr Mrazek is in the starters' crease at Tuesday's morning skate.

Mrazek appears to be the starter for the Blackhawks on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins. Mrazek hasn't finished a season with a save percentage above .894 in two seasons, but after three games (1-2-0) has a .924 SV% and has played well in each of them. That said, Mrazek and the Blackhawks will have their work cut out for them as they enter their matchup as +203 home underdogs against a Bruins team that has yet to lose (5-0-0).

Petr Mrazek
Chad Ruhwedel will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday vs. Dallas.

Ruhwedel failed to pick up a point or shot in any of his first five games played while averaging just 11:48 TOI and will be the odd man out of the Penguins' lineup Tuesday vs. Dallas. The 33-year-old defenseman is being replaced by John Ludvig, who will be making his NHL debut. When Ruhwedel does return to the Pittsburgh lineup he will be looking to improve on his -3 plus/minus.

Chad Ruhwedel
John Ludvig is expected to make his NHL debut vs. Dallas.

It appears John Ludvig will make his NHL debut for the Penguins on Tuesday against the Dallas Stars. Ludvig was the 69th overall pick of the Florida Panthers in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Last season with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, Ludvig had 17 points (3G / 14A) in 54 games. He will likely play next to Ryan Shea on the Penguins' third defensive pairing.

John Ludvig
Taylor Hall (shoulder) has been placed on the injured reserve.

Hall suffered a shoulder injury in game two of the season and was initially given a week-to-week prognosis and has been placed on the injured reserve Tuesday. To everyone's surprise, Hall missed only one game and returned to the lineup. Three games later, Hall seems to have reaggravated his shoulder injury and is once again going to be week-to-week because of it. Hall has played primarily with Connor Bedard this season and has two points (0G / 2A) and seven shots in five games. The Blackhawks might welcome Philipp Kurashev back into their lineup on Tuesday, which would help replace Hall on the roster.

Taylor Hall
Jonas Johansson was the first goalie off the ice at Tampa Bay's morning skate.

Johansson will be looking for redemption Tuesday after stopping 48 of 52 shots (.923 SV%) in a loss vs. Toronto in his previous start. The 28-year-old has been up-and-down when filling in for the injured Andrei Vasilevskiy, with his 2-1-2 record, .902 SV% and 3.58 GAA. He is expected to face the Carolina Hurricanes, who are in the midst of a two-game losing streak but rank second in the NHL in goals per game (4.5).

Jonas Johansson
Alex Nedeljkovic was the first goalie off the ice at Pittsburgh's morning skate.

Nedeljkovic was sensational in his only start of the season as he stopped 34 of 36 shots (.944 SV%) in a victory over Calgary and will likely take the crease Tuesday after being the first goalie off the ice. The 27-year-old signed with Pittsburgh during the offseason and will look to add to his 43-38-15 career record with his .907 SV% and 2.95 GAA. He takes on the Dallas Stars, who have collected points in all four games this season (3-0-1) but are 21st in the NHL in goals per game (2.75).

Alex Nedeljkovic
Elvis Merzlikins will start Tuesday vs. Anaheim.

Despite allowing four goals on 28 shots, Merzlinkins recorded his second win of the season on Saturday and will return to the crease on Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks. Merzlinkins and the Blue Jackets are -146 home favourites against a Ducks team that is averaging a lowly 2.20 goals per game. The Blue Jackets will, however, be without their star forward Patrik Laine (upper-body).

Elvis Merzlikins
Ilya Sorokin will start Tuesday vs. Colorado.

Sorokin will return to the crease for the Islanders after getting his first night off on Saturday. Sorokin is a safe bet between the pipes on most nights but will be put to the ultimate test on Tuesday as the Islanders face off against the undefeated Colorado Avalanche (5-0-0). In three games this season (2-0-1), Sorokin has a 2.31 GAA and .914 SV% but is coming off his weakest performance thus far, allowing five goals on 39 shots in a 5-4 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils.

Ilya Sorokin
Ville Husso was in the starters' crease at Tuesday's morning skate.

Husso is the likely starter for the red-hot Red Wings on Tuesday. The Red Wings are off to an excellent 5-1-0 start to the season, averaging a league-best 5.00 goals scored per game. Husso hasn't been spectacular, recording a 3.04 GAA and .901 SV% in four games (3-1-0), but has been much better in his last two contests with a 2.50 GAA and .929 SV%. He will look to continue his hot streak tonight as the Red Wings host a Seattle Kraken team that ranks third-worst in the league offensively, averaging only 1.83 goals scored per game.

Ville Husso
Anton Forsberg was in the starters' crease at Tuesday's morning skate.

In game six of the season for the Ottawa Senators, Forsberg will start for the third time. In two games (2-0-0), Forsberg has registered a 1.50 GAA and .933 SV%, clearly outperforming his counterpart, Joonas Korpisalo, thus far. Forsberg will hope to further cement himself as the early-season favourite in net for the Senators as they face off against a Buffalo Sabres team that suffered a 3-1 loss last night and is averaging only 2.17 goals scored per game. The Senators are listed as -179 home favourites tonight.

Anton Forsberg
David Savard (upper body) is out indefinitely and will not dress Tuesday vs. New Jersey.

Savard will be out indefinitely after suffering an upper-body injury in the Canadiens' Monday night matchup against the Buffalo Sabres. Savard has two points (0G / 2A), four hits, and 14 blocks in five games this season. Gustav Lindstrom was recalled on an emergency basis and will be an option to replace Savard on defence.

David Savard
Hunter Shepard will make the first start of his career Wednesday vs. New Jersey.

Shepard is a 27-year-old career AHLer, who has gone 2-0-0 while allowing six goals on 52 shots (.885 SV%) in his first two starts with Hershey this season. Shepard impressed in a 33-game stint with the Bears last season, posting a .916 SV% and a 2.18 GAA to go along with a 20-8-5 record. He draws a difficult matchup in his NHL debut with the Capitals being +205 road underdogs in New Jersey.

Hunter Shepard
Gustav Lindstrom has been recalled from Laval (AHL) on an emergency basis.

Lindstrom was recalled by the Canadiens and could be an option to replace David Savard (upper-body) on Tuesday as they play the second half of a back-to-back. The 38th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft played 36 games for the Detroit Red Wings last season, recording eight points (1G / 7A) in 36 games.

Gustav Lindstrom
Darcy Kuemper will start Tuesday vs. Toronto.

Kuemper will start on Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs and hope to improve on his lacklustre start to the season. The Capitals have been very poor in general (1-2-1), receiving minimal goal support (1.25 GF/GP), paralleled by Kuemper's less-than-ideal 3.56 GAA and .887 SV%. The Maple Leafs have had their struggles as well (3-2-0), but scoring goals has not been one of them, as they enter Tuesday averaging 3.80 goals per game. Kuemper and the Capitals are +154 home underdogs against the Maple Leafs.

Darcy Kuemper
Ilya Sorokin is in the Starters' crease Tuesday at morning skate.

It appears Sorokin will return to the crease for the Islanders after getting his first night off on Saturday. Sorokin is a safe bet between the pipes on most nights but will be put to the ultimate test on Tuesday as the Islanders face off against the undefeated Colorado Avalanche (5-0-0). In three games this season (2-0-1), Sorokin has a 2.31 GAA and .914 SV% but is coming off his weakest performance thus far, allowing five goals on 39 shots in a 5-4 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils.

Ilya Sorokin
The Capitals have reassigned Clay Stevenson to Hershey (AHL).

Stevenson has been serving as Darcy Kuemper's backup, with Charlie Lindgren sidelined with an injury. Hunter Shepard will replace him in that role on Tuesday. Stevenson has gone 4-1-0 while allowing 10 goals on 119 shots (.916 SV%) in five career AHL games.

Clay Stevenson
The Capitals have recalled Hunter Shepard from Hershey (AHL).

Shepard is a 27-year-old career AHLer, who has gone 2-0-0 while allowing six goals on 52 shots (.885 SV%) in his first two starts with Hershey this season. He replaces Clay Stevenson on the Capitals' roster and figures to serve as Darcy Kuemper's backup vs. the Maple Leafs.

Hunter Shepard
Justin Sourdif has been loaned to Charlotte Checkers (AHL).

Sourdif failed to pick up a point in any of the three games he appeared in for the Panthers but only averaged 8:50 TOI and had two SOG in his first appearance in the NHL and has been loaned to Charlotte (AHL) Monday. The 21-year-old returns to the Checkers, where he had seven goals and 24 poitns in 48 games played in 2022-23.

Justin Sourdif
Daemon Hunt has been recalled from the Iowa Wild (AHL).

Hunt was the Wild's 2020 third-round pick (65th overall) and has been recalled to Minnesota Monday for the first time in his career. The 21-year-old defensemen had yet to pick up a point with Iowa (AHL) but had seven PIMs and a -3 plus/minus through four games. Hunt has a shot to make his NHL debut if John Merrill is held out of the lineup due to injury Tuesday.

Daemon Hunt

NHL Player News: Your Ultimate Source for Hockey Player News

At Daily Faceoff you can stay in the know regarding all 32 teams and their top players this season. From trades, to injuries, and everything in between, you can find all the latest NHL player news today here. Staying up to date with player news NHL can also give you a competitive edge in your fantasy hockey leagues, as well as your NHL bets.

Check out all the latest NHL updates below and learn more about the hottest updates in the hockey world today.

Who are the top NHL players to watch this season?

There’s never been more talent scattered across the NHL than there is this season. With living legends like Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin still setting records left-and-right, alongside today’s current superstars such as Connor McDavid and Nathan Mackinnon, the level of talent in the NHL is at an all-time high. Along with these established stars, there’s plenty of budding stars emerging every season such as Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, and Matvei Michkov.

What are the latest updates on NHL player suspensions or disciplinary actions?

Already this season we’ve seen the hammer brought down by the NHL Department of Player Safety. Notable suspensions and fines include Ryan Reaves of the Toronto Maple Leafs who was given a five-game suspension for an illegal check to the head against the Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles Kings forward Tanner Jeannot who was dealt a three-game suspension, also for an illegal hit to the head.

In the 2023-24 season, there were a total of 14 suspensions and 17 fines issued throughout the NHL. The longest suspension served was dealt to former-Detroit Red Wing David Perron at six-games after a cross-checking penalty dealt ironically against his current team in the 2024-25 season, the Ottawa Senators. Additionally, Perron was fined $148,437.48 for his actions.

How are NHL player performances impacting fantasy hockey?

NHL player performances make a direct impact on the outcome of any fantasy hockey matchup. Staying up to date with the latest news and performances of your team’s players can be the difference between winning and losing.

Some notable fantasy hockey performers that flew under the radar in most drafts this year include Martin Necas (123 ADP) of the Carolina Hurricanes and Kiefer Sherwood of the Vancouver Canucks. While sleeper picks are always a great get, nothing is worse than a bust taken early on. Some of the most disappointing players of the fantasy hockey season includes Zach Hyman (28 ADP) of the Edmonton Oilers and Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars (33 ADP).

Whether you’re checking out how your current rostered players are performing or scouting for hidden gems on the waiver wire, the latest player news can help you make your next winning move this season.

Which NHL players are having breakout or comeback seasons?

Every season there are several players who have breakout years, establishing themselves as some of the best up-and-coming stars in the league. In the 2024-25 season early breakout candidates have emerged such as Dylan Strome of the Washington Capitals (on-pace for his first 100-point season) and Ivan Barbashev of the Vegas Golden Knights (on-pace for career-high in points).

Additionally, nothing beats a comeback story, and that can be said about surging veterans such as Anze Koipitar of the Los Angeles Kings, and Matt Duchene of the Dallas Stars.

How often is NHL player news updated?

Our player news is updated regularly throughout the season, bringing you fresh player updates every day throughout the calendar year. Providing our users with a one-stop destination for everything you need to know from across the NHL, our player news is the go-to spot for all the biggest stories in the hockey universe.

What types of information does NHL player news cover?

Our NHL news covers every aspect of the hockey season. From injuries to trades to rumours and even suspensions, we’ve got you covered through it all with credible and fast-updates all-season long.

Are there specific sources for reliable NHL player updates?

All of our sources come from credible and reputable areas. When you’re at Daily Faceoff, you can trust that we are never going to spoon-feed you fake news. You can trust you’re only reading legitimate news that matters.

How does NHL player news impact betting lines?

Player news has a massive impact on the latest hockey betting lines. From daily game lines and prop bets, to Stanley Cup futures bets, every trade, roster change, and injury can shake up the odds set by oddsmakers.

By staying informed on the latest NHL updates, you can become a better NHL bettor as you’ll have a winning edge thanks to our in-depth news coverage.

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