NHL Hockey Player News

Soderblom will draw the Blackhawks' crease for a second-straight game as he tries to break a perosnal seven game losing streak on the road in New Jersey Friday. The 24-year-old sophomore has been terrible yet again in 2023-24, with wins only against the Toronto Maple Leafs leading to his 2-12-1 record, 4.07 GAA and .874 SV%. He heads to New Jersey to take on the Devils, who have won four of their last five matchups and are sixth in the NHL in goals per game (3.53).

Ponomarev is Carolina's 2020 second-round pick (53rd overall) and has earned his first NHL call up Friday after scoring six goals and 20 points in 20 games with the Chicago Wolves (AHL) to start 2023-24. The 21-year-old has a high potential to make his first NHL appearance Friday as the Hurricanes take on Washington on the road.

Samoskevich played three games with the Panthers earlier this season, being held off the scoresheet, but has spent most of the season with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, tallying 22 points (9G / 13A) in 27 games. Samoskevich was the 24th overall pick of the Panthers in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

Cousins was the recipient of a controversial hit from Arizona's Jason Zucker which led to a three-game suspension. The 30-year-old scrappy centre has struggled to produce offensively in 2023-24 with only two goals, three assists, 20 PIMs, 63 SOG and a -10 plus/minus in 37 games played.

Christiansen was recalled last week and played his first three games for the Blue Jackets this season, recording one point (0G / 1A) while averaging 15:56 time-on-ice. He has been reassigned to the Cleveland Monsters, where he has 22 points (5G / 17A) in 28 games.

Hill participated in his first full practice since suffering an undisclosed injury on December 17th, suggesting his return to the lineup is on the immediate horizon. Hill returned to action on December 17th after a two-week absence from an injury but was not able to finish that contest and has been out of the lineup since.

Gudas has only played one of the last five games for the Ducks but could return to the lineup on Friday against the Winnipeg Jets. He has five goals, five assists, and 87 hits in 32 games this season.

Sanford has played 12 games for the Coyotes this season, recording two points (0G / 2A) and a +2 plus/minus rating. If the career journeyman goes unclaimed, he will return to the Tuscon Roadrunners of the AHL, where he has four points (1G / 3A) in 16 games this season.

Gibson will make his first start of 2024 after watching Lukas Dostal heroically save 57 of 59 shots in a 2-1 losing effort to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Ducks' last contest. In his last outing, Gibson allowed seven goals on 39 shots (.821 SV%) but allowed two or fewer in his previous three (2-1-0), posting a .940 SV%. The Ducks are sizeable +163 home underdogs on Thursday against a red-hot Winnipeg Jets club that played last night, defeating the San Jose Sharks 2-1.

Gagner has not played since December 21 due to a concussion and will have to wait at least one more game before returning despite being cleared for action. Before his injury, Gagner had five points (1G / 4A) in his last six games while averaging less than 10 minutes per game.

Gardner made his Flyers debut on Thursday, registering one hit while playing 7:28 time-on-ice. He will return to being a healthy scratch on Saturday as the Flyers will welcome Cam Atkinson and Morgan Frost back into the lineup.

Heiskanen awkwardly collided with his goaltender Scott Wedgewood while backchecking and exited the game in the third period after playing only 14:38 time-on-ice. After a slow start to the season with only seven points in his first 13 games (1G / 6A), Heiskanen was starting to come into his own, scoring 20 points (3G / 17A) in his last 24 games. Heiskanen's presence on the blue line will be sorely missed for the Stars, as he averages over 25 minutes per night. Expect Thomas Harley to see in an increase in deployment during Heiskanen's absence, including a role on the top powerplay unit.

Greenway played 18:39 time-on-ice in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens, registering one shot on goal and one hit. He did not practice on Friday due to an illness and his status is up in the air for Saturday's contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Tuch did not practice on Friday due to an illness and will be a game-time decision on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tuch played 16:23 time-on-ice on Thursday and recorded two assists while playing on a line with Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner.

After recording only one assist in his last four games, Frost was the odd man out of the Flyers' lineup on Thursday. The 24-year-old Frost is no stranger to being healthy scratched this season, as he has not dressed for 10 games so far already this season but still has five goals and 11 points in the 27 games he has played. He will return to the lineup on Saturday against the Calgary Flames.

After failing to find the back of the net for 22 games, Atkinson was a healthy scratch for the Flyers on Thursday. In Atkinson's return on Saturday, he will look to build off the eight goals, 10 assists, 113 SOG, 14 PIMs and a -9 plus/minus he has amassed across 37 games before the scratch.

Boqvist has missed the last 13 games due to a shoulder injury, last playing on December 5th. Boqvist had three points (0G / 3A), averaging 17:05 time-on-ice through 13 games this season and will return to the lineup on Saturday against the Minnesota Wild.

Gilbert suffered an upper-body after an awkward collision in Thursday's game against the Nashville Predators. The Flames have recalled defensive prospect Yan Kuznetsov in the interim as we await further evaluations for Gilbert.

Carlile and Sean Day, both defensemen, have been reassigned to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL, as defensemen Jack Thompson and Emil Martinsen-Lilleberg have been recalled. Carlile made his NHL debut yesterday, registering a +1 plus/minus in 11:27 time-on-ice.