NHL Hockey Player News

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.

Wedgewood will start between the pipes for the second time in the last two games for the Stars as Jake Oettinger will receive a maintenance day. The Stars coaching staff has made it clear that they don't want to overwork Oettinger this season so Wedgewood starting a third of games could be a realistic expectation. Wedgewood was tremendous in a losing effort against the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, saving 40 of 43 shots in a 3-2 overtime loss. The undefeated Stars (4-0-1) are -109 home favourites but will have their work cut out for them against a Maple Leafs team riding a two-game winning streak.

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. 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. If Adam Ruzicka (undisclosed) is unable to go Thursday, expect Solovyov to make his NHL debut.

Laura left the Bruins' previous game after 9:13 TOI after taking the back end of a skate to the face and will be out at least a week with a facial fracture. The 23-year-old centre has yet to pick up a point in six games played so far in 2023-24, but has six SOG, six PIMs and a -4 plus/minus. It is a hard hit to the Bruins who also lost Milan Lucic (lower-body) week-to-week Thursday.

Lucic has missed the Bruins' previous two games with a lower-body injury and is now expected to be out week-to-week as it continues to linger. The 35-year-old veteran winger signed a one-year, $1 million contract in the offseason and has been a key force in helping the Bruins start their season undefeated (6-0-0) out of the gate. In four games prior to his injury he had two assists, one SOG, two PIMs and a -1 plus/minus.

Fleury will return to the net on Friday for a Minnesota Wild team that has uncharacteristically been unable to keep the puck out of their net, regardless of who is in between the pipes. In two games this season (1-1-0), Fleury has a 3.55 GAA, which is slightly better than the Wild's league-worst 4.43 goals allowed per game. Fleury and the Wild will have a chance to get things back on track Friday as they visit a Washington Capitals team that is scoring an average of only 2.00 goals per game, second lowest in the league.

Gustavsson will return to the crease on Thursday for his third consecutive game as he looks for his third victory this season. After a heroic 41-save shutout to open the season, Gustavsson has registered a .861 SV% in his three games since (1-1-1). The Wild have had an uncharacteristic start to the season. The traditionally low-scoring, low-offence Wild, who are without Matt Boldy to boot, have the league's fourth-best offence (4.17 GF/GP) along with the third-worst defence (4.17 GA/GP). They will look to recalibrate as -111 road favourites against a Philadelphia Flyers team that has a 3-2-1 record.

Kahkonen will man the crease on Friday and attempt to stop the bleeding on a dreadful start to the 2023-24 campaign for the Sharks. Last night, with Mackenzie Blackwood in the net, the Sharks were blown out 6-0 by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Blackwood has seen action more consistently to start the season for the Sharks, but their 0-6-1 record indicates they don't have much chance regardless of who is in between the pipes. The Sharks are averaging an embarrassing league-worst 1.14 goals scored per game and as a result, are +357 road underdogs against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Blackwood will start for the fifth time in six games for the Sharks on Thursday. Despite an 0-3-1 record, Blackwood has had a couple of very strong performances in losing efforts. On Tuesday, he made 32 of 34 saves in a 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers. On the season as a whole, Blackwood has a 3.47 GAA and .914 SV%, admirable totals playing on a Sharks team that gives him virtually zero goal support (1.33 GF/GP). That said, expectations remain extremely low for Blackwood and the Sharks as they are +250 road underdogs against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Merzlinkins will man the crease for the third consecutive game, his fifth start of the season, on Thursday in Montreal. Merzlinkins has been reliable to start the season, donning a 2.69 GAA and .913 SV% in four games (2-1-1), but is coming off his weakest performance where he allowed three goals on 27 shots in a 3-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. The Blue Jackets are slight +102 road underdogs against a Canadiens team that is off to a 3-2-1 start this season.

The Bruins' goaltending duo of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman have paved the way for their 6-0-0 start to the season. Ullmark is proving that last year's Vezina trophy was not a fluke as he has a 1.00 GAA and .962 SV%. A league-best 1.17 goals allowed per game for the Bruins has overshadowed any expected shortcomings after losing key offensive pieces in the offseason. The Bruins are expected to keep the winning streak going as they are massive -303 home favourites against the Anaheim Ducks.