NHL Hockey Player News

After winning eight straight contests, the Oilers have lost two in a row and will look to get back in the win column with Skinner between the pipes on Tuesday. Skinner last played on Friday, allowing five goals on 22 shots (.773 SV%) in a 7-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but was near impenetrable heading into that game, posting a .934 SV% over a seven-game stretch (7-0-0). The Oilers are -134 road favourites against the New York Islanders, who have lost two straight games (0-1-1).

Vasilevskiy has had an up-and-down season since making his season debut less than a month ago after returning from off-season back surgery but will start for the fifth straight game on Tuesday. Vasilevskiy has uncharacteristically allowed three or more goals in each of his last four outings (2-2-0), posting a .895 SV%, on par with his .897 SV% on the season. Vasilevskiy will look to get his season in order on Tuesday as Tampa Bay is a -169 home favourite against a St. Louis Blues club that has won two straight, coinciding with the firing of former head coach Craig Berube.

After alternating starts with Semyon Varlamov over the last week, Sorokin will start for the third time in the last five games for the Islanders. Sorokin has struggled to string together quality starts this season, never recording more than two in a row. After allowing four goals on 34 shots (.882 SV%) in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins in his last outing, he will be hard-pressed to regain his footing against the high-flying Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. The Islanders are +121 home underdogs against an Oilers team that has lost two straight but previously won eight games in a row.

Colin Miller will watch the game from the press box as a healthy scratch on Tuesday, allowing Brendan Smith to draw back into the lineup. Miller has played all 15 games for the Devils this season since making his debut on November 16th, tallying one point (0G / 1A), 10 blocks, and 18 hits while averaging 14:52 time-on-ice.

Smith will return to the lineup for the Devils as Colin Miller will be a healthy scratch. Smith has played only one of the last eight games for the Devils and has two points (0G / 2A), 36 hits, and 19 blocks while averaging 14:26 time-on-ice through 22 games.

Jones will likely start for the Maple Leafs on Tuesday after a heroic 38-save shutout in their last game, a 7-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. In three appearances with the Maple Leafs this season (3-0-0), all over the last two weeks, Jones has been sensational, posting a 1.85 GAA and .949 SV%. If Jones can maintain consistency while Joseph Woll (lower-body) is injured, he will likely receive at least a timeshare between the pipes. The Maple Leafs are slight -113 home favourites on Tuesday against the New York Rangers, who the Maple Leafs convincingly defeated by a score of 7-3 in Jones' first start of the season.

Levi has been tremendous since re-joining the Sabres after a brief stint in the AHL, allowing two or fewer goals in all four games (3-0-1) and sporting a marvellous .942 SV%. Levi will likely start on Tuesday in a favourable matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets, as the Sabres are sizeable -181 home favourites against a team that has lost five of their last seven contests (2-4-1). Levi will have started five of seven games for the Sabres since being recalled and is clearly the favourite between the pipes for the Sabres coaching staff.

Akira Schmid started each of the last two games for the Devils, a back-to-back set, as Vanecek was unable to play due to an illness. That said, he was in the starter's crease at Tuesday's morning skate, indicating he will likely return to net against the Philadelphia Flyers. Vanecek has struggled with consistency this season but is amid his best two-game stretch (2-0-0), allowing only three goals on a combined 49 shots (.939 SV%). The Devils are coming off a disappointing 5-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks and are -159 home favourites against a Flyers team with points in eight straight contests (6-0-2).

Pacioretty was a full participant at practice for the first time this season as he nears his return from his second Achilles surgery in less than a year. Over the last three seasons, Pacioretty has struggled vehemently with injuries, playing only 92 total games. After recovering from his first Achilles surgery, he was only able to play five games last season before re-injuring his Achilles and forcing an abrupt end to his season. If Pacioretty can stay healthy, he could be a big boost for a Capitals team that ranks third-worst in the league offensively (2.39 GF / GP) and has the league's second-worst powerplay (9.8%).

After alternating starts with Semyon Varlamov over the last week, Sorokin will likely start for the third time in the last five games for the Islanders. Sorokin has struggled to string together quality starts this season, never recording more than two in a row. After allowing four goals on 34 shots (.882 SV%) in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins in his last outing, he will be hard-pressed to regain his footing against the high-flying Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. The Islanders are +121 home underdogs against an Oilers team that has lost two straight but previously won eight games in a row.

Lapierre was the 22nd overall pick of the Capitals in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and has split time between the Hershey Bears (AHL) and the Capitals this season. In 11 games with the Capitals, he has three points (1G / 2A) while averaging 10:06 time-on-ice.

Miroshnichenko was the 20th overall pick of the Washington Capitals in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and was recalled from the Hershey Bears of the AHL on Tuesday. In his first season in North America, the 19-year-old has 15 points (8G / 7A) in 27 games with Hershey.

Husso surrendered two goals on nine shots before leaving the game. Assuming he is unable to return, we can expect to receive some sort of update on his status following the completion of Monday's game. James Reimer entered the Red Wings' crease in place of Husso.

It will be a fifth-consecutive start for Daccord, who has been in tremendous form since taking the starting reigns from the injured Philipp Grubauer (lower-body). Daccord has been unfortunate to pick up just two wins across his last four starts despite posting a phenomenal .954 SV% over that span. His spectacular play of late has helped raise his SV% to .908 on the season after a rather poor start to his 2023-24 campaign. He'll have his hands full tonight with the Kraken being +180 underdogs in Dallas.

Gruden will return to the AHL as Noel Acciari and Rickard Rakell are set to return to the Penguins' lineup on Monday. Gruden is yet to register a point in four NHL games this season.

With Noel Acciari and Rickard Rakell set to return to the Penguins' lineup on Monday, Johnstone will return to the AHL after playing just a single game in Pittsburgh. He has two goals and three assists in 21 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season.

Ruhwedel will make his return from a 13-game absence due to a lower-body injury, playing his first game since November 19th. The 33-year-old stay-at-home defenseman has an assist, nine SOG, two PIMs, and a -3 plus/minus in 15 games before the injury this season.

Rakell has missed 12 straight games due to an upper-body injury but will return to the lineup for the first time since November 19th. Before his injury, Rakell was pacing for the worst season of his career, with only four points (0G / 4A) in 17 games. His zero goals on 44 shots rank worst among all forwards with over 30 shots this season.

Acciari has not played since November 30th due to a lower-body injury but will return to the lineup on Monday against the Minnesota Wild. Acciari has three points (2G / 1A), 44 hits, and 28 blocks in 22 games this season, playing predominantly alongside Jeff Carter and Matt Nieto.

Dostal will get the nod in Detroit on Monday as starter John Gibson is away from the team due to the impending birth of his child. It will be Dostal's second appearance in as many nights after he relieved Gibson on Sunday in New Jersey as the latter dealt with dehydration. Dostal stopped all ten shots he faced in relief as he helped the Ducks cruise to an unexpected 5-1 victory over the Devils. Dostal will be looking to build on last night's performance on Monday and improve on his underwhelming .887 SV% and 3.93 GAA.