NHL Hockey Player News

Holl will be the odd-man out on Friday as Jake Walman is set to return from an illness. Holl has no goals and five assists in 30 games this season.

The team did not announce his return ahead of Friday's game, but Walman is listed as being in the Red Wings lineup per the official roster report on NHL.com. Walman lasted played on January 11th, missing the last three games with the illness. He has nine goals and eight assists in 38 games this season.

Protas has performed well in a depth role for the Capitals this season and has been rewarded with a five-year, $17-million dollar extension. The 23-year-old Belarusian was the 91st-overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, and split the last two seasons between Washington and Hershey (AHL) before establishing himself as a full-time NHL player in 2023-24. He has three goals and 15 assists in 42 games this season while playing just over 13 minutes a night.

With his grasp on the Devils' starting job slowly slipping away from him, Vanecek will get a shot at redemption on Friday as he will be back between the pipes for the Devils when they travel to Columbus. Nico Daws got the nod in goal in each of New Jersey's previous three games, but head coach Lindy Ruff is opting to go back to Vanecek after suffering back-to-back defeats. We last saw Vanecek on January 11th when he surrendered four goals on just 20 shots as the Devils suffered a 4-3 overtime defeat at the hands of the Lightning. Vanecek has managed to scrape together a 14-7-2 record on the season despite an .882 SV%. He's in an ideal spot to get back in the win column on Friday with the Devils being -150 favourites in Columbus.

Mrazek will be back between the pipes for the Blackhawks on Friday after getting Thursday night off in favour of back-up netminder Arvid Soderblom. Mrazek has been in good form of late, posting a .929 SV% across his last five starts, though a predictable lack of goal support from his fellow Blackhawks means he's only been able to scrape together a pair of wins across that stretch. The 12-year-veteran has managed to post a respectable .907 SV% and an 11-16-1 record on the season despite playing behind one of the most underwhelming lineups in the league. As per usual, Mrazek and the Blackhawks find themselves as big underdogs on Friday, even on home ice, with the Islanders being favoured at -250 in Chicago.

Fleury will take the Minnesota crease back for the second time in three games after backing up Filip Gustavsson in a 7-3 loss last time out. The 39-year-old legendary goaltender has improved his overall numbers as of late but still carries an ugly 8-9-3 record, 2.97 GAA and .897 SV% on the season. He draws the tough task of taking on the Florida Panthers on the road Friday, who have surprisingly lost three straight games but rank second in the NHL in shots on goal per game (34.1) after leading the NHL in the same category in 2022-23.

Hunt returns to the press box Friday as Minnesota's defensive carousel continues with Alex Goligoski drawing back into the lineup. The 21-year-old Hunt is in his first NHL season and has yet to score but has a goal, seven SOG, and a -1 plus/minus in 12 games played.

Raska has been a healthy scratch for Minnesota's previous two games but will draw back in the lineup Friday vs. Florida as Fredrick Gaudreau (upper body) is on the mend. The 22-year-old Czechia winger has yet to pick up a point or shot on goal in three games this season but has only averaged 7:28 TOI per game in a complimentary role.

Goligoski continues his playing carousel after being a healthy scratch last game but will be back in the Wild's lineup Friday vs. Florida as he replaces Daemon Hunt. The 38-year-old is in his 17th NHL season and has yet to find the back of the net in 2023-24 but has seven assists, 14 PIMs, and a -4 plus/minus in 24 games played this season.

Gaudreau played only 9:02 time-on-ice before exiting Thursday's contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning with an upper-body injury and will be out on Friday against the Florida Panthers. Gaudreau has one point (0G / 1A) in his last nine games.

Necas has been out since January 2nd due to an upper-body injury but will return to the Hurricanes' lineup Friday vs. Detroit. The 25-year-old broke out with a 71 point campaign in 2022-23 but has failed to take another step forward this season with just nine goals and 26 points in 38 games prior to the injury.

Raanta will take the Hurricanes' crease for a fifth straight contest Friday after losing his previous start after allowing four goals on 24 shots (.833 SV%). The 34-year-old has had his struggles well documented this season after he was waived and unclaimed earlier in the season and holds a 9-6-2 record, 3.28 GAA and a .869 SV%. He takes on the red hot Red Wings Friday, who has points in seven straight contests and are fourth in the NHL in goals per game (3.55).

Karlsson was the only surprise absent player at Pittsburgh's practice Friday as he missed it due to illness and will hope to be good to go for Saturday as the Penguins head to Vegas. The 33-year-old was acquired by Pittsburgh in a blockbuster deal during the offseason after winning the Norris Trophy in 2022-23 and has a decent seven goals, 31 points, 102 SOG, 24 PIMs and +10 plus/minus through 42 games played.

Rondbjerg had four goals, 10 assists, eight PIMs and a -7 plus/minus in 25 games played with Henderson (AHL) but has earned another call up to Vegas Friday and is expected to draw into the lineup Saturday vs. Pittsburgh. The 24-year-old has appeared in nine games with the Golden Knights this season and has three points, 11 SOG, and a +3 plus/minus.

Amadio missed the Golden Knights' game Thursday vs. New York due to an upper body injury and has been officially placed on the Injured Reserve Friday. The 27-year-old is in his third full season with Vegas and on pace for his best statistical season with six goals, 17 points, 58 SOG, and a +5 plus/minus through 42 games played.

Sturm has been out since December 12th due to an abdomen injury but will draw back into the Sharks' lineup for the first time in a month Saturday vs. Anaheim. The 28-year-old role playing centre has struggled to produce so far in 2023-24, with his two goals, four points, 30 SOG, 10 PIMs and a -10 plus/minus through 26 games played prior to the injury.

Couture is expected to return to the Sharks roster and make his season debut Saturday vs Anaheim which will provide a sizeable boost given that Mikael Granlund will be out of the lineup week-to-week due to an upper-body injury. The 34-year-old was originally only expected to miss a few games to start the season but badly reaggravated his injury and has missed the Sharks' first 45 games. He is coming off a 67-point (27G/40A) season in 2022-23 and hasn't played less than 48 games in a season since 2009-10.

Robertson has previously been recalled once before this season but failed to appear for the Rangers during that time and has yet to make his NHL debut but earned his second recall from Hartford (AHL) Friday. The 22-year-old defensemen was the Rangers' 2019 second round pick (49th overall) and had two goals, 13 points, 16 PIMs and a -3 plus/minus through 32 games with Hartford prior to his call up.

Annunen made his season debut on Tuesday, allowing Alexandar Georgiev to have a long overdue night off, saving 36 of 40 shots (.900 SV%) in a 7-4 win over the Ottawa Senators. Annunen will return to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL, where he has a 2.62 GAA and .908 SV% in 18 games (9-5-4).

The Hurricanes claimed Spencer Martin off of waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, allowing the Hurricanes to ease Kochetkov slow back into the lineup as he recovers from a concussion. Kochetkov has skated at practice the last couple of days, indicating that his return to the lineup is on the horizon despite being placed on the injured reserve.