NHL Hockey Player News

Sorokin will return to the crease for the Islanders on Monday after serving as the backup to Semyon Varlamov in the Islanders' last two games before the All-Star break, both losing efforts. Sorokin has not played since January 23rd and has allowed three or more goals in four of his last five games (1-3-1) but has salvaged a respectable .911 SV% in the process. The Islanders defeated the Maple Leafs 4-3 three weeks ago but are +139 road underdogs on Monday night.

Georgiev will likely return to the crease for the fifth straight game on Monday night when the Avalanche face off against his former team, the New York Rangers. Georgiev is riding a three-game winning streak, saving 85 of 92 shots (.924 SV%) and has been stellar in limited action against his former team, posting a 1.38 GAA and .960 SV% in two contests (1-0-1). The Avalanche have won three straight but are slight -102 road underdogs on Monday.

Montemeault will be the starter for the Canadiens in their first game since the All-Star break. After an abysmal performance in which he allowed eight goals on 30 shots (.733 SV%) in a 9-4 loss to the Boston Bruins, Montembeault responded by saving 43 of 46 (.935 SV%) in his last outing, a 4-3 victory over the New York Islanders. Montembeault will look to build on his last performance on Tuesday in a matchup against the third-worst offensive team in the league, the Washington Capitals (2.38 GF / GP).

Newhook has been out of the lineup since November 30th with an ankle injury but is nearing a return to the Canadiens lineup. The 23-year-old Newhook was playing well before his injury, scoring 13 points (7G / 6A) in 23 games, and could be in for an increase in offensive deployment after the departure of Sean Monahan.

Cernak is nearing a return from his seven-game absence after participating at practice on Monday. Cernak has five points (0G / 5A), 90 hits, and 62 blocks in 39 games this season.

Fleury suffered a hand injury on December 31st and has not played since, missing 12 games. Before his injury, Fleury was held off the scoresheet in five straight games while tallying four shots and five hits.

Jeannot has not played since January 6th, missing nine games with an upper-body injury, but returned to practice on Monday. The 26-year-old Jeannot had been held off the scoresheet in eight straight games while recording only seven shots on goal before his injury.

Sergachev has not played since December 19th and will miss at least six more games. After being placed on long-term injured reserve, the earliest Sergachev can return to the lineup is on February 7th, which appears likely after he practised with the second powerplay unit at practice on Monday. Sergachev had 19 points (2G / 17A) in 33 games before his injury.

Kampf surprised a few people Sunday when he was not at practice due to an undisclosed injury and will miss at least the next three games as he gets an MRI to further determine the extent of his injury. The bottom-six forward has one assist in his last 10 games played and is having a down season by his standards with just four goals, eight points and a -9 plus/minus in 46 games before the injury.

Johnson last played on January 18th and will return to the lineup on Tuesday against the Dallas Stars. Before his injury, Johnson was held off the scoresheet in seven straight games while tallying seven shots and 16 hits.

Girgensons exited the Sabres' January 24th victory against the Los Angeles Kings in the first period with an upper-body injury after playing only 1:01 time-on-ice. The 30-year-old Girgensons has four points (4G / 0A) in 31 games. Before his injury, Girgensons was seeing increased offensive deployment, including some time in the top six.

Maroon was limited to only 4:15 time-on-ice before exiting Minnesota's last game with an upper-body injury. In his last five games, Maroon has two points (0G / 2A) and four hits.

Quick started the final game before the All-Star break for the Rangers and will likely return to the crease in their first game back on Monday evening. The consecutive starts likely correlate to Igor Shesterkin participating in the All-Star game, but even so, Quick has played well lately. In his last two outings (1-1-0), the 38-year-old Quick has 53 of 57 shots, posting a stellar .930 SV%. The Rangers are slight -115 home favourites against an Avalanche club riding a three-game winning streak.

Chaffee was returned to Syracuse (AHL) for the All-Star break but has been deservedly returned to Tampa Bay on Monday. The 26-year-old had only appeared in two NHL games previous to this season and picked up his first career points on January 25th, 2024 this season. Through three games and only 8:25 average TOI he has a goal and an assist to go along with his +1 plus/minus.

Kuznetsov was not at practice on Monday due to personal reasons, and his status for Tuesday's game against the Montreal Canadiens remains up in the air. In recent games, Kuznetsov has centred the Capitals' second line with Anthony Mantha and Max Pacioretty. The 31-year-old Kuznetsov is pacing for the worst offensive output of his career (0.40 PTS / G) but has three points (0G / 3A) in his last three games.

Sgarbossa has earned his first call-up of the season to Washington after posting an impressive seven goals and 43 points in 44 games with Hershey (AHL) prior to the All-Star break. The 31-year-old veteran center last appeared in the NHL in 2021-22 and had two goals, four points, and 11 SOG in 10 games played.

Pacioretty exited the Capitals' last game before the All-Star break with a lower-body injury, playing only 10:25 time-on-ice. The injury is unrelated to the Achilles injury responsible for him missing most of the last two seasons. As such, his return to the lineup appears imminent after returning to practice on Monday. Before his injury, Pacioretty registered four points (0G / 4A) in his last five games.

Fleury has been out of the lineup since a collision with Florida's William Lockwood on January 19th. The veteran netminder has missed four games and is expected to return to the lineup on Wednesday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Before his injury, Fleury was amid one of his best runs of the season, saving 45 of 47 shots (.957 SV%) across three appearances.

Lucchini was reassigned to Iowa (AHL) in correspondence to the impending All-Star break last week but will return to Minnesota. Lucchini has played four straight games for Minnesota and has been held without a point in eight contests this season.

The Edmonton Oilers returned from All-Star break Sunday and were missing forward Evander Kane from Practice due to illness. The 32-year-old left-winger is considered day-to-day with Edmonton taking on Vegas on the road on Tuesday. Despite what may seem like a down year with 15 goals, 29 points, and 54 PIMs in 44 games played; Kane has set a new career high in games played in a campaign with Edmonton, surpassing his previous high of 43 from two seasons ago.