NHL Hockey Player News

Grubauer did not play in Seattle's 2-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday but will return to the crease on Monday as he searches for his first victory in his last three appearances. Grubauer has an ugly 3.37 GAA and .882 SV% through 14 games (5-7-1) and ranks among the worst in the league with only three quality starts (.214 QS %). A win is likely for Grubauer on Monday as the Kraken are -152 road favourites, but don't expect much else from him, even against the low-scoring Montreal Canadiens (2.75 GF / GP), as he has a sub-.895 SV% in his last eight contests (3-3-1).

Martinez has not played since November 19th due to a lower-body injury and will miss at least the next two games as he will not travel with the Golden Knights on their upcoming two-game road trip. Before his injury, the 36-year-old veteran defender was finding the back of the net more often than usual, as he had three goals, one assist, 18 SOG, two PIMs and a +1 plus/minus in 14 games.

Hill is listed as day-to-day but will miss at least the next two games as he will not travel with the Golden Knights on their upcoming two-game road trip. Logan Thompson will presumably start both games for the Golden Knights, who have also recalled Jiri Patera from Henderson (AHL).

Binnington did not play on Saturday but will return to the crease on Monday against the Vegas Golden Knights, who have won two straight, outscoring their opposition 8-2. Binnington has won two of his last three (2-1-0), saving 107 of 116 shots in the process (.922 SV%). The Blues, however, have been inconsistent lately, losing three of their last five (2-3-0), and, as such, are +163 road underdogs against the Golden Knights.

McTavish left Saturday's game against the Colorado Avalanche in the first period with an upper-body injury after playing only 2:33 time-on-ice. McTavish will not travel with the Ducks for their rematch against the Avalanche Tuesday or Chicago the game after. He is having a tremendous season, scoring 21 points (10G / 11A) and 63 shots in 24 games and will be a huge loss for a Ducks team that already struggles offensively, ranking sixth-worst in the league (2.75 GF / GP).

With Adin Hill still day-to-day, Thompson will likely start for the second straight game and look to build off a fantastic 21-save performance (.955 SV%) in a 4-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. Thompson had been delegated to starting roughly one of every three games for the Golden Knights but should continue to be the primary netminder as long as Hill is unable to play. The Golden Knights are considerable -182 home favourites on Monday against a St. Louis Blues team held to only one goal in two of their last three games (1-2-0).

The Flames had a scary moment at practice when Markstrom left the ice with a hand injury, leaving his availability for Tuesday's game against the Minnesota Wild uncertain. Makrstrom has allowed three or more goals in each of his last five games, posting a subpar .874 SV%, but has still salvaged a record of 2-21 during the stretch. If Markstrom is not able to play, expect Dan Vladar to occupy the crease.

Raanta will start for the first time since a monumentally poor performance on November 24th when he allowed eight goals on 14 shots (.429 SV%) in an 8-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Raanta is posting a career-worst GAA (3.47) and save percentage (.854), well below the usually-dependable netminder's career average of 2.47 GAA and .916 SV%. The 11-year veteran is undoubtedly struggling between the pipes this season, but there is very little room for error being a goaltender for the Hurricanes, who lead the league in shot suppression (24.7 SA / GP). The Hurricanes are -141 road favourites against a Jets team held to three or fewer goals in each of their last six games (3-3-0).

Phillips will draw back into the lineup after missing two games, replacing healthy scratch Evgeny Kuznetsov. In 16 games this season, the 25-year-old Phillips has four points (1G / 3A), averaging 10:51 time-on-ice.

The Capitals were beginning to alternate starts between Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren, but with Lindgren recovering from an illness, Kuemper will start for the third consecutive game on Monday. Despite a 1-2-0 record, Kuemper is in the midst of one of his most consistent three-game stretches of the season, saving 81 of 90 shots in the process (.900 SV%). The Capitals are +114 road underdogs against a red-hot Arizona Coyotes team that has won four straight games, outscoring their opposition 13-5.

With Adin Hill still day-to-day, Thompson will likely start for the second straight game and look to build off a fantastic 21-save performance (.955 SV%) in a 4-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. Thompson had been delegated to starting roughly one of every three games for the Golden Knights but should continue to be the primary netminder as long as Hill is unable to play. The Golden Knights are considerable -182 home favourites on Monday against a St. Louis Blues team held to only one goal in two of their last three games (1-2-0).

Carpenter was surprisingly placed on the Injured Reserve Monday with a mid-body injury after playing the full game Sunday and picking up his first goal of the season. The 32-year-old centre is on pace to play the most amount of games he has in three seasons and has a goal, four assists, 21 SOG, and two PIMs in 18 games played this season.

Belpedio hasn't played since November 19th and has been placed on unconditional waivers. Belpedio has four points (2G / 2A), a +6 plus/minus, 18 blocks, and 14 hits in 12 games with the Flyers this season.

Despite averaging a career-high 21:01 time-on-ice, Kuznetsov is pacing for his worst offensive output in a single season with only nine points (4G / 5A) in 19 games. The 11-year veteran has only one point (1G / 0A) in his last six games, most recently centring a line with Sonny Milano and Hendrix Lapierre.

Lyon has undoubtedly been the Red Wings' best goaltender since making his debut several weeks ago and will start for the fifth time in their last eight games on Tuesday. In four games (3-1-0), Lyon has a sparkling 1.26 GAA and .958 SV%. His .750 quality start rate this season is through a very small sample size but seems mildly attainable given that he had a .714 QS% through 14 starts last season. The Red Wings have won five of their last six (5-1-0) and are -132 road favourites against a Buffalo Sabres team that has lost three straight (0-3-0), being outscored 14-7 in the process.

McTavish left Saturday's game against the Colorado Avalanche in the first period with an upper-body injury after playing only 2:33 time-on-ice. McTavish will be a game-time decision Tuesday in the Ducks' rematch against the Avalanche. He is having a tremendous season, scoring 21 points (10G / 11A) and 63 shots in 24 games and would be a huge loss for a Ducks team that already struggles offensively, ranking sixth-worst in the league (2.75 GF / GP).

Xhekaj has not played since November 16th and has been loaned to Laval (AHL) where he will get some game-action and conditioning before presumably returning to Montreal. In 17 games this season, Xhekaj has three points (1G / 2A), 47 penalty minutes, and 41 hits.