NHL Hockey Player News

The Blue Jackets' three-game winning streak snapped in their most recent outing when Merzlikins allowed five goals on 39 shots (.872 SV%) in a 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars. Merzlikins will likely return to the crease on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres. The 30-year-old Merzlikins has been solid lately, posting a .915 SV% in his last nine games (7-2-0). The Blue Jackets enter Tuesday's contest as +152 road underdogs against a Sabres team without offensive threat Tage Thompson (upper body).

The Blues' four-game losing skid snapped in their most recent outing, courtesy of Binnington saving 24 of 25 shots (.960 SV%) in a 2-1 win over the Utah Hockey Club. Binnington will likely return to the crease on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers and look to improve his 2.83 GAA and .898 SV% through 37 games this season (14-19-3). The Blues enter the action on Tuesday as +156 home underdogs against an Oilers squad that defeated them 4-2 on December 7th.

Poturalski is an undrafted forward with six games of NHL experience. The 31-year-old Poturalski has been one of the most prominent point producers in the AHL the past several seasons, including scoring 45 points (18G / 27A) in 41 games with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) this season.

The Panthers have outscored their opposition 14-4 in their last three games (3-0-0) and will likely turn to Bobrovsky between the pipes on Tuesday against the Washington Capitals. After an uncharacteristically average first half of the season, Bobrovsky has been outstanding lately and allowed only five combined goals in his last four games (4-0-0) while posting a stellar .953 SV%. The Panthers enter Tuesday's contest as -116 road favorites against a Capitals team that defeated them 4-1 on November 25th.

Tampa Bay will turn to Vasilevskiy between the pipes on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators. Vasilevskiy allowed three goals on 36 shots (.917 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders. The 30-year-old Vasilevskiy has a 2.30 GAA and .918 SV% in 39 games this season (21-15-3). Tampa Bay enters Tuesday's contest as -168 home favorites against an Ottawa club that played last night and defeated the Nashville Predators 5-2.

Samuelsson is battling a lower-body injury and will not play on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 24-year-old Samuelsson is averaging 18:31 time-on-ice and has nine points (3G / 6A) in 35 games this season.

Thompson exited Sunday's 4-3 win over New Jersey Devils in the third period after being on the receiving end of an unsuspecting hit from Stefan Noesen. The 27-year-old Thompson has been tremendous offensively lately and will be sorely missed by a Sabres team riding a three-game winning streak. Thompson has 14 points (7G / 7A) in his last nine games.

Haula has not played since January 4th due to an ankle injury but has been practicing the past several days and could return to the lineup on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 33-year-old Finnish forward is averaging 14:27 time-on-ice, recording 11 points (5G / 6A), 22 blocks, and 67 hits in 42 games this season.

The Devils have lost two of their last three and will turn to the recently recalled Daws between the pipes on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Daws saw his first NHL action this season in New Jersey's most recent outing, saving all seven shots he faced in relief of Jake Allen in a 4-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Daws appeared in 21 NHL games last season, going 9-11-0 with a 3.15 GAA and .894 SV%. In 21 AHL games this season, he is 5-14-1 with a 3.40 GAA and .888 SV%. The Devils enter Tuesday's contest as -133 road underdogs against a Penguins squad coming off a 3-0 win over the Nashville Predators.

Minnesota is coming off arguably their worst performance of the season with Filip Gustavsson between the pipes, a 6-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators, and will switch to Fleury on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins. Fleury saved all 19 shots he faced in his most recent outing, a 4-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens for his first shutout of the season. The 40-year-old netminder has a 2.60 GAA and .908 SV% in 18 appearances this season (11-5-1). Minnesota enters the action on Tuesday as +118 road underdogs against a Bruins club coming off a 6-3 win over the New York Rangers.

Thompson and the Capitals are coming off a 5-4 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets, the first time Thompson has allowed five goals since the second game of the season. Last game aside, Thompson has been tremendous between the pipes lately, posting a stellar .942 SV% in his previous nine games (7-0-2), and will return to the crease on Tuesday against the Florida Panthers. Washington enters the action on Tuesday as +105 home underdogs against a Florida team outscoring their opposition 14-4 during a three-game winning streak.

Swayman saved 22 of 25 shots (.880 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 6-3 win over the New York Rangers, and will return to the crease on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild. After a poor start to the season, Swayman has been more reliable lately despite an unfavorable 6-7-1 record, posting a serviceable .908 SV% in his last 14 games. The Bruins enter Tuesday's contest as -126 home favorites against a Wild club coming off a forgetful 6-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators.

With Mark Kastelic (undisclosed) returning from injury, Koepke will be the odd man out of the lineup. The 26-year-old Koepke is averaging 10:36 time-on-ice and has 12 points (7G / 5A) in 47 games this season.

Kastelic has not played since January 20th due to an undisclosed injury but will return to the lineup on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild. The 25-year-old Kastelic has 13 points (4G / 9A) in 45 games this season and is among the league leaders with 175 hits. Cole Koepke will be a healthy scratch to accommodate Kastelic's return.

Edstrom was limited to only 4:22 time-on-ice before exiting Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Boston Bruins due to a lower-body injury. The 24-year-old Edstrom is averaging 9:16 time-on-ice and has nine points (4G / 5A) in 51 games this season. He will hope to return to the ice before the end of the regular season.

Jones has split time between Minnesota and Iowa (AHL) this season. He has been productive at the AHL level, scoring 14 points (5G / 9A) in 20 games but hasn't seen that success translate to the NHL, scoring zero points through 26 games this season.

Tampa Bay will likely turn to Vasilevskiy between the pipes on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators. Vasilevskiy allowed three goals on 36 shots (.917 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders. The 30-year-old Vasilevskiy has a 2.30 GAA and .918 SV% in 39 games this season (21-15-3). Tampa Bay enters Tuesday's contest as -168 home favorites against an Ottawa club that played last night and defeated the Nashville Predators 5-2.

The Penguins have won two straight, including a 3-0 win over the Nashville Predators in their most recent outing when Nedeljkovic saved all 25 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season. The 29-year-old netminder has a 3.02 GAA and .899 SV% in 25 games this season (11-9-4). The Penguins enter Tuesday's contest as +130 home underdogs against a New Jersey Devils squad that defeated them 3-0 on December 21st.

The Islanders' seven-game win streak snapped in their most recent outing, a 6-3 loss to the Florida Panthers, with Sorokin serving as the team's backup, but he will return to the crease on Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 29-year-old Sorokin has been tremendous lately, allowing two or fewer goals in seven of his last eight (7-1-0) and posting a stellar .949 SV%. The Islanders enter Tuesday's contest as +133 home underdogs against a Golden Knights club amid a three-game losing skid (0-1-2).

Fasching has not played an NHL since January 5th due to an upper-body injury and has been recalled from the Bridgeport Islanders (AHL) after a brief conditioning stint. Before his injury, the 29-year-old Fasching averaged 8:56 time-on-ice and had yet to score a point through 19 games this season.