NHL Hockey Player News

With Mikko Koskinen sick, Stolarz will make his first start with the Oilers against the Maple Leafs. Stolarz was 4-3-3 with a 3.33 GAA and .902 SV% in 12 games with the Flyers earlier this season and 2-0-0 with 3.58 GAA and .901 SV% in five AHL games. He has shown the ability to stand on his head at times but is far too inconsistent to be relied upon tonight vs. a dangerous Toronto team.

Jones allowed two goals on 39 shots in the Sharks win over the Canadiens on Thursday. Jones has won three straight while stopping 87 of the 94 shots (.926 SV%) that he has faced. The 29-year-old netminde has gone 19-4-4 with a 2.59 GAA and. 906 SV% in 27 games at the SAP Center this season.

Fleury stopped 33 of 34 shots in the Golden Knights win over the Flames on Wednesday. Fleury has been fabulous in his last four games, stopping 109 of the 111 shots (.982 SV%) that he faced while going 4-0-0 with two shutouts. He is a must-start regardless of the matchup, but even more so vs. a Vancouver team that has lost 12 of their last 16 (4-9-3).

Murray stopped all 25 shots that he faced in the Penguins shutout win over the Blue Jackets on Thursday. Murray extended his winning streak to three games, stopping 93 of the 96 shots (.969 SV%) that he faced in the process. Tonight he faces Columbus again and comes in at 2-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .958 SV% in two games against them this season.

Virtanen has been out since February 13th, missing a total of 10 games due to injury. He will be back in the lineup vs. Vegas and is expected to skate on the first line and second power-play unit.

Just over an hour prior to puck-drop the Blues announced that Tarasenko will not play on Saturday afternoon. Jaden Schwartz will move up to the Blues top line and Zach Sanford will replace him on the third line with Tarasenko out.

Allen stopped all 28 shots that he faced in the Blues shutout win in Los Angeles on Thursday. It was an impressive outing for Allen, who will be making consecutive starts for the first time since Jan.3rd/5th. Allen has not faced the Sharks this season but has gone 10-7-3 with a 2.25 GAA, .925 SV% and three shutouts on the road.

Grubauer allowed two goals on 23 shots in Colorado’s loss in Anaheim last Sunday. Grubauer has played very well in his last two starts and two relief appearances, stopping 72 of the last 75 shots (.960 SV%) that he has faced. The 27-year-old has gone 4-4-1 with a 3.32 GAA and .883 SV% at the Pepsi Center this season.

Markstrom allowed two goals on 30 shots in the Canucks overtime win over the Maple Leafs on Wednesday. Markstrom is 2-1-1 with an impressive 1.68 GAA, .954 SV% and one shutout in his last four outings but draws a terrible matchup on Saturday. The Golden Knights have not lost a game since adding Mark Stone to their team, going 5-0-0 while averaging 3.40 goals for per game.

Kuemper stopped all 30 shots that he faced in the Coyotes shutout win over the Flames on Thursday. Kuemper bounced right back after a loss to the Ducks on Tuesday, moving him to 8-1-0 with a 1.53 GAA, .949 SV% and two shutouts in his last nine starts. In his first start vs. the Kings, Kuemper allowed two goals on 26 shots in a 2-1 loss (Dec.27).

Hutton allowed four goals on 45 shots in the Sabres loss in Chicago on Thursday. Hutton has lost three straight starts while allowing a combined 11 goals on 101 shots (.891 SV%). This afternoon he faces Colorado for the second time this season—he allowed six goals on 30 shots in a 6-1 loss in their first meeting of the season.

Crawford allowed four goals on 39 shots in the Blackhawks win over the Sabres on Thursday. Crawford has allowed at least three goals in all three of his starts since returning from his latest absence—going 2-1-0 with a 4.23 GAA and .865 SV%. Tonight he faces a Stars team that comes into Saturday on a four-game winning streak, outscoring their opposition 13-to-4.

Forsberg missed the last two days of practice but said the plan is for him to play against Carolina. Forsberg has cooled off a bit recently, scoring just two goals with two assists in his last 10 games.

Grundstrom was acquired from the Maple Leafs in the trade that sent Jake Muzzin to Toronto. The 21-year-old, former second-round pick (2016) has scored three goals with seven assists (10 points) in 13 games Ontario since the trade—giving him 16 goals and 23 assists (39 points) in 55 AHL games this season. He is expected to make his NHL debut tonight in Arizona, skating on a line with Adrian Kempe and Tyler Toffoli.

Staal has been battling an illness as of late and will not play Saturday vs. the Devils. Head coach David Quinn said that Staal is feeling better but probably shouldn’t have played in the last two games, so he will get the night off and Kevin Shattenkirk will replace him on the blueline.