NHL Hockey Player News

Rinaldo has not been in the lineup wins January 1st and was believed to be a healthy scratch, so he could have suffered a non-game injury.

Kero has registered 16 goals and 21 assists (37 points) in 43 games with Utica this season. He is not expected to make his Canucks debut on Friday.

Johansen will miss Saturday’s game vs. the Panthers and Monday’s game in Colorado before being eligible to return next Friday in Florida. Calle Jarnkrok is candidate to move in the lineup with Johansen sidelined.

Lammikko, 22, had six assists in 40 games during his time with the Panthers. With Vincent Trocheck (ankle) set to make his return to the lineup on Friday, Lammikko was the odd-man-out on the active roster.

Trocheck is listed as a game-time decision for Friday’s game but activating him from IR all but confirms that the Panthers’ No.2 centre will be back in the lineup vs. the Maple Leafs. Look for Trocheck to centre a line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad in his return.

Skinner missed Thursday’s practice and will be a game-time decision for Friday’s game in Vancouver. This would be a huge loss for the Sabres, Skinner leads the team in goals (30) and sits second in points (44).

Ullmark allowed three goals on 33 shots in the Sabres win in Calgary on Wednesday. Ullmark has played pretty well this season, going 10-3-3 with a 2.86 GAA and .917 SV% in 17 stars and one relief appearance. He hasn’t seen the Canucks in any of those games but has gone 6-1-2 with a 2.60 GAA, .927 SV% and one shutout on the road.

Demko will be making his season debut after serving as Jacob Markstrom’s backup for a couple of weeks. Demko is one of the top goaltending prospects in the NHL and went 8-5-0 with a 2.58 GAA and .911 SV% in 16 games before being promoted to the NHL. He allowed four goals on 30 shots in a 5-4 OT win vs. the Blue Jackets in his NHL debut last year.

Howard allowed one goal on 24 shots in the Red Wings win over the Wild. Howard has earned two pretty easy wins ain a row, stopping 39 of the 42 shots (.929 SV%) that he faced to beat Minnesota and Anaheim. Things will get more difficult in Calgary. The Flames average 31.8 shots per game and the second most goals (3.67) per game in the NHL through 48 games.

Demko is expected to make his season debut after serving as Jacob Markstrom’s backup for a couple of weeks. Demko is one of the top goaltending prospects in the NHL and went 8-5-0 with a 2.58 GAA and .911 SV% in 16 games before being promoted to the NHL. He allowed four goals on 30 shots in a 5-4 OT win vs. the Blue Jackets in his NHL debut last year.

Kuemper allowed three goals on 29 shots in the Coyotes win over the Sharks on Wednesday. Kuemper shockingly extended his winning streak to four games, stopping 105 of the 113 shots (.929 SV%) that he has faced over that stretch. Tonight’s matchup will make it difficult to get to five in a row—he allowed four goals on 32 shots in a 4-0 loss in his first start vs. the Penguin (Nov.10).

Mazanec, who has gone 7-6-2 with a 3.15 GAA and .895 SV% in 15 games with Hartford, comes up to backup Henrik Lundqvist on Saturday as Alexandar Georgiev goes down to get some work during the Rangers bye week.

The Rangers have one more game (Saturday) before their bye week meets the All-Star break, so Georgiev will go to the AHL to get some work in. Georgiev has gone 2-6-0 with a 3.30 GAA and .890 SV% in his previous eight games with Hartford while doing this dance.

Neal missed Wednesday’s game vs. the Sabres with an illness but will draw back into the lineup vs. the Red Wings. Neal has just one goal and four assists in his last 19 games.

Smith stopped 22 of 23 shots in the Flames win over the Flames last Sunday. It was a strong outing vs. a weak opponent but Smith has mostly struggled as of late, going 2-2-0 with a 3.45 GAA and .869 SV% in his last five starts. However, he draws another nice matchup tonight against a Red Wings team that is 8-11-3 on the road.

Duclair has been in the lineup for 14 consecutive games but has just two goals and one assist during that time. With Brandon Dubinsky (hamstring) set to return to the lineup on Friday, Duclair looks like the healthy scratch.

Dubinsky has missed the last four games but was activated from IR on Thursday and is expected to replace Anthony Duclair in the lineup on Friday. Dubinsky, who will skate with Alexander Wennberg and Kevin Stenlund, has just 10 points (4G / 6A) in 32 games this season.

Smith stopped 22 of 23 shots in the Flames win over the Flames last Sunday. It was a strong outing vs. a weak opponent but Smith has mostly struggled as of late, going 2-2-0 with a 3.45 GAA and .869 SV% in his last five starts. However, he draws another nice matchup tonight against a Red Wings team that is 8-11-3 on the road.