NHL Hockey Player News

Copp missed Tuesday’s game against the Islanders with an undisclosed injury and was moved to IR this afternoon. Copp was moved to IR to create a roster spot to activate Dmitry Kulikov (upper-body).

Kulikov has been out since November 9th but will return Friday vs. the Blues. Kulikov doesn’t provide a lot of offence to the Jets blueline, collecting just 12 points (3G / 9A) in 68 career games with Winnipeg.

Byfuglien has missed the last three games but is expected to be back in the lineup on Friday vs. the Blues. Byfuglien will replace Cam Schilling on the blue line and likely take his spot back on the top PP unit. Byfuglien has 17 points (2G / 15A) in 21 games this season.

Jones stopped 39 of 40 shots in the Sharks win over the Hurricanes on Wednesday. After a tough first 18 games of the season, Jones has been excellent in his last two outings. Jones has turned away 79 of 81 shots (.975 SV%) in those contests and will start four the fourth straight time on Friday. In his first start against the Stars, Jones allowed four goals on 22 shots in a 4-3 loss.

Allen gave up just two goals on 36 shots in the Blues loss to the Oilers on Wednesday. Allen has struggled at times this season but has played better as of late. In his last five appearances, Allen has given up just 12 goals on 135 shots (.911 SV%). The 28-year-old has gone 3-4-2 with a 2.65 GAA and .913 SV% on the road this season.

Talbot allowed two goals on 30 shots in the Oilers win in St. Louis on Wednesday. Talbot gets his second straight start after a win and gets a good matchup with the Wild in town. Minnesota has los four of their last five games and Talbot comes into play at 2-4-1 with a 3.76 GAA and .876 SV% on home-ice this season.

Hutton missed Thursday’s practice and was officially listed as a day-to-day on Friday. Hutton will likely miss Saturday’s game, which is why Scott Wedgewood was called up from Rochester (AHL). Look for Linus Ullmark to take over as long as Hutton is sidelined.

McElhinney was forced to leave Thursday’s practice early and likely won’t be available for Friday’s game in Anaheim. With the Hurricanes’ new No.1 out, look for Petr Mrazek to start with the recently recalled Alex Nedeljkovic as his backup.

Mrazek stopped 33 of 34 shots in the Hurricanes loss in Los Angeles last Sunday. With Curtis McElhinney dealing with an undisclosed injury, look for Mrazek to start tonight in Anaheim. The Ducks come in on a five-game winning streak having averaged 3.80 goals for per game over that span.

Hellebuyck stopped 27 of 28 shots in the Jets win against the Islanders on Tuesday. With the win, Hellebuyck extended his streak to three games, allowing a combined nine goals on 78 shots (.885 SV%). Tonight he takes on the Blues for the third time this season—he is 2-0-0 with a 2.45 GAA and .934 SV% in the first two meetings.

Wedgewood has gone 8-4-0 with a 2.91 GAA and .907 SV% in 14 games with Rochester this season. With Carter Hutton out with an upper-body injury, look for Wedgewood to backup Linus Ullmark on Saturday.

Nedeljkovic is expected to serve as Petr Mrazek’s backup on Friday with Curtis McElhinney out with an undisclosed injury. Nedeljkovic, was a second-round pick in 2014, and has performed well in the AHL this season. The 22-year-old is 12-4-0 with a 2.94 GAA and .890 SV% in 18 games with the Checkers.

Tennyson has just three points (1G / 2A) in eight games with Rochester this season. There’s no indication whether or not he will be in the Sabres lineup on Saturday but he carries no fantasy value regardless.

Dea has picked up two assists in two games since joining Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after being claimed off of waivers from New Jersey. Dea returns to the NHL, where he had five points (3G / 2A) in 20 games earlier this year.

Raanta has been out since November 27th and was moved to IR on Thursday night, suggesting that he will miss some more time. Adin Hill’s strong play likely made this decision a little easier for the Coyotes and is a goaltender worth monitoring on the waiver wire right now.

Beleskey was sent down earlier in the week because the Rangers had five days off but was always expected to return to the big club. Don’t expect much from the 30-year-old who has just 10 points (3G / 7A) in 15 AHL contests this season.

Quick gave up two goals on 20 shots in the Kings 2-1 loss to the Coyotes on Tuesday. Quick has been solid since returning from a knee injury, stopping 83 of the 88 shots (.943 SV%) that he has faced. He is a great option against a Devils team that has lost six in a row (0-3-3) and are an ugly 5-12-5 in 22 games since starting 4-0-0.

Rinne stopped 21 of 22 shots in the Predators win over the Sabres on Monday. Rinne has won two in a row and three of his last five (3-2-0) with a 2.22 GAA despite posting a subpar .902 SV%. He is a great option tonight vs. a Canucks team that has lost an almost impressively bad 12 of their last 13 games (1-10-2).