NHL Hockey Player News

Vasilevskiy stopped 34 of 35 shots in the Lightning's 1-0 loss in Carolina on Thursday. Even with Curtis McElhinney coming off of the COVID-19 protocol list, the Lightning will give Vasilevskiy his sixth straight start on Saturday. Through his first five games of the season, the 26-year-old has gone 3-1-1 with a 1.98 GAA and .932 SV%.

Vanecek gave up three goals on 30 shots in the Capitals win over the Islanders on Thursday. With Ilya Samsonov still out, Vanecek will make his sixth straight start on Saturday. In the previous five starts, Vanecek has gone 3-0-2 while stopping 153 of the 169 shots (.905 SV%) that he's faced. On Saturday, he'll face a Bruins team that is expected to get David Pastrnak back.

Allen allowed three goals on 17 shots in the Canadiens win in Vancouver on January 21st. It wasn't as solid as his debut with Montreal but it was enough to move Allen to 2-0-0 to start the season. With a back-to-back coming up on Monday and Tuesday, it's surprising that Allen will get this start. He'll face a Flames team that has lost three in a row while being outscored 11-to-7.

McElhinney has missed the first five games of the seasons but is expected to return as Andrei Vasilevskiy's backup on Saturday. The Lightning don't have a back-to-back until February 8th/9th, so that may mark McElhinney's first start of the season.

Vasilevskiy stopped 34 of 35 shots in the Lightning's 1-0 loss in Carolina on Thursday. Even with Curtis McElhinney coming off of the COVID-19 protocol list, the Lightning will give Vasilevskiy his sixth straight start on Saturday. Through his first five games of the season, the 26-year-old has gone 3-1-1 with a 1.98 GAA and .932 SV%.

Orlov has missed the last four games after being added to the COVID-19 protocol list a few weeks ago. Orlov was activated from the list and was on the ice for the Capitals morning skate, but skated on the "fourth pairing," which suggests he may miss another game on Saturday.

Ovechkin has missed the last four games after being added to the COVID-19 protocol list a few weeks ago. Ovechkin was activated from the list and was on the ice for the Capitals morning skate, suggesting that he could return to the lineup tonight vs. the Bruins.

Hart stopped 33 of 34 shots in the Flyers win in New Jersey on Thursday. It was a terrific bounce-back performance from Hart, who had given up 14 goals in three straight losses in is previous outings. Tonight he'll face an Islanders team that has lost their last three games while averaging just 1.67 goals per game.

With four of their regular defensemen out with injury, the Penguins signed Yannick Weber and have recalled him from the taxi squad after he finished his quarantine. The 32-year-old has not had double-digit points in a season since 2015.

Schultz was listed as day-to-day after taking a puck to the face on Thursday night. Schultz has performed very well since being moved to PP1 in Alex Ovechkin's absence, so it would be a shame for fantasy owners if he isn't available Saturday, since his run on PP1 is coming close to an end.

Rask allowed two goals on 30 shots in the Bruins' win over the Penguins on Tuesday. He didn't dress on Thursday but is still expected to start Saturday in Washington. Rask has had a solid start to the 2021 campaign, going 3-1-0 with a 2.13 GAA and .905 SV% in his first four starts. Washington has gone 1-1-1 since Alex Ovechkin and Co. were added to the COVID-19 protocol list.

Grzelcyk's tough start to the season continues as he suffered a new injury and Thursday and isn't expected to be available Saturday in Washington. Once again, with Grzelcyk out, Charlie McAvoy is expected to quarterback the Bruins' top power-play unit, which is expected to have David Pastrnak back on Saturday.

Martinook was activated on Friday and was on the ice for an optional practice, suggesting that he could be available for Saturday's home game vs. the Stars. Martinook should replace Max McCormick and take back his spot on the fourth line for Saturday's contest.

Foegele was activated on Friday and was on the ice for an optional practice, suggesting that he could be available for Saturday's home game vs. the Stars. Foegele, who has yet to record a point in three games this season, will likely replace Steven Lorentz and skate on the third line with Jordan Staal if he's made available.

Teravainen was activated on Friday and was on the ice for an optional practice, suggesting that he could be available for Saturday's home game vs. the Stars. Teravainen figures to reclaim his spot on the top line next to Sebastian Aho and enters play with two assists in three games this season.

Zajac's addition to the COVID-19 reserve list means that he will not be available for Saturday's matinee in Buffalo. With Zajac out, Pavel Zacha will likely shift back to centre after playing the last game on Zajac's wing and the Devils may need to go to the taxi squad for a 12th forward.

Fiala was assessed a game misconduct for the first period hit and was suspended for three games on Friday. This means that the Wild will be without one of their top offensive weapons for the first three games of their four-game set with the Avalanche--he's eligible to return for the finale next Friday.

DeBrusk was not available for Friday's practice and he is not expected to be ready to play Saturday in Washington. Luckily for the Bruins, it does appear that David Pastrnak will make his season debut, which will provide a massive boost to the Bruins offence.

Reinhart missed Friday's practice and head coach Ralph Krueger said that they will make the call on his status on Saturday morning. If Reinhart doesn't play, it seems likely that Tage Thompson will suit up on the first line with Jack Eichel and Victor Olofsson.