NHL Hockey Player News

Juulsen took part in the Canadiens’ morning skate but remains a game-time decision for Thursday’s game vs. the Capitals. If Juulsen plays, he is expected to replace Victor Mete.

Noesen, who has just one goal and one assist in nine games this season, will come out of the lineup on Thursday due to an upper-body ailment. Joey Anderson will replace him in the Devils’ bottom-6.

Vanek was forced to leave Tuesday’s game with a lower-body injury and will miss at least a couple of weeks. Vanek picked up his third assist in four games before getting hurt early in the first period. Wade Megan was recalled from Grand Rapids (AHL) and will replace Vanek on Thursday.

Rinne was activated from IR on Wednesday and will make his return to the crease tonight in Tampa Bay. Rinne has missed the last five games with an undisclosed injury, but gets back between the pipes with a 2.10 GAA and .929 SV% this season. He’ll be in tough against a Lightning team that has won four of their last five and rank third in the NHL in goal-scoring (3.64 GF/PG).

Schneider missed the first eight games of the season but stopped five of six shots in relief of Keith Kinkaid on Tuesday. The 32-year-old was once viewed as one of the best goalies in the NHL, but has struggled to a pedestrian 2.86 GAA and .908 SV% in 100 games over the last two seasons. A return against the Red Wings is the perfect scenario for Schneider.

Hutton allowed two goals on 38 shots in the Sabres 2-1 overtime loss to the Flames on Tuesday. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for Hutton, who has stopped 81 of the last 88 shots (.921 SV%) that he has faced. Hutton has a solid matchup in Ottawa, but comes in at 1-2-0 with a 3.11 GAA and .904 SV% on the road this season.

Anderson allowed two goals on 24 shots after replacing Mike Condon in the Senators loss in Arizona on Tuesday. Anderson has been inconsistent this season (shocker) and is now on a four-game winless streak, allowing an impressively bad 16 goals on 146 shots (.890 SV%) in the process. Even against a Sabres team that is averaging the sixth fewest goals per game in the league, Anderson is a risky option.

Dermott will be playing his first game since October 20th tonight vs. the Stars. Dermott originally missed two games due to an illness but was a healthy scratch on Monday. Dermott will have a new D-partner with Justin Holl make his season debut alongside of him.

Holl has been a healthy scratch for all 12 of the Maple Leafs games so far this season, but will play in his third career NHL game tonight. The 26-year-old defenseman had 28 points (7G / 21A) with the Marlies last season and scored a goal in both games he played with the Maple Leafs. Don’t expect him to score in every game, but Holl does have some offensive upside and could be worth a punt in DFS if you are desperate to save some salary.

Vasilevskiy allowed three goals on 30 shots in the Lightning’s win over the Devils on Tuesday. Vasilevskiy has won three in a row while stopping 83 of the 88 shots (.943 SV%) that he has faced. Vasilevskiy is the clear No.1 fantasy netminder right now and is a must-start even against a Nashville team that is averaging 3.50 goals per game (t-6th in the NHL).

Holtby allowed three goals on 31 shots in the Capitals 4-1 loss in Edmonton last Thursday. With Pheonix Copley starting on Saturday, Holtby has had an entire week of rest ahead of tonight’s game in Montreal. The Canadiens have been surprisingly good and Holtby has been surprisingly bad through one month of the season, so this isn’t as secure as a matchup as we might have expected before the season started.

Vasilevskiy allowed three goals on 30 shots in the Lightning’s win over the Devils on Tuesday. Vasilevskiy has won three in a row while stopping 83 of the 88 shots (.943 SV%) that he has faced. Vasilevskiy is the clear No.1 fantasy netminder right now and is a must-start even against a Nashville team that is averaging 3.50 goals per game (t-6th in the NHL).

Andersen allowed two goals on 33 shots in the Maple Leafs loss to the Flames on Monday. Andersen will be making his sixth consecutive start tonight and comes in having allowed just 10 goals on 158 shots (.937 SV%) in his previous five games. In his first start vs. Dallas this season, Andersen made 30 saves on 34 shots in a 7-4 Maple Leafs win.

Clutterbuck has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury, but will replace Tom Kuhnhackl in the Islanders lineup on Thursday. Clutterbuck has just one assist, 14 PIMS and nine shots on goal in nine games this season.

Greiss turned aside 12 of 13 shots after replacing Robin Lehner in Tuesday’s 6-3 win over the Penguins. With Lehner now sidelined for at least a couple of days, Greiss will face the Penguins again. He has been solid when called upon this season, posting a 2.27 GAA and .933 SV% in limited action.

Howard allowed there goals on 37 shots in the Red Wings 5-3 win in Columbus on Tuesday. Howard has actually played extremely well in his last five starts, going 2-3-0 while allowing just 12 goals on 182 shots (.934 SV%). Tonight he faces the Devils on home-ice, where has gone 0-3-1 with a 2.78 GAA and .927 SV% in four games.

Burgdoerfer has one goal and one assist in 10 games with Belleville this season. The 29-year-old defenseman has just four games of NHL experience, but could get into a game this week with Mark Borowiecki suspended, again.

Paul has been called up a few times already this season, but has yet to play for Ottawa. In six AHL contests, the 23-year-old two goals and four assists (six points).

McKenna becomes the Senators primary backup after being called up to replace Mike Condon, who was placed on waivers on Wednesday. McKenna has gone 3-3-0 with a 2.72 GAA and .914 SV% in six games with Belleville this season. During stops with the Lightning, Devils, Blue Jackets, Coyotes and Stars, McKenna has amassed a 6-12-2 record with a 3.44 GAA and .889 SV% in 24 career NHL games.