NHL Hockey Player News

Thompson will miss his second straight game with a lower-body injury. With Thompson out, Shawn Horcoff will remain in the lineup as the Ducks’ fourth line centre.

Vatanen will sit out for the third straight game with an upper-body injury. Hampus Lindholm and Cam Fowler will continue to play expanded roles with Vatanen sidelined. He remains day-to-day.

Bieksa will miss his second straight game with a lower-body injury. With Bieksa out, Clayton stoner will remain in the lineup and Simon Despres will likely play a larger role.

Matteau has picked up one assist in six games since being acquired from the Devils at the trade deadline. Matteau will be a healthy scratch for the second time in three games—he comes out with Lars Eller re-entering the lineup.

Olsen was recalled with Erik Gudbranson out on Tuesday, but he was not in the lineup. Olsen returns to the AHL, where he has 12 points (4G / 8A) in 38 games with Portland.

Byfuglien missed Monday’s game with an illness, but is expected to return to the lineup tonight Calgary. With Byfuglien back in, Julian Melchiori will be a healthy scratch. Byfuglien has 16 goals and 28 assists (44 points) in 68 games this season.

Pavelec allowed two goals on 27 shots in the Jets win over the Avalanche on Saturday. Michael Hutchinson faced the Canucks on Monday, but they’ll go back to Pavelec tonight in Calgary. Pavelec stopped 19 of 20 shots in a Jets win over the Flames in October, but he has gone 4-4-1 with a 3.00 GAA and .895 SV% on the road this year.

Neuvirth allowed four goals on 31 shots in the Flyers loss to the Oilers on March 3rd. Steve Mason started the last five games, including last night vs. Detroit, so Neuvirth is expected to get back in goal tonight. Neuvirth posted a 30-save shutout over the Blackhawks back in October. He is 7-5-2 with a2.40 GAA and .922 SV% on the road.

Eller has missed the last two games with an illness, but will draw back into the lineup tonight in Buffalo. The two-way centre has 11 goals, 11 assists (22 points) and a minus-14 rating in 67 games this season. Stefan Matteau will be a healthy scratch with Eller back in.

Beaulieu has been out since February 22nd, but will return to the lineup tonight vs. the Sabres. Beaulieu has 17 points (2G / 15A) in 56 games this season. He is expected to be paired with Victor Bartley and play on the second power-play unit.

Scrivens allowed three goals on 33 shots in the in the Canadiens win over the Stars on March 8th. Mike Condon started the last three games, including last night, so the Habs turn to Scrivens tonight in Buffalo. Scrivens was pulled after allowing three goals on eight shots in his first start vs. the Sabres.

Gibson allowed three goals on 26 shots in the Ducks loss in Colorado last Wednesday. Gibson has lost his last two starts while allowing a combined four goals on 58 shots (.931 SV%). The Ducks goalie rotation will continue with Gibson expected to get the next two starts—the 22-year-old is 11-5-2 with a 1.84 GAA and .929 SV% on home ice this season.

Monahan missed Tuesday’s practice, but was on the ice for Wednesday’s morning skate and still remains questionable for tonight’s game vs. the Jets. Monitor his status during pre-game warmups at 9:30 p.m. ET. If Monahan can’t play, Freddie Hamilton will make his Flames debut.

Allen was yanked after allowing four goals on 17 shots in the Blues loss in Calgary on Monday. The loss snapped a six-game losing streak for Allen, who is now 11-5-2 with a 2.78 GAA and .915 SV% on the road this season. Despite a rough loss, he remains a strong option tonight in Edmonton—the Oilers have lost four of their last six games.

Nurse was suspended for three games for fighting an unwilling Roman Polak. With his suspension up, Nurse is expected to return tonight vs. St. Louis. The young blueliner has just eight points (2G / 6A) in 59 games this season.

Ortio allowed four goals on 35 shots in the Flames win over St. Louis on Monday. Ortio will make his sixth consecutive start tonight, he has has gone 3-1-1 with a 2.60 GAA and .907 SV% in his previous five starts. He will face the Jets on home ice, where he has gone 2-4-2 with a 3.42 GAA and .876 SV% this season.

Talbot allowed four goals on 29 shots in the Oilers loss to the Coyotes on Saturday. Laurent Brossoit got the nod on Monday, so they’ll go back to Talbot tonight vs. the Blues. Talbot has gone 4-2-0 with a 1.65 GAA and .947 SV% in March and is 0-2-0 with a 3.05 GAA and .898 SV% in two starts vs. the Blues this season.

Ortio allowed four goals on 35 shots in the Flames win over St. Louis on Monday. Ortio will likely make his sixth consecutive start tonight, he has has gone 3-1-1 with a 2.60 GAA and .907 SV% in his previous five starts. He will face the Jets on home ice, where he has gone 2-4-2 with a 3.42 GAA and .876 SV% this season.

Teravainen missed Tuesday’s morning skate with an illness, but he was on the ice for Wednesday’s morning skate and will be in the lineup vs. the Flyers. The Blackhawks will shake up their lines tonight and Teravainen is expected to skate with Andrew Ladd and Andrew Shaw. He has 11 goals and 19 assists (30 points) in 66 games this season.

Nystrom has been out with since January 26th with a foot injury, so he heads to the AHL to get back into game shape. Nystrom has seven goals in 40 games this season.