NHL Hockey Player News

Strait played in the lat two games, but will be replaced by the more offensive Ryan Pulock tonight vs. the Senators. Strait has just five points (1G / 4A) in 47 games this season.

Pulock sat as a healthy scratch for the last two games, but will be in the lineup tonight vs. the Senators. Pulock had solid numbers in the AHL, producing 24 points (7G / 17A) in 51 games with Bridgeport, but has picked up just one goal in eight games with the Islanders. He will replace Brian Strait in the lineup.

Berube stood on his head on March 15th, stopping 33 of 34 shots in the Islanders’ shootout loss in Pittsburgh. It was an exceptional outing for Berube, who is now 1-1-1 with a 2.52 GAA and .924 SV% in three starts this season. Tonight he will take on a Senators team that is on the tail-end of a back-to-back and come in having lost five of their last eight.

Quick was pulled after allowing three goals on 27 shots in the the first two periods of last night’s loss to the Predators. Quick was likely pulled so that he would be good to go in tonight’s game in Minnesota. Quick comes in at 6-2-1 in March and 1-1-0 with a 1.96 GAA and .926 SV% in two starts vs. the Wild this season.

Dano missed Sunday's game with an undisclosed injury, but skated on the second line in the Jets pre-game skate and is expected to return to the lineup vs. the Canucks tonight. Dano has three goals and two assists in his last six games.

Dowd, 25, was a seventh round pick (198th overall) in 2009. He has collected 13 goals and 35 assists (48 points) in 57 games with Ontario this season. With Kris Versteeg out, he has been recalled for depth but could make his NHL debut on Tuesday.

Foligno was listed as a game-time decision, but will not play tonight due to an illness. Alex Wennberg will draw in for Foligno after missing Sunday's game with a lower-body injury. Consider Foligno as day-to-day.

Mason allowed one goal on 24 shots in the Flyers 4-1 win over the Islanders last night. With Michal Neuvirth out, Mason will start again tonight in Columbus. Mason has gone 5-1-1 with a 1.98 GAA and .922 SV% in March and will face the Blue Jackets for fourth time tonight—he is 1-1-1 with a 1.95 GAA and .933 SV% in the first three meetings.

Pavelec allowed four goals on 36 shots in the Jets loss to the Blackhawks last Friday. Pavelec has lost four of his last five starts while posting a 3.25 GAA and .897 SV%. He has struggled, but tonight he draws a strong matchup vs. a Canucks team that has lost four in a row and been shutout in two straight. The matchup is there, but starting Pavelec comes with obvious risks.

Markstrom allowed two goals on 25 shots in the Canucks loss in Edmonton last Thursday. He has lost two in a row and now sits at 2-3-0 with a 2.83 GAA and .904 SV% in March. Tonight he faces a banged up Jets team in Winnipeg—he has gone 6-3-3 with a 2.24 GAA and .931 SV% on the road this season.

Lehtonen stopped all 27 shots that he faced in the Stars 3-0 shutout win over the Islanders on Saturday. He has won two in a row and three of his last four while posting a 2.69 GAA and .889 SV%. Tonight marks his third start vs. the Blackhawks of the season—he has gone 2-0-0 with a 2.25 GAA and .929 SV% in the first two.

Talbot stopped all 40 shots that he faced in the Oilers shutout win over the Canucks on Friday. Laurent Brossoit started Sunday, so Talbot will go tonight in Arizona. Talbot has won two in a row and has gone 6-2-0 with a 1.74 GAA and .945 SV% in March. Tonight will be his third start vs. the Coyotes and he comes in with a 1-1-0 record, 3.38 GAA and .889 SV% in the first two meetings.

Vlasic will miss his third straight game on Tuesday and is expected to miss at least 3-5 more games with with a lower-body injury. With Vlasic sidelined, Dylan DeMelo will remain in the Sharks lineup.

Varlamov allowed three goals on 44 shots in Colorado’s 3-2 loss to the Flyers on Thursday. It was another really strong outing for Varlamov, who has gone 4-2-0 with a 2.21 GAA and .937 SV% in March. Today’s matchup with the Wild has massive playoff implications—Varly is 1-2-0 with a 3.28 GAA and .895 SV% in his first four starts vs. Wild.

Varlamov allowed three goals on 33 shots in Colorado’s win in Calgary last Friday. Calvin Pickard started on Sunday, but Varlamov will start the next two games, starting tonight vs. the Flyers. Varlamov has won four of his last five starts while posting a 1.59 GAA, .952 SV% and one shutout. Tonight he faces a Flyers team desperate to make the playoffs—Philly has gone 3-1-2 in their last six.

MacKinnon will miss at least the next two games before he is reevaluated on Sunday. The Avalanche said there will be no further updates until that time. This is obviously a massive hit to the Avs’ playoff chances—they are currently clinging to the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, just one spot up on Minnesota, who they’ll play on Saturday with out MacKinnon or Matt Duchene.

Duchene will miss at least the next two games before he is reevaluated on Sunday. The Avalanche said there will be no further updates until that time. This is obviously a massive hit to the Avs’ playoff chances—they are currently clinging to the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, just one spot up on Minnesota, who they’ll play on Saturday with out Duchene or Nathan MacKinnon.

Ekman-Larsson has missed the last six games with an upper-body injury, but will return tonight vs. the Oilers. Ekman-Larsson has 19 goals and 30 assists (49 points) in 66 games this season and should immediately be activated on all fantasy formats. His two goals and three assists in three games vs. Edmonton this season also suggest that he is worth the price in daily leagues as well.

Smith turned aside 33 of 35 shots in the Coyotes loss in San Jose on Sunday. Smith has played extremely well since returning to the Coyotes crease, going 2-1-0 with a 1.00 GAA, .972 SV% and one shutout. That shutout came against the Oilers, who he’ll face again tonight. That evening he turned aside all 44 shots and should make for a strong start again tonight.

Jones allowed one goal on 26 shots in the Sharks win over the Rangers on Saturday. James Reimer started on Sunday, so it will be Jones who faces the Blues tonight. Reimer has played very well in a Sharks uniform, but Jones has not slowed down either, going 4-2-0 wit ha 1.67 GAA and .939 SV% since the trade deadline. Tonight he faces a Blues team he is 2-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .927 SV% against this season.