NHL Hockey Player News

Beleskey missed Wednesday’s game vs. the Flyers and missed Thursday’s practice. Beleskey will travel to New York but there is no word whether or not he will play vs. the Islanders.

McKenzie was injured in his season debut last Thursday and will miss his third straight game tonight and is expected to miss at least two more weeks.

Rinne allowed four goals on 29 shots in the Predators win over the Lightning on Tuesday. After allowing two goals in his first two starts, Rinne has allowed eight goals in his last two starts. He has a good chance to get back on track on Thursday when he faces a Ducks team who has just five goals in five games.

Ellis took part in the Predators’ morning skate but he wasn’t sure if he would play tonight vs. the Ducks. If Ellis doesn’t end up playing, look for Victor Bartley to stay in the lineup.

Kuhnhackl did not appear in a game with the Penguins, he heads to WBS where he had 12 goals and 18 assists (30 points) in 72 games last season.

Condon made 20 saves on 21 shots in the Canadiens win over the Senators on October 11th. It was an impressive NHL debut for the 25-year-old, who will make his second start tonight in Buffalo. It is a strong matchup for Condon, who makes for a strong spot-start option.

Crawford made 22 saves on 23 shots in the Blackhawks win over the Blue Jackets on Saturday. He has alternated wins and losses in his first four starts while posting a 2.25 GAA and .922 SV%. Tonight he will face a Panthers team who has averaged 3.00 goals per game through six games.

Bickell played on the top line on Saturday, but will go from the top line to the press box tonight vs. Florida. Bickell has no points in six games this season.

Stepan had his wisdom teeth extracted and screws removed from his jaw on Wednesday, but he is still expected to be in the lineup on Thursday vs. the Coyotes. If he can’t play, look for Kevin Hayes to move up in the lineup.

Schneider allowed two goals on 20 shots in the Devils win over the Coyotes on Tuesday. He has won two in a row while allowing just three goals on 47 shots (.936 SV%). Schneider has posted a 1.71 GAA and .937 SV% in his first four starts, once again proving he is one of the best goalies in the NHL.

Jackman missed Tuesday’s game vs. Tampa Bay, but he will get back into the lineup tonight vs. the Ducks. Jackman has no points and a plus-3 rating in five games this season.

Cross had one assist and a minus-1 rating in three games with the Bruins. With Cross being sent down, look for Zach Trotman to get back into the lineup on Friday.

Sprong missed the last game because of a VISA issue and will be a healthy scratch tonight with Pascal Dupuis ready to return to the lineup.

Dupuis will play in his first game since last November. He battled a blood clot last year and has missed the first six games of this season with a lower-body injury. Dupuis will likely be eased back into action in the Penguins’ bottom six.

Fleury allowed two goals on 33 shots in the Penguins win over the Panthers on Tuesday. He has won three in a row, allowing just three goals on 82 shots (.963 SV%). Fleury has been excellent this season and it is only a matter of time before the Penguins find their offence and give him some goal support.

Dubnyk gave up three goals on 21 shots in the Wild’s loss in Anaheim on Sunday. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Dubnyk, who has posted a 3.02 GAA and .885 SV% in four starts this season. On Thursday he will face a Blue Jackets team who is still searching for their first win.

Braden Holtby has started the first six games of the season, but they will turn to Grubauer on Friday in Edmonton. The 23-year-old beat out Justin Peters for the Capitals’ backup job and comes into Friday’s contest having gone 7-6-5 with a 2.44 GAA and .924 SV% in his first 16 NHL starts and four relief appearances.

Holtby allowed two goals on 19 shots in the Capitals win in Calgary on Tuesday. Holtby has won three in a row and four of his first five starts while posting a 2.04 GAA and .916 SV%. He plays behind the highest scoring team in the NHL and tonight he faces the Canucks who rank 18th in scoring with 2.50 goals per game.

Bergeron was listed as a game-time decision because his wife was expecting, but they had a baby boy this afternoon and Cam Neely confirmed that Bergeron will be available for this evening's contest. Bergeron has three goals and two assists so far this season.

Niemi stopped 34 of 35 shots in the Stars 2-1 win in Philadelphia on Tuesday. It was a great performance from Niemi, who sat for three games after allowing six goals in his previous outing. The Stars will likely roll with the hot hand all season and for now that is Niemi. He’ll face a Penguins team who are on a three-game winning streak, but have only averaged 1.67 goals per game so far.