NHL Hockey Player News

Gustavsson allowed four goals on 27 shots in the Bruins loss to the Sabres on December 26th. Tuukka Rask started the last four games, but it looks like Gustavsson will start the first game of the Bruins’ back-to-back. In his first start vs. the Devils, Gustavsson stopped 29 of 30 shots in a 2-1 shootout win.

Rask suffered an upper-body injury in Wednesday’s game, but he was on the ice for the Friday’s morning skate. He is listed as a game-time decision, but his presence on the ice this morning is an encouraging sign that he will play.

Forsberg stopped 29 of 31 shots in the Blue Jackets 4-2 loss to the Wild on Tuesday. It was a great outing for Forsberg, who will be rewarded with another start tonight in Carolina. The Wild come in having lost three of four while averaging 2.50 goals per game.

Reilly, 22, has five goals and 13 assists (18 points) in 32 games with Iowa this season. The highly-touted offensive defenseman didn’t make his NHL debut during his last call-up, but with Nate Prosser dealing with an injury, he could get into the lineup this time around.

Petry is dealing with a lower-body injury, which forced him to miss Friday’s practice and will force him to miss Saturday's game. He is listed as day-to-day, so monitor his status heading into next week. Look for Greg Pateryn to play vs. the Penguins.

Ward stopped 26 of 27 shots in the Hurricanes 1-0 loss in Edmonton on Monday. Eddie Lack started on Wednesday, but the Hurricanes will go back to Ward. He has played very well as of late, posting a 1.51 GAA and .939 SV% in his last six games, but that has resulted in just two wins.

Schneider allowed two goals on 25 shots in the Devils 2-1 loss to the Canadiens on Wednesday. He has dropped his last two starts despite allowing just three goals on 46 shots (.935 SV%). He draws a strong matchup against a Bruins team that has lost five of their last six games.

Ruutu returned for just one game after missing four, but finds himself back on IR with a lower-body injury. The Devils recalled Jim O’Brien to take Ruutu’s spot in the lineup.

Sislo failed to record a point in four games during his time with the Devils. He heads back to Albany where he has 23 points (13G / 10A) in 28 games this season.

Thompson has registered 16 points (7G / 9A) in 22 games with Albany. The 27-year-old had 55 points in 73 games last year, so he has offensive ability and with Tuomo Ruutu out, Thompson is expected to make his NHL debut on Friday.

O’Brien is in his first year with the Devils organization. The former first round pick (29th overall in 2007) has 12 points (7G / 5A) in 17 games with Albany. O’Brien has 12 points (8G / 4A) in 63 career NHL games with the Senators.

Gragnani is in his first season with the Devils organization. He has 15 assists in 24 games with Albany and tonight he is expected to make his Devils debut. Gragnani has 18 career points (3G / 15A) in 74 NHL games.

Varlamov allowed three goals on 38 shots in the Kings win over the Blues on Wednesday. Varlamov is back to his winning ways, having won his last two starts while stopping 65 of 69 shots (.942 SV%). Tonight he will face a Predators team that has lost three of their last four games while being outscored 14-7.

Quick stopped 29 of 30 shots in the Kings win over the Flyers on Saturday. Jhonas Enroth started on Monday to give Quick a breather after starting four games in six nights, but he will get back in net tonight vs. the visiting Maple Leafs. Quick is a must-start having won his last five games and facing a Toronto team that played last night.

Lehtonen allowed six goals on 44 shots in the Stars loss in Brooklyn on Tuesday. Lehtonen has had his rough outings this season, but still sits at 12-3-0 with a 2.85 GAA and .907 SV% on the year. Lehtonen will start against a Jets team that has struggled on the road this season—Lehtonen has gone 5-2-0 with a 2.71 GAA and .908 SV% at American Airlines Center this season.

Luongo stopped 31 of 32 shots in the Panthers win in Buffalo on Tuesday. Luongo has now won eight straight starts while posting an impressive 1.23 GAA, .956 SV% and two shutouts. The Panthers are the hottest team in the NHL and Luongo is one of the best goalies available right now. He has gone 1-1-0 with a 1.93 GAA and .895 SV% in two starts against Ottawa this season.

Quick stopped 29 of 30 shots in the Kings win over the Flyers on Saturday. Jhonas Enroth started on Monday to give Quick a breather after starting four games in six nights, but he will get back in net tonight vs. the visiting Maple Leafs. Quick is a must-start having won his last five games and facing a Toronto team that played last night.

Gibson suffered a lower-body injury after colliding with Nazem Kadri on Wednesday, but he was back on the ice for practice on Thursday and head coach Bruce Boudreau said he is 100 percent and could start on Friday.

Bernier stopped all 39 shots that he faced in the Maple Leafs shutout win in Anaheim on Wednesday. That’s three straight wins for Bernier, who has posted 0.97 GAA and .975 SV% over that span. The Maple Leafs goaltending has been really strong as of late and Bernier should be expected to have a strong outing against a struggling Sharks squad.