NHL Hockey Player News

Smid has not played in the last four games, but will replace Deryk Engelland in the lineup tonight in New Jersey. Said has no points and a minus-3 rating in 12 games this season.

Hudler missed Saturday’s game and four of the last five, but he will play tonight in New Jersey. Hudler will skate on the third line with Markus Granlund and Mason Raymond and should see some power play time.

Butler appeared in three games after being called up, but with Jay Bouwmeester back on Monday, Butler’s services were no longer needed.

Nugent-Hopkins will miss at least six weeks with a hand injury that he suffered on Monday night. He could be out for two months, which is a huge blow for the Oilers, who are expected to get Connor McDavid back in early February.

Klein missed Sunday’s game in Washington with a thumb injury, but he took part in the morning skate and is listed as a game-time decision for Tuesday. Puck-drop is at 7 p.m, so monitor his status during the pregame warmups starting at 6:30 p.m.

Hoffman left Monday’s game after a scary collision with the net, but he is listed as day-to-day, which has to be viewed as positive news considering how severe the collision appeared. Monitor his status leading up to Thursday’s game.

Holtby allowed two goals on 22 shots in the Capitals win over the Rangers on Sunday. As per usual, Holtby has won five of his last six starts while posting a 2.36 GAA and .923 SV%. Tonight he will face a Blue Jackets team that has won two in a row but have lost four of their last six.

Condon gave up four goals on 22 shots in the Canadiens OT loss in St. Louis on Saturday. Condon has lost his last three starts while posting a 2.69 GAA and .907 SV%. Tonight he’ll face the Bruins for the first time since the Winter Classic. Condon is 2-1-0 with a 2.03 GAA and .927 SV% against the Bruins this season.

Nilsson surrendered four goals on 31 shots in the Oilers loss in Arizona last Tuesday. Nilsson has not won a game since December 11th, that is a span of four starts and one relief appearances—he has posted an ugly 4.19 GAA and .860 SV% over that stretch. Tonight he faces a Lightning team that has won five consecutive games.

Brassard missed Tuesday’s morning skate with an illness and head coach Alain Vigneault said he is very unlikely to play vs. the Canucks. With Brassard not expected to play, Jayson Megna will return to the Rangers lineup.

Rinne surrendered five goals on 24 shots in the Predators loss in Winnipeg last Thursday. Rinne has lost four straight games while posting a 3.90 GAA and .833 SV%. He has struggled mightily as of late and will be in tough tonight with the Blackhawks in town—Chicago comes in having won 11 consecutive games.

Nilsson surrendered four goals on 31 shots in the Oilers loss in Arizona last Tuesday. Nilsson has not won a game since December 11th, that is a span of four starts and one relief appearances—he has posted an ugly 4.19 GAA and .860 SV% over that stretch. Tonight he faces a Lightning team that has won five consecutive games.

Rask allowed two goals on 29 shots in the Bruins win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for Rask, who is expected to face a familiar foe tonight in Montreal. It will be their first meeting since the Habs won 5-1 in the Winter Classic. Rask is 1-2-0 with a 3.02 GAA and .910 SV% vs. the Canadiens this season.

Cammalleri has missed the last eight games with an upper-body injury, but will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Flames. Cammalleri has had a great season, posting 14 goals and 21 assists (35 points) in 38 games.

Di Giuseppe, 22, has eight points (3G / 5A) in 14 games with the Hurricanes this season. During his time in Charlotte, the former second round pick has 16 points (7G / 9A) in 22 games. He is expected to be in the lineup on Thursday.

After playing just 8:45 TOI in Sunday’s win over the Panthers, Marchessault will come out of the lineup with Brian Boyle back in the lineup.

Boyle missed Sunday’s game vs. the Panthers, but will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Oilers. With Boyle back in, Jonathan Marchessault will be a healthy scratch. Boyle has 10 points (8G / 2A) in 39 games this season.

Vasilevskiy gave up four goals on 40 shots in the Lightning’s win over the Penguins on Friday. Vasilevskiy has won his last four starts while posting a 2.85 GAA and .909 SV% and will make his 11th start tonight vs. the Oilers. Vasilevskiy has gone 2-1-0 with a 2.93 GAA and .908 SV% on home ice this season.

Despite being a plus-4 in his last four games, head coach John Tortorella must not be impressed with Hartnell’s recent games. Hartnell will take a seat with Rene Bourque getting back in the lineup.

Mason allowed two goals on 31 shots in the Flyers shootout loss to the Rangers on Saturday. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Mason, who will start for the fifth time in six games. Mason has gone 3-0-1 with a 1.69 GAA and .940 SV% in his last four and he draws a great matchup vs. a Leafs team that has lost five straight.