NHL Hockey Player News

Umberger appeared to suffer a shoulder injury in game 5. The 31-year-old has one assist and a minus-2 rating in four games this series. He will be replaced by Jared Boll in Columbus tonight.

The early word from the Avs is that Duchene is likely to return on Monday, but head coach Patrick Roy has not confirmed that. Roy said that if Duchene does play, he will likely play on the fourth line and power-play, but I find that hard to believe. The Avalanche will hit the ice for their morning skate shortly, so we will have word on Duchene's availability soon thereafter.

Perreault is considered day-to-day, and Matt Beleskey figures to draw back into the lineup after missing the last four games.

Grossmann missed game 5 this afternoon after suffering a lower-body injury in game 4. He awkwardly, feet first into the boards in game 4 and will hold him out of the lineup on Tuesday. Hal Gill played on Sunday, but had a tough afternoon, there is no word if he will play game 6.

Getzlaf played the last four games with a face shield to protect the 50 stitches and face injury he suffered in game 1. Despite the injury, Getzlaf has scored three goals and four assists (seven points) in the first five games.

Whitney will take a seat and Erik Cole will slide into the lineup. Whitney had no points and a minus-1 rating in the first five games of the series.

Andersen stopped 34 of 36 shot in a 6-2 win over the Stars on game 5. It was a nice bounce back game for Andersen, after he was pulled in game 4's loss in Dallas. The series shifts back to Dallas and Andersen carries a 2.93 GAA and .909 SV% in the series.

Lehtonen was pulled after he gave up five goals on 21 shots in a 6-2 loss in game 5. The loss gave the Ducks a 3-2 edge in the series and a chance to close it out in Dallas tonight. Lehtonen has registered a 2.97 GAA and .896 SV% in the first five games of the series.

Vlasic left Saturday's game after playing just 5:38 and did not return. Vlasic was injured on a hit by Kings forward Jarret Stoll. The Canadian Olympian is the key component on the Sharks blueline, so missing him in any capacity would severely weaken the San Jose backend.

Lundqvist was great again in game 4. He stopped 23 of 25 shots in the 2-1 loss that knotted the series up at 2-2. He has posted a 1.75 GAA and .927 SV% through the first four games of the series. Steve Mason out-duelled King Henrik in game 4, but the Rangers still have the clear edge in goal going forward.

In his first start since April 12th because of an upper-body injury, Mason stole the show in game 4. He stopped 37 of 38 shots in the 2-1 win that evened the seres at twos. Ray Emery posted a 3.49 GAA and .888 SV% in the first three games, so it is clear that this is Mason's team going forward. Mason will look for a repeat of game 4 this afternoon at Madison Square Garden.

Seabrook missed the last three games after being suspended for a hit that knocked David Backes out in Game 2. After two games in the series, Seabrook was leading all Chicago skaters with four points (2G / 2A), and still ranks third on the team. However, anyone who watches the team knows his value goes far beyond offense, as his leadership and his chemistry with defensive partner Duncan Keith cannot be overstated.

Duchene wasn't confirmed to return today for the Avs but with Patrick Roy calling the shots, a return tonight is entirely possible.

Tyutin will give Columbus another much needed offensive threat from the back-end.

Murray's return to the lineup would certainly bolster the Blue Jackets' D for a pivotal Game 5.

It's possible that Orpik could be getting the morning skate off but it looks like he'll be a gametime decision tonight.

Mackinnon did end up returning to the game so he was probably to play Game 5 today anyways.

Selanne will also draw back into the lineup after taking a breather in Game 4.

Getzlaf appears to be back on the top line for tonight's game after missing Game 4.

There was speculation that Gibson or Hiller could see some action after the Ducks' collapse but Boudreau will return with the rookie Andersen.