NHL Hockey Player News

Schneider missed Tuesday’s game because he was with his wife after she gave birth to their new baby boy. With Schneider back at practice he is expected to start Friday’s game vs. the Sharks.

Matthias missed Saturday’s game vs. the Senators, but he was back at practice this morning and is expected to play in Columbus. Matthias has no points, seven shots and a minus-2 rating through two games with the Maple Leafs.

Franzen was a late scratch from Tuesday’s game vs. the Lightning and was not on the ice for this afternoon’s practice. With Franzen out, Tomas Jurco played in the Red Wings top six. Consider Franzen day-to-day and monitor his status prior to Friday’s game vs. Carolina.

McKenzie, 24, registered three assists in his first game with Texas (AHL) and has been recalled after Patrick Eaves was placed on IR with a lower-body injury. McKenzie had four goals and one assist (five points) in 36 games with Dallas last season.

Eaves was moved to the Stars’ top line on Tuesday but he suffered a lower-body injury and did not return. Eaves has been moved to IR to create a roster opening to recall Curtis McKenzie. With Eaves out, Patrick Sharp may be moved up to the top line with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn.

Chimera suffered a lower-body injury in the Capitals loss to the Sharks on Tuesday and was not on the ice for practice on Wednesday. With Chimera potential out on Thursday, expect Alex Ovechkin to return and Stanislav Galiev to remain in the lineup.

There is no word on what Mason is dealing with, but it must be serious. Mason missed Tuesday's game, but returned to practice on Wednesday. However, he remains without a timetable for a return, which means that Michal Neuvirth will continue to man the crease for Philadelphia.

Ovechkin was held out of Tuesday's game due to personal reasons but returned to practice on Wednesday and should be back in the lineup on Thursday vs. the Blackhawks. The Capitals struggled without Ovechkin, who had one goal and one assist in the season opener.

Bogosian has missed the first three games of the season but returned to the ice on Wednesday which is a big step in his return to the lineup. Bogosian was listed as week-to-week and he remains without a firm timetable for return.

Bobrovksy allowed four goals on 33 shots in the Blue Jackets loss in Buffalo on Monday. Bobrovsky has allowed four goals in all three of his starts this season. It has been a rough start for Bobrovksy and the Blue Jackets, but they will look to get back on track tonight vs. Ottawa. Bobrovsky enters play with a 4.66 GAA and .850 SV%.

Boucher was sent down yesterday because the Devils needed to make room to recall Yann Danis as their backup. With Cory Schneider set to return on Friday, Danis has been reassigned and Boucher is back with the Devils.

Danis served as Keith Kinkaid’s backup last night with Cory Schneider out, but Schneider will be back for Friday’s game, so Danis’ services were no longer needed.

Mason missed Monday’s game due to personal reasons, but Michal Neuvirth excelled in his place, posting a 31-save shutout. Mason returned to practice this morning but Neuvirth will stat tonight and Mason may not even dress as his backup.

Hickey was expected to miss four weeks from the end of September, so basically he was expected back in late-October, early-November. However, returning to practice in the middle of October suggests that he will miss less than four weeks. Monitor his status going forward.

To this point in the season, Halak has only been skating on his own before practice, but on Wednesday he finally joined his teammates. Halak has sat out the first three games of the season, but returning to practice is a good sign that he is nearing a return. Thomas Greiss will continue to start until Halak is cleared to play.

Neuvirth stopped all 31 shots that he faced to shutout the Panthers in his first start as a Flyer. Neuvirth earned a second straight start tonight as he gets set to face the reigning Stanley Cup Champions. Neuvirth will be looking to get some goal support after the Flyers scored just five four goals through their first three games.

Bouma was spotted leaving the building with crutches and a walking boot, which is obviously not a good sign for Bouma. The big forward played just 7:36 before retiring from the contest. Expect an update on Wednesday.

The Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock said that Shattenkirk left for precautionary reasons and will be reevaluated on Wednesday. Shattenkirk missed a lot of time in 2014-15 with an abdominal injury. St. Louis is back in action on Thursday, so monitor Shattenkirk’s status leading up to their meeting with the Oilers.

Smith has been sensational to start the season. After a troubling 2014-15 campaign, Smith has started this year off 2-0-0 while stopping 67 of 69 shots (.971 SV%) vs. the Kings and Penguins. He draws another tough matchup on Wednesday vs. Anaheim—a team that he played well against last year—1-3-0, 2.22 GAA, .936 SV%.

Varlamov allowed three goals on 33 shots in the Avs’ 6-3 win over the Stars on Saturday. Through two games, Varlamov has allowed a combined eight goals on 63 shots (.873 SV%) but has also had 10 goals scored in front of him. The Avs’ offence is clicking early on, now they need to lock it down defensively.