NHL Hockey Player News

Hanzal was injured in Sunday's loss to the Blues and is now listed as day-to-day. He is questionable for Thursday's clash with the Canadiens.

There is no word on what is ailing Johnson, but he will be monitored during warmups and could potentially miss tonight's contest. Keep an eye on him as puck-drop draws near.

Filppula skated on the second line with Teddy Purcell and Alex Kilorn which suggests he will be in the lineup tonight. He will take warmups and test his ankle and then the Lightning will make a decision whether or not he plays.

Andersen is coming off a 49-save performance against Carolina in a 5-3 victory for the Ducks, which ran his record to 15-3 this season. The 24-year-old Danish netminder also has a 2.12 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage. But the Ducks have Viktor Fasth coming back from a four-game conditioning assignment in Norfolk so Andersen's assignment allows room for Fasth to come up.

Bishop surrendered four goals on 33 shots in a loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. He will get his second start of the season against the Blues. He stopped 28 of 30 shots in a 4-2 win in the first meeting, but tonight will be different with Ryan Miller standing at the opposite end. We should be in for a great goaltending matchup.

Weaver is in the final year of a two-year contract that carries a $1.1 million US cap-hit. The 35-year-old is 5-foot-10, 183 lbs. who had six assists in 55 games with the Panthers this season.

Nilsson allowed five goals on 34 shots in a loss to Florida on Sunday. Despite the rough outing, the Islanders will give Nilsson another shot tonight in Winnipeg. In six starts and eight appearances this season, Nilsson is 1-3-2 with a 3.68 GAA and .878 SV%. Those are not pretty numbers, look elsewhere for a spot-start tonight.

Gudas was injured on Sunday against Colorado and appears he will not play tonight vs. the Blues. With Gudas out, the Lightning will likely return to six defenseman as Mike Kostka moves onto a regular D-pairing.

Filppula's presence at the morning skate with a regular jersey and in his regular spot suggests that he will return to the lineup tonight in St. Louis. Filppula has skated before and not played, so we will wait for confirmation following the morning skate.

It is a bit surprising that a couple of teams in need of goaltending depth did not claim Dubnyk. He will likely go to Milwaukee with Pekka Rinne and Carter Hutton as the Preds' goaltending tandem.

Hillen has only dressed in two games this season. He broke his leg in the Capitals home opener on October 3. The 28-year-old had nine points (3G / 6A) in 23 games with the Capitals last year and has a career high of 22 points (4G / 18A) in 64 games in the 2010-11 season with the Islanders. He will skate in the top-4 with Mike Green.

Yakupov missed Saturday's game with an ankle injury, but will be back in the lineup tonight. He has two goals and four assists in his last nine games. He wil return to the top-line with a Ryan Nugent Hopkins and Taylor Hall.

Fresh off of a two-year contract extension, Scrivens will get the nod tonight vs. the Senators. He allowed three goals on 21 shots in a loss to the Wild last Thursday. Scrivens is 3-4-0 with a 2.15 GAA and .940 SV% in seven starts since coming to the Oilers.

Thomas stopped 35 of 38 shots in a win against the Islanders on Sunday. It was a good win of for Thomas who had allowed nine goals in his last two starts. Thomas will get his third start against his former team tonight in Boston. He is 0-2-0 with a 4.52 GAA and .889 SV% against the B's this season, so look out if you're a Thomas owner.

Miller stopped 23 of 25 shots in a 4-2 win over the Coyotes in his Blues debut. Tonight, will mark his home debut with his new squad as he gets set to face the Lightning. Miller's life with St. Louis will be a lot easier that it was in Buffalo, continue to roll him out with confidence.

Crawford stopped 31 of 32 shots in a blowout 5-1 win over the Penguins at Soldier Field. Crawford has won three of his last five starts with a 1.63 GAA and .945 SV% with one shutout. He is 0-1-1 with a with a 4.65 GAA and .818 SV% vs. the Avs this season, so be cautious with this matchup.

Pavelec stopped 39 of 40 shots in a 3-1 win over the Predators on Saturday. Pav was excellent for the second straight game since the Olympics. He has stopped 73 of 76 (.961 SV%) in back-to-back wins. It is no surprise to see Pavelec back in between the pipes tonight as he continues to play great under head coach Paul Maurice.

Wright is a fourth liner and is not fantasy relevant. Matt Halischuk will take his spot on the Jets fourth line.

Halischuk has not played since December 14 because of a fratcured forearm. With James Wright out indefinitely, Halischuk will slide onto the fourth line.

Pavelec stopped 39 of 40 shots in a 3-1 win over the Predators on Saturday. Pav was excellent for the second straight game since the Olympics. He has stopped 73 of 76 (.961 SV%) in back-to-back wins. It is no surprise to see Pavelec back in between the pipes tonight as he continues to play great under head coach Paul Maurice.