NHL Hockey Player News

Quincey will miss his third straight game on Friday, but should resume skating soon. He is expected to be reevaluated in a couple of days.

Rask stopped all 24 shots that he faced in the Bruins’ blowout win over the Coyotes on Tuesday. Rask has had a tough start to the year, but a 24-save shutout is sure to get him going. He enters Friday’s contest with an ugly .874 SV% and draws a Panthers team who will be without Jaromir Jagr or Aleksander Barkov.

Lundqvist made 46 saves on 48 shots in the Rangers loss in Philadelphia last Saturday. Strangely the Rangers only have one game this week, but Lundqvist draws a superb matchup with the Maple Leafs in town. Toronto has just one win in eight games, so make sure Lundqvist is active tonight.

Porter had one assist in eight games with the Penguins. He has been reassigned to WBS, which means that Sergei Plotnikov will likely get back into the lineup on Saturday.

Jagr practiced on Thursday and took part in the morning skate, but he was constantly visiting with the trainers and will ultimately be held out of tonight’s game vs. the Bruins. With Jagr out, Logan Shaw will make his NHL debut and Jussi Jokinen is expected to play on the top line.

Holtby gave up two goals on 24 shots in the Capitals loss to the Penguins on Wednesday. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Holtby. He has had a great start to the season, posting a 2.03 GAA and .917 SV% in his first seven starts. He is a must-start tonight vs. the Blue Jackets.

Luongo stopped 31 of 32 shots in the Panthers win in Colorado on Tuesday. Luongo snapped a three-game losing streak and earned his third win in seven starts. Through the first month of the season Luongo has posted a strong 2.01 GAA and .939 SV%. Tonight he will face a Bruins team who has averaged a league-high 4.13 goals per game.

Varlamov made 34 saves on 35 shots in the Avs’ win in Tampa Bay last night. After losing four of five and losing playing time to Reto Berra, Varlamov turned in a stellar performance last night and will go again tonight in Carolina. Starting him on back-to-back nights is risky, but it is nice to see Varlamov turn things around, at least for one game.

Strome was a late scratch for Thursday's game and is listed as day-to-day with an illness heading into the weekend. The Islanders have a back-to-back starting on Saturday, so monitor Strome's status leading up to tomorrow's contest with the Devils.

Drouin was a late scratch for Thursday's game vs. the Avalanche. Jonathan Marchessault dressed in his place. Monitor Drouin's status heading into this weekend's back-to-back.

Hiller left Wednesday's game with a lower-body injury following a collision with Bobby Ryan. The Flames recalled Karri Ramo on Thursday, which suggests that Hiller won't be ready to play on Friday. With three goalie options, there is no reason to rush Hiller back for tonight's game. Look for Joni Ortio to get the nod.

Jonas Hiller left Wednesday’s game with a lower-body injury, so Ramo’s recall suggests that Hiller likely won’t be ready to go on Friday vs. Montreal. Look for Joni Ortio to get the start with Ramo serving as his backup.

Schultz will miss at least two weeks which could be six or seven games and could miss up to one month with a back injury. With Schultz out, Darnell Nurse will continue to play a big role on the Oilers’ blueline.

Bryon has sat out the first 10 games of the season, but will make his Habs’ debut tonight vs. the Oilers. Byron had 19 points (6G / 13A) in 57 games with the Flames last season.

Semin has posted one goal and two assists in 10 games with the Canadiens, but will take a seat on Thursday vs. the Oilers. With Semin out, Paul Byron will make his Canadiens debut.

Price surrendered five goals on 28 shots in the Canadiens 5-1 loss to the Canucks on Tuesday. It was Price’s first loss of the season, snapping an impressive seven-game winning streak. Price comes into play on Thursday with a 7-1-0 record, 1.75 GAA and .945 SV%. He remains a must-start tonight vs. the Oilers.

Andersen allowed four goals on 34 shots in the Ducks 4-3 loss to the Stars on Thursday. The Ducks finally scored in front of Andersen, but it still wasn’t enough to earn his first win of the season. Andersen enters play on Thursday with a 0-4-2 record, 2.05 GAA and .931 SV%. He will face a Blues team that is tied for 11th in scoring—2.78 goals per game.

Hutchinson allowed four goals on 30 shots in the Jets win vs. Minnesota on Sunday. Hutchinson has won all three of his starts this season while posting a 2.00 GAA and .935 SV%. On Thursday it looks like he will face a Blackhawks team who is 6-3-0 despite averaging just 2.11 goals per game.

Saad will not travel to Washington for Friday’s game against the Capitals. Thankfully for the Blue Jackets, Ryan Johansen will return and replace Brandon Saad in the lineup. Monitor Saad’s status prior to Saturday’s game, at home vs. the Jets.

Varlamov allowed four goals on 36 shots in Colorado’s loss to the Blue Jackets on Saturday. Reno Berra started on Tuesday, but the Avs will go back to Varlamov tonight in Tampa Bay. Varlamov has struggled his way to a 1-3-1, 3.93 GAA and .869 SV% start to the season.