NHL Hockey Player News

Maatta is expected to miss three more weeks, but returning to the ice already puts him ahead of that timetable. Continue to monitor his progress.

Lupul had the cast removed from his hand, but is still 7-10 days away from returning to the Maple Leafs lineup. He will miss his seventh consecutive game on Wednesday.

McElhinney surrendered two goals on 22 shots after replacing Anton Forsberg in Saturday’s blowout loss to the Lightning. The veteran net minder is still searching for his first win of the season. It has not been pretty as he has recorded a 3.70 GAA and .889 SV% in six appearances. For a team averaging over four goals against in this last eight games, I would advise looking elsewhere right now.

Stalock stopped 37 of 40 shots in the Sharks’ win over Dallas on Saturday. He sat on Sunday and watched Antti Niemi allow four goals in a losing effort, so Stalock gets back between the pipes looking to work his way back in to the number-1 goalie conversation. He is 2-2-1 with a 2.38 GAA and .925 SV% to start the year, but has started just five of San Jose’s 16 games.

McElhinney surrendered two goals on 22 shots after replacing Anton Forsberg in Saturday’s blowout loss to the Lightning. The veteran net minder is still searching for his first win of the season. It has not been pretty as he has recorded a 3.70 GAA and .889 SV% in six appearances. For a team averaging over four goals against in this last eight games, I would advise looking elsewhere right now.

Luongo allowed four goals on 30 shots in the Panthers 4-1 defeat to the Flyers on Thursday. He had started 10 of the Panthers first 11 games, so he was given Saturday afternoon off, but will be back in tonight vs. the Sharks. He doesn’t draw a great matchup, but Bobby Lu has posted a 2.38 GAA and .925 SV% in four home starts, so you could definitely do worse.

Matthew Nieto has not scored since opening night and has been held pointless in his last three games so Tomas Hertl will replace him on the top line tonight vs. the Panthers. After a sensational rookie season prior to his knee injury, Hertl’s seven points (3G / 4A) has too be disappointing for fantasy investors. But, he gets a chance tonight to make an impact and hopefully stay on that top line.

Kuemper allowed four goals on 31 shots in the Wild’s 4-1 loss in Montreal on Saturday. After a blazing start to the year, Kuemper has dropped three of his last five while posting a 3.17 GAA and .867 SV%. With veteran Niklas Backtsrom behind him and Josh Harding’s return looming around the corner, Kuemper needs to find his game before he starts yielding starts to the veterans.

Pavelec stopped 37 of 38 shots in the Jets 2-1 win over the Senators on Saturday. He has won three of his last four while allowing just five goals on 135 shots (.963 SV%). He draws a tough matchup tonight in Montreal, but Pav has gone 4-1-1 with a 1.60 GAA and .944 SV%.

Krejci missed Monday’s game with a lingering hip issue. His absence at Bruins practice on Tuesday leave his status in doubt for Wednesday’s game in Toronto. Monitor his status during tomorrow’s morning skate.

Fast, 22, has one goal and eight assists in 11 games with Hartford this season. He will be in the Rangers fourth line with Dominic Moore and Tanner Glass. He has yet to record a point in three games with the Rangers.

Laich will miss his second straight game and eighth game of the season tonight vs. Columbus. Laich has had a very difficult time staying healthy over the last few years. His inability to stay in the lineup makes him irrelevant in all fantasy formats.

Bergenheim has missed the last four games with a lower-body injury that he suffered in the Panthers’ 2-1 win over the Coyotes on October 30th. His return to the ice this morning is a good sign, but he still is not expected to return tonight, but Friday seems like a real possibility now.

Wilson had been skating on the top-line recently, but with him out the Capitals will turn to Jay Beagle to skate alongside Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Wilson is day-to-day and hopes to be back in the lineup for either Friday or Saturday.

Moore was suspended on October 27th for a hit on Erik Haula. He returns to the lineup tonight and will be paired with Mike Kostka. Moore has recorded just one assist in nine games so far this season.

Harding has been out all season with a broken foot that he suffered in a bizarre incident before the season started. He broke his foot kicking a wall and was suspended by the team afterwards. He skated on Monday for the first time, but remains without a timeline for a return. There is no word on what the Wild are expected to do when all three goalies are healthy.

Boychuk participated in the Islanders morning skate and was back skating with Nick Leddy on the Islanders second-pair. This suggests he will be back in after missing Saturday’s game and Brian Strait will come out of the lineup.

Halak stopped all 19 shots the Coyotes fired at him in the Isles’ 1-0 win on Saturday. Halak has won each of his last two starts and now sits at 5-4-0 with a 2.87 GAA and .905 SV%. It won’t always be pretty for the 29-year-old, but he is getting the job done more often than not right now. He draws a nice matchup against an Avalanche team who have dropped six of their last eight.

Holtby stopped 38 of 40 in the Capitals win over the Blackhawks last Friday. After the win, Holtby was given Saturday night in Carolina off. Friday’s W snapped a three-games personal losing streak for the 25-year-old net minder. He draws a great matchup against a Blue Jackets team who has been decimated by injury and outscored 35-15 during their eight-game losing streak.

Winnik missed the last two games with a neck injury that he suffered last Thursday. He was back at practice on Tuesday, skating on a line with David Clarkson and Nazem Kadri, which is a good sign for his availability on Wednesday vs. the Bruins.