NHL Hockey Player News

Sobotka has been on fire lately, he has two goals and seven assists (nine points) in his last seven contests. Monitor his status in pre-game warmups.

Datsyuk is expected to miss his fifth straight game on Thursday. The worry about leaving practice early, is that Datsyuk may have aggrevated the injury. Monitor his status prior to Thursday's contest.

Elias will miss his seventh straight game tonight, but should play on Thursday. He has been sidelined since December 31 because of an upper-body injury he suffered vs. Pittsburgh. Elias has recorded 25 points (7G / 18A) in 33 games.

Clarkson was reportedly very sick throughout Monday night and maybe not play tonight vs. the Bruins. Fraser McLaren would likely enter the lineup if Clarkson can't play.

Read missed the last six games with a concussion that he suffered on December 31. Head coach Craig Berube said that Read will play in all situations tonight. He has 19 points (10G / 9A) in 39 games this season.

Ramo stopped all 23 shots that he faced in a 2-0 win over the Hurricanes last night. It was Ramo's first shutout as a Flame and it earned him a start for a second straight night. He enters play with a 5-4-3 record, 2.78 GAA and .905 SV% on the road this season.

Bishop missed the last four games with a sprained wrist but is likely to start on Tuesday vs. the Rangers. Bishop is 22-5-3 with a 1.86 GAA and .935 SV% this season. He shut out the Rangers with a 37 saves on November 25.

Hutton yielded two goals on 25 shots in a loss to the Hurricanes on January 5. He sat for the last four games, but will return to the crease tonight vs. Calgary. The Flames have struggled mightily to score goals recently, making Hutton an intriguing spot start tonight.

Mason was yanked after allowing five goals on 17 shots in a 6-4 loss to the Lightning on Saturday. It was the first time this season that Mason has allowed more than four goals. He has a good matchup tonight against a low-scoring Sabres squad.

Crawford stopped 36 of 38 shots in a 2-1 OT loss to the Canadiens on Saturday. He sits at 0-1-3 with a 2.44 GAA and .932 SV% as he continues to search for his first win since returning from a leg injury. The first time he faced the Avalanche he was pulled after he allowed three goals on seven shots in the first 13:17.

Poulin stopped 29 of 31 shots in a win over the Stars on Sunday. He has now won five consecutive games while posting a 2.50 GAA and .914 SV%. He has a good opportunity to make it six straight wins tonight vs. Florida. The Panthers currently rank 28th in the NHL with 2.20 goals per game and also have the worst power-play at 10.1%.

Niemi was a tough-luck loser on Saturday when he stopped 21 of 22 shots in the 1-0 defeat at the hands of Bruins. Niemi sits at 2-2-0 with a 2.06 GAA and .920 SV% in five 2014 starts. Tonight he will take on the Capitals in Washington, Niemi is 8-8-3 on the road this season.

Lehtonen surrendered three goals on 34 shots in a 3-2 loss to the Rangers on Friday. He was given Sunday night off vs. the Islanders, but it appears that he will take on the Oilers tonight. He has had a lot of success vs. Edmonton this season going 1-0-1 with a 0.96 GAA and .963 SV%.

Hamonic left Saturday's game because of dehydration, he only played 15:06 opposed to his 24:58 TOI average. Matt Carkner will slide into the lineup with Hamonic out. He is listed as day-to-day.

Parise will miss his 11th consecutive game tonight, but skating is a step in the right direction. There is still no firm timetable for Parise's return from the fractured foot, but Team USA is hoping that he will be ready for the Olympics.

Harding remains on IR and there is no timetable for his return, but his presence at the morning skate is definite progress. The Wild will continue to roll with Darcy Kuemper and Niklas Backstrom while Harding is sidelined.

Grubauer stopped 30 of 31 shots in a 2-1 shootout loss vs. the Sabres on Sunday. Despite only one win in his last five starts, Grubauer has posted a solid 2.12 GAA and .925 SV% which has resulted in a 1-1-3 record. He draws a tough matchup tonight vs. a Sharks team who ranks 5th in the NHL with 3.06 goals per game.

Bernier allowed two goals on 38 shots in a 3-2 shootout win over the Devils on Sunday. The win snapped a three game losing streak for Bernier, who now has a 14-14-4 record on the season. Tonight he takes on the Bruins for the second time this season, in the first meeting he allowed four goals on 38 shots in 5-2 loss.

Stafford will miss his fifth straight game tonight but could be in the lineup on Wednesday vs. the Maple Leafs.

Bergeron was held out of the Bruins' morning skate, but will face the Maple Leafs tonight. Bergeron has been held off of the score sheet in his last three games, but had a five-game point streak prior to that. He has totalled 25 points (10G / 15A) with a plus-15 rating in 45 games.