NHL Hockey Player News

It seems like the Islanders will be giving one forward the night off each game. Last night it was Frans Nielsen, tonight it will be Strome.

Donovan has not played since January 6th, but he will play tonight with Visnovsky taking a seat. He has three assists and plus-3 rating in nine games this season.

Nielsen was given last night off, but he will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Canadiens. Ryan Strome will take the night off.

Neuvirth allowed three goals on 25 shots in the Islanders win over the Maple Leafs on Monday. Jaroslav Halak started the last two games, but it will be Neuvirth tonight vs. Montreal. He has gone 1-0-1 with a 2.78 GAA and .860 SV% in his first two starts with the Islanders.

Ward allowed three goals on 32 shots in the Hurricanes 4-3 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. He was given Thursday night off, but it looks like he will start tonight vs. Florida. Ward has gone 11-7-4 with a 1.97 GAA and .922 SV% at home this season.

Peters saw his first action since February 15th last night when he came in to relieve Braden Holtby in the Capitals 4-2 loss to the Stars. He stopped all nine shots that he face, but he evidently suffered a lower-body injury in the process. Look for Holtby to start on Sunday.

Laich suffered an upper-body injury last night vs. the Stars and is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Bruins. Laich joins a lengthy list of injured Capitals centres.

It was believed that Umberger was a healthy scratch for the last two games, but it turns out he needs surgery and is done for the next 10 weeks. He finishes the year with 15 points (9G / 6A) in 67 games.

Varlamov allowed one goal on 24 shots in the Avs’ 2-1 shootout win over New Jersey on Thursday. Varlamov has been spectacular, winning four in a row while posting a 0.75 GAA and .976 SV%. Tonight he gets the nod in a pivotal matchup against the Flames. He allowed four goals on 25 shots in a 4-3 OT loss in their last meeting.

Mason stopped all 35 shots that he faced in a 1-0 shootout loss to the Blues. That is the second time this season he has posted a shutout and not gotten the win. He comes in having lost four in a row, despite having a 2.43 GAA and .924 SV%. Tonight he gets a second crack at the Red Wings—the first time He was yanked for allowing three goals on 14 shots.

James Reimer got the nod last night and was absolutely lit up by the Flames. So expect Bernier to start tonight, coming off of a 30-save performance in the Leafs 4-3 shootout win over the Sabres on Wednesday. Bernier is 2-2-1 with a 3.59 GAA and .904 SV% in his last five outings.

With Ryan Murray drawing back into the lineup tonight, Goloubef will take a seat. He has just one assist in his last 16 games.

Dubinsky was listed as a game-time decision, but he is not on the ice for warmups, so he will miss his second straight game with the flu.

Lehtonen turned aside 15 of 18 shots in the Stars 5-3 win over the Hurricanes last night. It was not an overly bust night for Lehtonen, so he will play again tonight in Washington. Lehtonen has won three starts in a row with a 1.98 GAA and .926 SV%. He is 1-2-1 with a 4.4 GAA and .885 SV% on no rest.

Scrivens was yanked after allowing four goals on 13 shots in the Oilers 6-4 loss to the Penguins last night. It was a disastrous outing as Scrivens barely only made it one minute into the second period. Despite a horrible game, he will go again tonight in Columbus. He is 0-2-1 with a 4.06 GAA and .846 SV% in the second game of a back-to-back.

Schneider allowed one goal on 28 shots in the Devils 2-1 shootout loss to Colorado on Thursday. He has lost three straight games while posting a 3.26 GAA and .892 SV%. However, he should be able to snap that losing skid tonight vs. the Coyotes—Schneider posted a 38-save shutout in his first start vs. Arizona.

Nordstorm has been suspended for his hit-from-behind on Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson in Thurday’s win. The hit came late in the third period and forced OEL to miss the final minute of play. OEL also missed practice on Friday and his status for Saturday’s game is in question.

Hammond stopped 27 of 29 shots in the Senators 5-2 win over the Canadiens last night. Having one three in a row and eight of his first nine NHL starts, the Sens will roll him back out on consecutive nights. He started on back-to-back nights earlier this month; stopping 35 of 36 shots in a 3-1 win over the Jets that evening.

Despite missing Friday's practice, Ekman-Larsson has not been ruled out of Saturday's game vs. the Devils. Monitor his status during tomorrow's morning skate.

Richardson has not played since January 16th, but it looks like he will be back in tomorrow vs. the Maple Leafs. He was expected to be back much sooner, but was sidelined for a total of eight weeks. He has 19 points (8G / 11A) in 43 games this season.