NHL Hockey Player News

MacKenzie has been banged up all season, but is not fantasy relevant.

Wisniewski will be a game-time decision but it sounds like he will not play and Tim Erixon will enter the lineup. Wiz has been strong for the Jackets this season, posting two goals and 16 points which has him tied for sixth amongst NHL defenseman through 22 games.

Calvert will play for the first time since October 10 after undergoing surgery on his abdomen. With Brandon Dubinsky and Marian Gaborik out, this is a small bright spot for the Blue Jackets. Calvert is an undersized pass-first forward who will play on the third line if Derek MacKenzie can't play, if he does Calvert suits up on the fourth line tonight.

The Blue Jackets play in Vancouver tonight and wrap-up their road-trip on Monday in Toronto. He should be considered questionable for Wednesday against Nashville.

Varlamov has been granted permission to travel with the Avalanche but is scheduled to appear in Denver County court on December 2. If convicted he could face up to six months in prison.

Bobrovsky bounced back nicely on Wednesday. He stopped 23 of 24 shots for the win over the Flames after being pulled the night before. The Blue Jackets continue their West Coast road trip tonight against Vancouver. Bob was great against the Canucks last season, going 1-0-2 with a 0.62 GAA, .981 SV% and one shutout.

Fasth allowed three goals on 27 shots in a loss to the Penguins on Monday. He will go tonight against a Lightning team without their most dynamic scorer.

Luongo gave up two goals for the third straight game in a shootout loss to the Panthers on Tuesday. The Canucks played terrible in front of him, which led to his fourth straight loss. Tonight he takes on the Blue Jackets and their 23rd ranked offence (2.41 G/PG)

The Flames traded tough-guy Tim Jackman yesterday for a 6th and have now dealt a 6th to get tough-guy MacDermid. MacDermid will be assigned to Abbotsford (AHL).

Jones was recalled on Thursday after the Flames traded Tim Jackman to the Ducks, opening up a roster spot for Jones. He leads the Abbotsford Heat with a eight goals and 20 points in 16 games. Tonight he is expected to skate on the Flames fourth line with Mikael Backlund and Brian McGrattan.

Bozak has missed the last 11 games, but could return tomorrow. His presence has been greatly missed as the Maple Leafs have had used some patchwork lineups in recent games with injuries to Bozak and Dave Bolland along with a suspension to fellow centreman Nazem Kadri. If Bozak plays, he is expected to jump right back on the first line with James van Riemsdyk and Phil Kessel. Monitor his status following Saturday's morning skate.

Nelson goes from the first line to a healthy scratch in an instant with Thomas Vanek returning from a lower-body injury and Michael Grabner getting back in the lineup. "Brock has played extremely well and the other guys have seen that. You have to make tough decisions," Islanders head coach Jack Capuano said.

Grabner was a healthy scratch against the Maple Leafs on Tuesday, but will return to the lineup tonight against the Penguins. Grabner has not registered a point and has a minus-4 rating in his last 11 games.

Poulin gave up five goals on 24 shots in a loss to the Maple Leafs on Tuesday. With Evgeni Nabokov sidelined with a groin injury, Poulin is basically their only option. Back-up Anders Nilsson has just 218 minutes of NHL experience. Poulin and his .898 SV% and 2.79 GAA gets the call tonight against a dangerous Penguins team.

Fleury stopped all 18 shots he faced in a 4-0 win over the Capitals on Wednesday. It was his second shutout of the season and 25th of his career. Tomorrow he faces the Canadiens for the first time this season. Fleury was 2-0-0 with a 2.40 GAA and .933 SV% in two starts against the Habs last year.

Zatkoff stopped all 19 shots he faced for his first career shutout on November 2. Even with the shutout he still has 3.36 GAA and .865 SV% in three starts. Tonight will be his second start against the Islanders, in the first he allowed four goals on 25 shots in a 4-3 loss.

All signs point towards Green returning tonight and Steve Oleksy coming out, but head coach Adam Oates says he has to wait and see on Green and has not finalized his lineup. Green has missed the last three games, his 11 assists in 19 games will be a welcomed sight on the Capitals blueline and power-play.

Vanek missed the last five games - really six, since he left the November 9 loss in Columbus with a strained upper-body muscle after just 30 seconds. In his first six games as an Islander, Vanek has one goal and two assists. Expect the Austrian winger to get more comfortable with his new teammates and line-mates and start filling the stat sheet soon. He is expected to skate on the first line with Jonathan Tavares and Kyle Okposo.

Holtby was under siege all game on Wednesday.The Penguins fired 40 shots at Holtby, he stopped 36 of them en route to a 4-0 loss. He gets the call tomorrow against the Maple Leafs in Toronto. It has been a strong month for Holtby, he is 6-2-0 with a 2.47 GAA and .932 SV% which is a huge improvment over October (4-5-0 / 3.07 / .913).

Neuvirth allowed three goals on 35 shots in a loss to the Coyotes on November 9. Tonight will mark his fifth start of the season and first against Montreal. In the friendly confines of the Verizon Center, Neuvirth is 2-1-0 with a 2.77 GAA and .910 SV% this season.