NHL Hockey Player News

Hemsky will miss his third straight game with an upper-body injury that he suffered last Friday. With Hemsky out, Brendan Ranford will make his NHL debut.

Marleau has three goals and eight assists (11 points) in his last 12 games and tonight he will skate on the top-line with Joe Thornton and Melker Karlsson.

Miller missed last night’s game against Edmonton with a shoulder injury that he re-aggregated on Friday in Calgary. There is no word on how long he will be sidelined, but already missed one month with this shoulder problem earlier in the year.

Foligno missed Tuesday’s game but was on the ice for the Blue Jackets game day skate this morning, which is a sign that he could be available tonight. The Blue Jackets said the final decision on Foligno’s status will be made in warmups.

Santorelli continues to deal with VISA/immigration issues and will not be in the lineup for a second straight game.

Franson continues to deal with VISA/immigration issues and will not be in the lineup for a second straight game.

Rinne was spectacular on Tuesday, stopping 42 of 43 shots in the Predators 5-1 win over San Jose. Rinne has won five straight while recorded a 1.38 GAA and .957 SV%. Tonight he takes on an Islanders team who have been victorious in five of their last six games.

Niemi allowed four goals on 32 shots in the Sharks loss to the Lightning on Sunday. He was given Tuesday night off, but will play tonight in Dallas. He has lost four of his last five while posting a 3.60 GAA and .885 SV%. It has been a struggle for Niemi, who will face a Dallas team who have won four of their last five.

Neuvirth allowed one goal on 35 shots in the Sabres 2-1 shootout loss to the Devils on Tuesday. It was another strong outing for Neuvirth, who has stopped 90 of the last 96 shots (.938 SV%) that he has faced, but has not walked away with a win in any of those contests. Tonight he faces the Flyers for the third time—he is 0-2-0 with a 3.06 GAA and .903 SV% in the first two meetings.

Luongo allowed two goals on 29 shots in the Panthers win in Toronto on Tuesday. The win moved him to 3-2-2 with a 2.25 GAA and .924 SV% in February. Tonight will be his second start of the season vs. his hometown team—he made 33 saves in a 2-1 shootout loss in the last meeting.

McElhinney made 42 saves on 44 shots in the Blue Jackets 5-2 win over the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. McElhinney has been excellent, winning four of five with a 2.20 GAA and .939 SV%. Tonight he will take on a Penguins team who have gone 4-3-1 while averaging just 2.13 goals per game in February.

Jackman was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, but the Ducks must like what he brings to their fourth line so they have signed him through next season.

Mason missed the last five games with a knee injury, but it sounds like he could return over the weekend if all goes well. Ray Emery has filled in well for Mason, but his return would be huge for a Flyers team who are battling for a playoff spot.

Gonchar will miss his third straight game tonight vs. the Panthers. His movement to IR is simply a formality to make room on the roster for a call-up. There is no word on how long Gonchar will be sidelined.

Pavelec allow three goals on 26 shots in the Jets loss in Nashville last Thursday. Michael Hutchinson has started the last two games, but it will be Pavelec tonight in Washington. He has gone 1-3-2 with a 3.15 GAA and .909 SV% in his last six starts on the road.

Ranford, 22, has 13 goals and 23 assists (36 points) in 50 games with Texas (AHL) this season. He has been recalled as insurance for Alex Hemsky, who is battling a lower-body injury.

Prince had one assist and two shots on goal while averaging 10:29 TOI in two games during his recall. The 22-year-old got a nice taste of the NHL and even picked up his first career point in the process.

Lehtonen allowed one goal on 28 shots in the Stars 4-1 win over the Blues on Tuesday. Lehtonen has been lights out as of late, winning his last four outings with a 1.49 GAA, .959 SV% and one shutout. Tonight will be his first start vs. the Sharks—he is 6-2-1 in his last nine starts on home ice.

Schneider allowed one goal on 25 shots in the Canucks shootout win over the Sabres on Tuesday. The win snapped a three-game losing skid and moved him to 3-3-0 with a 1.66 GAA and .943 SV% in February. Tonight will be his fourth career start vs. his former team—he has gone 0-1-2 with a 2.28 GAA and .921 SV% in the first three meetings.

Kassian has three goals and two assists in his last six games, but will come out of the lineup tonight in New York. With Kassian coming out, Brandon McMillan will make his Canucks debut.