NHL Hockey Player News

Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock did not have a further update on Franzen aside from him not making the trip. Franzen remains day-to-day.

It looks like Gibson will make his first start since the season opener on October 9. He made two appearances in the AHL last weeked, where he posted a 1-1-0 record with a 3.05 GAA and .902 SV%. Gibson is an elite prospect and with a great future ahead of him. He has an average matchup against the Blue Jackets who played last night.

Gustavsson stopped all 30 shots he faced in a 1-0 overtime win over the Maple Leafs last Saturday. He gets the call tonight in Philadelphia, an arena the Red Wings have not won in since game 2 of the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals. However, Detroit is playing good hockey right now so he makes for a nice spot-start option.

Bishop allowed three goals on 23 shots in a 3-2 loss to the Oilers on Monday. He took a seat in the second game of the back-to-back, but will be back in the crease tonight in Winnipeg. Bishop is 3-1-1 with a 1.97 GAA and .921 SV%. He is a must-start tonight.

Lehtonen allowed three goals on 46 shots in a 6-3 win over the Canucks on Tuesday. He faced a ton of rubber through five starts, averaging 34.6 shots against per outing. He has won three of five starts while posting a 2.92 GAA and .913 SV%. He draws a nice matchup tonight against a Devils team who has lost three in a row, while being outscored 14-7.

Larsson made his season debut on Tuesday and played 12:30, recording two shots, but no points. He will come out of the lineup and Eric Gelinas will return to the blueline vs. the Stars.

Havlat, who was injured last Saturday, played 14 minutes on Tuesday but will come back out of the lineup, likely for the next two games. With Havlat out, Damien Brunner will skate on the Devils' second line.

Tootoo is expected to miss at least the next two games but could be out longer. Placing him on IR allows the Devils to recall a forward with Martin Havlat our as well.

Pavelec stopped 21 of 22 shots in a 3-1 win over the Hurricanes on Tuesday. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Pavelec, who now sits at 2-3-0 with a 2.32 GAA and .913 SV%. He draws a tough matchup against Steven Stamkos and the Lightning tonight.

Lehtonen allowed three goals on 46 shots in a 6-3 win over the Canucks on Tuesday. He faced a ton of rubber through five starts, averaging 34.6 shots against per outing. He has won three of five starts while posting a 2.92 GAA and .913 SV%. He draws a nice matchup tonight against a Devils team who has lost three in a row, while being outscored 14-7.

Hamonic missed Thursday's game and missing practice this morning is not a good sign for his availability for Saturday's game against the Stars.

Kulemin is skated on the Isles top-line with John Tavares and Kyle Okposo at practice this morning. Cory Conacher had been playing there for the first seven games of the season, but it looks like Kulemin will take a turn there on Saturday. He has three assists in the first seven games, but definitely receives a fantasy boost and is worth a speculative add in standard leagues.

Alt, 23, had four goals and 22 assists (26 points) in 75 AHL games last season and has one goal in three games with Lehigh this season. With Braydon Coburn and Andrew MacDonald both out for four weeks, Alt's stay with the Flyers might be a lengthy one. Expect him to make his NHL debut on Saturday vs. the Red Wings.

Pavelec stopped 21 of 22 shots in a 3-1 win over the Hurricanes on Tuesday. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Pavelec, who now sits at 2-3-0 with a 2.32 GAA and .913 SV%. He draws a tough matchup against Steven Stamkos and the Lightning tonight.

The Bruins confirmed this morning that Chara suffered a PCL tear when he went to hit John Tavares last night. They also added that the 4-6 week timeline is a "conservative" timetable and he might be back "a little bit earlier than four weeks" said GM Peter Chiarelli. It will be a tough month without Chara, but this was the best possible news.

Blunden's recall did not last long. He played just 10:09 on Tuesday, but will already be back on his way to Syracuse. The Lightning recalled Cedric Paquette as a corresponding roster move.

Paquette, 21, has had a hot start in Syracuse, recording three goals and two assists in the first four games. He played his first two NHL games with the Lightning last season; he recorded one assist.

Coburn appeared to be nearing a return on Tuesday, but clearly suffered a setback that will keep him out for another month. The Flyers also lost fellow blueliner Andrew MacDonald to a lower-body injury this week, so their blueline is looking rather thin right now. Expect a call-up to be announced this afternoon.

MacDonald must have suffered the injury on Wednesday vs. the Penguins, but he played 21:25 so that is not for sure. This a a tough break for the Flyers, who found out Braydon Coburn will miss an additional four weeks as well. The Flyers do not have an extra defenseman on the roster at this time, so expect a call-up this afternoon.

Rinaldo suffered and upper-body injury in Wednesday's win over the Penguins and did not return. There is no word on the severity of the injury, but his absence at practice on Friday puts his availability for Satruday's game in serious doubt. Blair Jones will re-enter the lineup with Rinaldo out.