NHL Hockey Player News

After losing six straight (0-5-1), the Flyers have won their last two contests with Ersson between the pipes, including a stellar 23-save shutout on Tuesday in a 2-0 win over the Boston Bruins. The 25-year-old Ersson has had an inconsistent start to the 2024-25 season, a byproduct of porous team play, posting a 3.00 GAA and .891 SV% in seven appearances (3-2-1). The Flyers enter the action on Thursday as -136 home favorites against a St. Louis Blues club pummeled 8-1 by the Ottawa Senators in their previous game.

The Avalanche, amid a myriad of injuries, finally received some good news on the injury front. Lehkonen is expected to return from a shoulder injury and make his season debut on Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken. The 29-year-old Lehkonen has been productive since joining Colorado three seasons ago, including a 34-point campaign (16G / 18A) in 45 games last season.

With Frederik Andersen still sidelined due to a minor injury, the Hurricanes will roll with Kochetkov for a second consecutive game. The 25-year-old Kochetkov has won three of four starts (3-1-0), allowing three or fewer goals three times, posting a 2.77 GAA and .894 SV%. The Hurricanes, riding a four-game winning streak, enter the action on Thursday as -169 home favorites against a Boston Bruins club with a 4-5-1 record.

Ponomarev was the 53rd overall pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2020 NHL Draft. The 22-year-old had a two-game stint with the Hurricanes in the 2022-23 season, scoring two points (1G / 1A), but has predominantly been an AHL player so far in his career.

After being outscored 23-16 during a four-game losing streak, Markstrom saved 24 of 26 shots (.923 SV%) in a 6-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday and will return to the crease to play consecutive games for the first time in nearly two weeks. The 34-year-old Markstrom has a 3.01 GAA and .895 SV% in eight games this season (4-3-1). The Devils enter the action on Wednesday as +108 road underdogs against the Vancouver Canucks.

Brisson will get the chance to play in his hometown on Wednesday as Vegas travels to Los Angeles to take on the Kings. Brisson is yet to register a point in six games this season. Cole Schwindt will sit in his place.

Schwindt will be the odd-man out on Wednesday as Brendan Brisson draws into the lineup. Schwindt has no goals and three assists in eight games this season.

Jones will be the odd-man out on the Kings' blue line on Wednesday as they opt to get some fresh bodies into the lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Andreas Englund will draw into the lineup in Jones' place.

Lee will make way for Kevin Fiala, who re-enters the lineup after being scratched for Tuesday's game for missing a team meeting. Lee has no goals and one assist in ten games this season.

On the tail end of a back-to-back, after a disappointing 4-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks last night, the Kings will switch to Kuemper between the pipes. Kuemper returned to the lineup from a lower-body injury on Saturday and helped lead the Kings to a 3-2 victory over the Utah Hockey Club, saving 24 of 26 shots (.923 SV%). Aside from a disastrous outing where he allowed eight goals on 41 shots (.805 SV%) in an 8-7 loss to the Ottawa Senators, Kuemper has been solid, allowing two or fewer goals in three of four outings (2-1-1). That said, the Kings enter the action on Wednesday as +113 home underdogs against a Vegas Golden Knights club that leads the league offensively with 47 goals.

Samsonov will be back between the pipes on Wednesday after Adin Hill led the Golden Knights to a shutout victory over the Flames on Monday. Samsonov secured the victory his last time out, stopping 23 of the 26 shots he faced as Vegas defeated the Sharks by a score of 7-3. Samsonov is off to an impressive start to his Golden Knights tenure, posting a 3-0-1 record and a .932 SV% across four appearances. He'll look to keep things rolling in a tight matchup on Wednesday as Vegas enters action at -130 on the money line.

Englund will re-enter the lineup as the Kings opt to get some fresh bodies in for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Englund has one goal and no assists in four games this season.

Fiala was scratched for Tuesday's game against the Sharks after missing a team meeting. Fiala has four goals and two assists in nine games this season. It's unclear who will be scratched on Wednesday to make room for Fiala, but it was mentioned Akil Thomas will remain in the lineup after scoring in his season debut on Tuesday.

Perbix will be the odd-man out on Wednesday when the Lightning travel to Denver. He's registered zero goals and three assists in seven games this season. Darren Raddysh will draw into the lineup in his place.

Tampa Bay, with Vasilevskiy between the pipes the last two games (2-0-0), have been stout defensively, outscoring their opposition 6-2. The 30-year-old Vasilevskiy has had up and down stretches to start the 2024-25 season but is amid his best two-game stretch thus far, posting a 0.95 GAA and a .971 SV% in the two victories. Tampa Bay enters the action on Wednesday as -112 road favorites against an injury-depleted Colorado Avalanche squad that will have Kaapo Kahkonen in their crease for the first time this season.

Watson will enter the lineup in place of Vladimir Tarasenko, who is out with an illness. Watson has appeared in just one game this season, registering a -1 rating and two penalty minutes in under five minutes of ice time.

After suffering their first loss of the season on Monday, 6-4 at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Jets will attempt to return to the win column on Wednesday against the Detroit Red Wings with Hellebucyk back between the pipes. Hellebuyck is coming off his worst outing of the season, allowing five goals on 35 shots (.857 SV%), his first sub- .900 SV% appearance, but is still boasting an excellent 2.14 GAA and .925 SV% through seven games this season (6-1-0). The Jets enter the action on Wednesday as -143 road favorites against a Red Wings club averaging only 2.7 goals per game.

Tarasenko is battling the flu and his status for Wednesday's game against the Winnipeg Jets was up in the air as a result. The 32-year-old Tarasenko is off to a slow start in his inaugural season with the Red Wings, scoring only three points (2G / 1A) in his first nine games.

The 17th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Liljegren had fallen out of favour under new Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube. He appeared in just 1 game this season after playing in 183 regular season games over the last three seasons. He amassed 14 goals and 51 assists in 197 career games with the Maple Leafs and should be afforded plenty more playing time in San Jose.

Benning will likely fill a depth role for the Maple Leafs and does not figure to earn a lot of immediate playing time. He was yet to register a point and was a -5 through seven games with the Sharks this season. Benning leaves San Jose after totaling one goal and 25 assists in 98 games over parts of three seasons.