NHL Hockey Player News

The Capitals would not pinpoint what is ailing Erskine, but it is likely related to his fight with Vincent Lecavalier on Wednesday. The fight earned him a game misconduct. He will be replaced by Cam Schilling.

Brodeur allowed three goals on 23 shots in a 4-3 win over the Red Wings on Tuesday. He took a seat on Friday where he watched Cory Schneider surrender seven tallies. Tonight he will take on the Hurricanes having won each of his last two starts while posting a 2.00 GAA and .905 SV%.

Gorges played 21:28 in Wednesday's win over the Ducks, so he must have played through the injury. His return to Montreal likely suggests that Mike Weaver will make his Canadiens debut.

Schneider surrendered four goals on 22 shots in a 4-2 loss to the Sharks on Sunday. Martin Brodeur was not traded on Wednesday, so the Devils will finish up the season with the same tandem they started it with. Schneider gets the call tonight in Detroit, despite Brodeur chalking up a victory over the Red Wings on Tuesday.

Nabokov gave up five goals on 19 shots before being pulled on Saturday vs. the Devils. After an ugly performance the Isles elected to start Anders Nilsson in the last two games. They will go back to Nabby tonight, but with Thomas Vanek now in Montreal and John Tavares out for the season, Islanders goalies have become even less trustworthy than they already were.

Giguere allowed five goals on 27 shots in a 6-4 loss to the Kings last Wednesday. With a tough couple of games ahead (STL, WPG, CHI, ANA) Giggy will get the start tonight in Detroit as they get Semyon Varlamov ready for the tough stretch ahead. Giguere is 7-3-0 with a 2.51 GAA and .918 SV% on the road.

Niemi allowed three goals on 19 shots in a loss to the Sabres last Friday. Since the Olympics have ended, Alex Stalock has started three of four games for the Sharks. Niemi will get back in the cage tonight, but they are setting him up for failure but getting him in against the Penguins. It is a rough matchup for a goalie who has played one game in the last month.

Lundqvist allowed three goals on 29 shots in a 3-2 OT loss to the Maple Leafs on Wednesday. Since returning from Sochi with a Silver medal, Lundqvist has lost all three starts while posting a 4.36 GAA and .860 SV%. Despite his recent struggles, the Rangers will stick with him tonight in Carolina, opposed to giving Cam Talbot his 17th start of the season.

Quick stopped 17 of 18 shots in a win over the Canadiens on Monday. He has now won three straight with a 0.67 GAA and .971 SV% since the Olympic break wrapped up. Tonight he will go four his fifth straight victory when the Kings travel to Winnipeg. They added Marian Gaborik on Wednesday, a move that should help provide Quick with more goal-support.

Pavelec allowed three goals on 27 shots in a 3-2 OT loss to the Islanders on Tuesday. The loss moved Pav to 2-0-1 with a 1.91 GAA and .942 SV% since the Olympics. Tonight he will be the first goalie to get a look at the new-look Kings who added Marian Gaborik to an already quality roster on Wednesday.

Morris only played 2:58 before retiring to the dressing room after taking a stick to the eye. He will play tonight vs. the Canadiens, in search for his first point in 10 games.

Hanzal has missed multiple practices lately and it appears as if he will miss his second consecutive games tonight. Hanzal will likely be playing with fellow Czech Olympian Martin Erat when he returns from injury. If Hanzal does not play tonight, monitor his status before Saturday's game vs. the Capitals.

Smith stopped all 23 shots that the Canucks threw his way in a 1-0 victory on Tuesday. Since returning to North America with a gold medal around his neck, Smith has gone 1-1-1 with a 1.96 GAA and .927 SV%. Tonight, he faces the Canadiens 20th ranked offence but who added Thomas Vanek to their lineup on Wednesday.

Faulk will not play Friday or Saturday, but monitor his status before Tuesday's game against the Rangers.

Neuvirth will make his Sabres debut tonight in Florida. He was dealt to the Sabres on Wednesday as a part of trade that sent Jaroslav Halak to Washington. He was 4-6-2 with a 2.82 GAA and .914 SV% with the Caps this season, but now moves to one of the worst teams in the NHL. He will likely go head-to-head with Roberto Luongo who is expected to make his Panthers re-debut(?).

Enroth stopped 36 of 39 shots in a 3-2 loss to the Stars on Monday. The lost moved Enroth to 2-1-0 with a 3.00 GAA and .918 SV% since the NHL returned to play. Enroth will get a first hand look at a Lightning team who gets Steven Stamkos back tonight and insert Ryan Callahan in for Martin St. Louis.

Miller stopped 15 of 17 shots in a 4-2 victory over the Lightning on Tuesday. Miller has had it easy since getting to St. Louis, he has stopped 37 of 41 (.905 SV%) shots he has faced in back-to-back wins. Tonight, he faces Nashville and their 23 ranked scoring offence.

Scrivens gave up two goals on 36 shots in a win over the Senators on Tuesday. Despite acquiring Viktor Fasth from the Ducks on Tuesday, the Oilers will elect to stick with Scrivens tonight vs. the Oilers. The two Edmonton netminders are expected to push each other for starts, but as of now it looks like Scrivens is slightly ahead of Fasth.

Gudas is doubtful to play vs. the Sabres tonight which would be the second straight game that he will have missed after suffering a lower-body injury on Sunday vs. the Avalanche.

The Canucks traded Roberto Luongo and acquired Matthias, a big, strong third line centre which will diminish Richardson's role going forward.