NHL Hockey Player News

Heeter will serve as Steve Mason's backup with Ray Emery sidelined with a lower-body injury.

Emery was not at practice on Friday, evidently due to his lower-body injury. Cal Heeter has been recalled on an emergency basis and will serve as Steve Mason's backup this afternoon.

With Ray Emery day-to-day with a lower-body injury, Mason will get the nod in goal after a disappointing start on Thursday. He allowed four goals on 16 shots before being yanked in favor of Emery, who didn't fare any better. This afternoon he will go head-to-head with 'King Henrik' as the Flyers welcome the Rangers to Welss Fargo Center.

Ott will likely play on the Blues third line and see significantly less minutes. He has nine goals and 11 assists in 59 games this season.

Halak, 28, has played 40 games for the Blues, posting a 24-9-4 record with a .917 save percentage and 2.23 goals against average. He has four shutouts this season, tied for second in the NHL, and is best known for leading the Montreal Canadiens to the Eastern Conference finals in 2010.

The 6-2, 231-pound Stewart has 15 goals and 11 assists in 58 games for the Blues this season after leading St. Louis last year with 18 goals and 36 points. Stewart, 26, was Colorado's first-round pick (18th overall) in 2006. In six NHL seasons, Stewart has 115 goals and 228 points in 377 games.

Miller and Ott will join the Blues in Phoenix, where they play Sunday. They were scratched by the Sabres just before the warmup for tonight's game against San Jose in First Niagara Center. Miller is 15-22-3 with a 2.72 GAA and .923 SV% with the Sabres, but receives a huge fantasy boost by going to the Blues.

Elliott allowed three goals on 31 shots in a win over the Jets before the break. He will remain a backup once Ryan Miller arrives in St. Louis.

Enroth allowed four goals on 33 shots in a win over Bruins on Wednesday. He will get the call tonight, but will likely become the backup once Jaroslav Halak arrives in Buffalo.

Niemi stopped 19 of 21 shots in a win over the Blue Jackets in his final start before the break. He did not see any crease time in Sochi, but will hop back into the cage tonight vs. the Sabres. Niemi has been challenged for starts by Alex Stalock, and if Stalock continues to see starts, Niemi's value takes a hit.

There were rumours swirling around Girardi and possibly being dealt before the trade deadline. Girardi has tallied four goals and 13 assists (17 points) with a plus-4 rating in 60 games this season. Girardi's extension carries an AAV of $5.5 million US.

Koivu will miss his 17th straight game tonight. "Wait another day and get a good team practice on Sunda and then look at it again [for Calgary on Monday]," Koivu said. "It's getting better and it's pretty much the same story it's been this whole week. It's slowly getting there and getting more comfortable on skates, but it's still not quite where I want to be, especially battles and things like that.

Butler left Thursday's game after playing just 8:51 and did not return. Butler did not take part in Friday's practice and is likely to be replaced by Derek Smith tomorrow. Butler has two goals and eight assists (10 points) in 59 games.

Bryzgalov allowed two goals on 24 shots in a loss to the Devils before the break. Since signing with the Oilers, Bryz has gone 5-8-4 with a 3.07 GAA and .907 SV%. His name has surfaced in trade rumours with the trade deadline inching closer, so Saturday could potentially be his last start as an Oiler. He is 2-3-1 at Rexall Place this season.

Yakupov left Thursday's game with an ankle injury. X-rays on the ankle came back negative on Friday and he says that he does not know if he will play vs. Calgary tomorrow. Yakupov has two goals and four assists in his last nine games. Ales Hemsky will move to the top-line if Yak is not available.

Semin played just 4:21 before leaving the game and not returning. Semin was the only play who was not on the ice for the Hurricanes' practice this morning. His status for Saturday's afternoon (4:00 pm EST) game is uncertain. Monitor his status as puck-drop draws near tomorrow.

Bonino missed the last four games with an upper-body injury, but should be back in the lineup tonight. There is no official word on his status, but he has been on the ice with the Ducks as they prepare for their first game back from the Olympic break tonight vs. St. Louis. Bonino has been great this season, recording 16 goals and 24 assists (40 points) in 56 games.

Greiss stopped 25 of 28 shots in a loss to the Sabres on Jan 30. Mike Smith has started the last five straight games, including last night in the first game of a back-to-back set. Tonight Greiss will look for his second straight win over the Avalanche, he stopped 29 of 30 in a 3-1 win on Dec 10.

Tanev missed the last seven games with a thumb injury, but will return tonight vs. the Wild. There is no official word as to who will come out of the lineup for Tanev. The Canucks could elect to go with seven defensemen like they have many times this season. Tavev has 14 points (5G / 9A) with a plus-8 rating in 54 games this season.

Kesler was a full participant in Thursday's practice, so his return vs. the Wild was expected. Kesler missed one game with a hand injury, but will return tonight. He has become talks of a potential trade, so tonight could be his last home game as a Canuck. He is expected to centre Vancouver's second line.