NHL Hockey Player News

MacKenzie will not play on Saturday, Monday or next Friday. He is eligible to return next Saturday in Winnipeg.

Ekman-Larsson was injured on Thursday but is reportedly feeling better today and will be re-evaluated tomorrow.

Elliott stopped all 30 shots that he faced vs. Los Angeles on Thursday for his third shutout of the season. With Jaroslav Halak under the weather the Blues have run with Elliott and he has won five games in a row (one relief appearance) and currently holds the 4th best GAA in the NHL (1.84) and t-8th best SV% (.928). He faces the Blue Jackets at home tonight where he is 6-0-0.

With Jocaim Eriksson being sent back to the AHL on Thursday it was obvious that Luongo was back to full-health and will dress on Saturday. No word yet if Luongo will start or back-up, but it is a great news for the Canucks that Luongo only missed three games.

Bryzgalov allowed four goals on 45 shots in a loss to the Coyotes on Tuesday. The loss moved him to 2-4-2 with a 2.91 GAA and .915 SV% as an Oiler. Tonight he will start against his former team, the Anaheim Ducks. After tonight, all of Bryzgalov's last three starts will have come against his three former teams (PHI, PHX, ANA). In his first start against Anaheim they pushed three past Bryz in a 3-2 Ducks win.

After placing Philip Larsen on IR the Oilers recalled Hunt who has three goals and 12 assists in 27 games with the Barons this season. He is a 25-year-old, undrafted, under-sized blueliner who is not expected to have a fantasy impact.

Bishop allowed two goals on 30 shots in a 4-2 win over the Canucks on January 1. Despite posting a fantastic 21-5-3 record with a 1.89 GAA and .935 SV%, Bishop was snubbed from Team U.S.A. He has developed into an elite fantasy goalie option this season and is definitely a must-start against the Flames tonight. He is 9-3-2 on the road.

Since being recalled from Grand Rapids, Eaves has skated in eight games, recording one goal. Despite seeing time on the Red Wings second power-play unit, Eaves is not fantasy relevant.

T.J Galiardi will re-enter the lineup and Lee Stempniak is expected to play despite being ill as well. Bouma has two goals and five assists in 37 games, he is not a legitimate fantasy option.

Svedberg made his NHL debut on Thursday, he stopped 33 of 35 shots in a 3-2 overtime win over the Predators. He returns to the AHL where he is 13-5-3 with a 2.87 GAA and .909 SV%.

There are no further details other than he is feeling under the weather. Niklas Backstrom starts on Saturday and Darcy Kuemper will be his back-up again.

Backstrom allowed one goal on 20 shots in a win over the Sabres on Thursday. It was just his third win of the season and first since November 23. With Josh Harding still ill, Backstrom gets his sixth start in the Wild's last eight games. He gets set to face a Capitals team who have lost three straight and five of their last six games.

Hiller allowed three goals on 36 shots in a win over the Sharks on Tuesday. He is absolutely scorching right now having won his last nine consecutive starts. Over that span he has posted a 1.97 GAA and .922 SV%. Tonight he faces an Oilers team he beat 3-2 on December 15.

Anderson allowed three goals on 35 shots in a 4-3 win over the Jets on Thursday. It was Anderson's fourth straight win as he looks to salvage his season after a horrible start. Tonight will be his seventh start in the Senators last eight games; he appears to be solidifying himself as Ottawa's number-1 again. Tonight he takes on a Habs team who are 3-1-1 in their last five.

Konopka, 33, is a rare mix of grit and skill, fighting regularly and annually ranking among the NHL’s faceoff leaders. Konopka is 6-feet and 213 pounds, he has 12 goals, 29 points, 1,049 penalty minutes and a minus-45 rating in 323 NHL games. He has one goal, two points and 55 penalty minutes in 36 games this season.

Lundqvist stopped 21 of 22 shots in a 2-1 win over the Panthers on Tuesday. After being benched for three games, Lundqvist has won back-to-back games while posting a 1.92 GAA and .935 SV%. He has a tough matchup vs. the 29-12-1 Penguins.

Callahan will enter the lineup for J.T Miller and skate with Benoit Pouliot and Derick Brassard. Callahan missed the previous nine contests with a knee injury.

Fleury gave up two goals on 30 shots in a 2-1 loss to the Devils on Tuesday. Fleury has cooled-off recently allowing 16 goals in his last five starts, but still posted a 3-2-0 record. Tonight he will face a Rangers team he is 1-1-0 with a 3.84 GAA and .860 SV% against this season.

Malkin was believed to be at least a game-time decision, but he has already been ruled out. Malkin will miss his ninth consecutive game with a leg injury that he suffered on December 14. He does not appear to Jbe too far away from returning to the lineup, so monitor his status following Saturday's morning skate.

Callahan has missed the last nine games with a knee injury that he suffered on December 10 vs. the Predators. it looks like he will enter the lineup for Benoit Pouliot and skate on the third line with J.T Miller and Carl Hagelin. Callahan has registered seven goals and six assists (13 points) in 24 games. Callahan is only owned in 40% of Yahoo! leagues, the three-time 20-plus goal scorer would make for a solid addition for teams lacking depth at RW. We will await official word from head coach Alain Vigneault.