NHL Hockey Player News

Luongo left the ice with 3:30 remaining in the first period of the Canucks' 2-1 win and headed toward the Vancouver dressing room. Earlier in the period he was knocked to the ice in a goal-mouth collision with Winnipeg's Blake Wheeler. Luongo, who had made six saves, was replaced by Eddie Lack. Luongo did not return for the start of the second period and wasn't on the Canucks bench.

Schneider allowed three goals on 24 shots in Friday's OT loss to the Ducks. He has lost four straight and allowed three goals in each of those contests. Schneider will makes for a scary start tonight with the Devils in Chicago to take on last year's champs.

Backstrom allowed four goals on 36 shots in a 4-1 loss to the Rangers last night. He has allowed nine goals in two starts since taking over the Wild's starting gig. He has an OK matchup vs. the Flyers tonight.

Fleury stopped 27 with 30 shots in a win over the Flames on Saturday. He has been one of the NHL's hottest goaltenders winning seven of eight games with a 1.97 GAA and .936 SV% in December.

Hiller allowed two goals on 21 shots in a 3-2 OT win over the Devils. He has won six straight and has not allowed more than two goals in a game in December. He will take on the Capitals in Washington tonight, he is 7-4-2 with 2.93 GAA and .887 SV% on the road.

Hutton stopped 17 of 18 shots after replacing Marek Mazanec who allowed three goals on two shots in the first period. Hutton has had his struggles this season but he has gone 3-2-1 with a 2.13 GAA and .929 SV% in December. He makes for a risky start tonight with the Bruins in town.

Bishop gave up two goals on 27 shots in a win over the Hurricanes on Saturday. He has won four straight and five of his last six. Bishop has been quite the surprise in the first half of the season. He has started his first season with the Lightning 19-52 with a 1.96 GAA and .934 SV%.

Nabokov allowed four goals on 30 shots in a loss to the Ducks on Saturday. It was a terrible matchup so the bad performance is not surprising. He is 1-1-2 with a 2.44 GAA and .913 SV% in his last four starts since returning to the crease.

Bernier stopped 25 of 26 shots after replacing James Reimer in Saturday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Red Wings. He was nearly able to lead the Maple Leafs back for the W after entering with a 3-1 deficit. Bernier enters play tonight with a 3-6-2 record, 2.41 GAA and .932 SV% on the road.

Peters stopped 47 of 50 shots in a 3-2 OT loss to the Lightning on Saturday. After the great performance on the weekend, it would be surprising to see the Hurricanes go to Cam Ward. Despite sharing the crease, Peters is 3-1-2 with a 1.64 GAA and .948 SV% in December.

Brewer was injured in Saturday's game against the Hurricanes. There is no official word as to the nature and severity of Brewer's injury, but on should be made available following the Christmas break.

Malkin will miss his fifth straight game with a leg injury that he suffered on December 14 in Detroit. With the three-day Christmas break on the horizon it is not a surprise to see Malkin sitting out tonight. Consider him day-to-day.

Talbot stopped 24 of 25 shots in a 4-1 win over the Wild on Sunday. Despite his starts being limited because of the presence of Henrik Lundqvist, Talbot remains a great option when he gets the nod. He is 7-2-0 with a 1.67 GAA and .936 SV% to start his NHL career.

Veilleux has skated in 10 games with Minnesota this season and has tallied 101 points (46-55=101) and 323 penalty minutes (PIM) in 470 NHL games with Minnesota, Tampa Bay and New Jersey. He ranks fifth in Wild history in hits (407), eighth in games played (392), ninth in PIM (275) and 11th in shots (565).

Haula has collected two assists and a plus-3 rating in 10 games with Minnesota this season. The 5-foot-11, 192-pound has tallied 14 points (7G / 7A) in 20 games with Iowa this season. The 22-year-old ranks tied for first on the team with four power-play goals, and third in goals and scoring.

Weiss is expected to miss two months and return following the Olympic break. Weiss' first few months as a Red Wing have been forgettable ones. He has had a hard time staying on the ice and when he is in the lineup he has recorded just four points (2G / 2A) in 26 games.

Gustafsson was injured on Saturday and will be replaced by Andrej Meszaros tonight. Gus has two goals and five assists in 20 games.

Meszaros has not played since December 11 as he served as a healthy scratch in the last five games. He has one goal and two assists in 16 games.

Mason allowed four goals on 29 shots but still walked away with the W after the Flyers buried five in the third period. The win was his 13th of the season and he will be looking for number 14 tonight vs. Minnesota. Mason enters play tonight with a 9-6-0 record, 2.28 GAA and .924 SV% at home.

Gustavsson gave up four goals on 23 shots in a 5-4 shootout win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday. It was not the best outing, but The Monster made a save of the year type of save that kept the Red Wings in contention. He will man the crease again tonight with the Islanders in Detroit.