NHL Hockey Player News

Orpik was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital where he was alert and conscious. He was scheduled to accompany teammates on a return flight to Pittsburgh, coach Dan Bylsma said. “I think he was out (unconscious) on the ice for a period of time, and I think that means he's got a concussion,” Bylsma said, adding that Orpik underwent a battery of tests and will be re-evaluated in Pittsburgh. Orpik, per club policy on injured players, was not available for comment.

Staal was able to skate off under his own power but did not return to the game. It has the sounds of a possible concussion and he seems doubtful to play tonight vs. Washington. Monitor his status as puck-drop draws near.

Thornton tugged Orpik down after a whistle and punched him when he was on his back. The surrounding Penguins players immediately called for the trainer as Orpik was clearly in distress. Thornton is likely looking at a lengthy suspension.

Kelly was injured in the third on Saturday and will not play against the Maple Leafs tonight. Consider him day-to-day, as the Bruins will likely have to make some roster moves with Kelly and Loui Eriksson out of tonight's lineup.

Eirksson already missed an extended period of time from a concussion earlier this season, so a second one in the same season is bad news. Don't expect Eriksson to be on the ice in the near future as the Bruins will likely be very delicate with this situation.

Hamilton was scoreless in four games for the Sharks in late October. He made his NHL debut on October 21 in Detroit. In 15 games with Worcester, Hamilton has six goals and four assists.

Nieto made the opening night roster and tallied two goals and four assists in 19 games as a rookie. He was reassigned to Worcester on November 26, and on Friday night against Portland, had two goals and three assists in an 8-2 Worcester win. It was one of just two games he played for the minor league Sharks.

Niemi was yanked after allowing four goals on 27 shots in a 5-1 loss to the Penguins on Thursday. The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for the Finnish netminder. He should be back in goal tonight against the Wild. Minnesota is a great home team, but Niemi is no slouch on the road posting a 6-3-3 record with a 2.34 GAA and .916 SV%.

Lundqvist gave up four goals on 24 shots in a loss to the Devils last night. Despite the tough night for King Henrik, he gets the call again today with Washington coming to town. He stopped all 22 shots in 2-0 shutout win over the Caps on October 16.

Scrivens stopped 25 of 27 shots in a win over the Blues on Monday. He was given his first break on Tuesday after making 10 straight starts, but he will be back in the cage tonight. He will take on an Islanders team who have not won since November 16 , which is eight straight losses - he should make for a great start.

Rask allowed two goals on 27 shots in a Thursday's loss to the Canadiens. He currently ranks 5th in GAA (1.90), 4th in SV% (.934) and 7th in wins (14) which shows he has been his usual dominant self in the first two months and a game this season. He will face the Penguins and their 5th ranked offence (3.07 G/PG) sans Evgeni Malkin tonight.

Reimer stopped 37 of 40 shots in a loss to the Sharks in Tuesday. It was a good performance from Reimer, but it was not enough to get the W. He was pulled after allowing four goals on 21 shots in a 5-4 loss to the Senators on October 5. Besides that game, Reimer has been great against the Sens, posting an 8-1-1 record against them in his career.

Mazanec was pulled after allowing four goals on 13 shots in a loss to the Hurricanes on Thursday. It was his fourth straight loss but head coach Barry Trotz has elected to go back with him tonight at Washington. The Capitals rank 11th in the NHL in scoring, so it is not a great matchup.

No surprise as Lupul was not really expected to return tonight and with the Maple Leafs not having a morning skate, it really made no sense for him to try and return. The Leafs are back in action tomorrow, consider him questionable for the meeting with the Bruins.

Poulin gave up five goals on 30 shots in a loss to the Red Wings on November 29. Poulin was given the next three games off after he had lost his previous five starts while allowing a total 20 goals in those games. He draws a tough test tonight vs. the Kings.

Hejda was injured on Thursday after playing just 3:49. The Avalanche said yesterday that the injury was not "catastrophic" and missing just two weeks confirms that.

Weber missed the last three games after taking a puck to the face near his eye on November 28. Weber will sport a visor in tonight's contest following the scary incident. Weber has seven goals and five assists while averaging 26:09 TOI in 26 games. He is expected to return to the top-pair with Roman Josi.

Berra surrendered five goals on 38 shots in a loss to the Ducks on November 29. He sat on the pine for the next three games, but gets back in the crease tonight in the Battle of Alberta. It is not an ideal matchup, because of the talent in Edmonton. They proved to us on Thursday that their offence is capable of going off at any time.

Wisniewski suffered the injury in last night's tilt with the Wild. Wiz had a strong game, he played 18:37 and was a plus-3 with one shot. He has two goals and 16 assists in 28 games, but could be in danger of missing time. The Blue Jackets are off until Monday, so expect an update on his status later today or Sunday.