NHL Hockey Player News

Salo was injured in Monday's contest vs. the Bruins. The Lightning also lost Keith Aulie on the blueline and of course Steven Stamkos upfront. Mark Barberio will enter the lineup for Salo.

Stalock did not allow a goal in a relief effort on Thursday. Tonight will be his second start this season - in his first he allowed only two goals on 40 shots in a win over the Senators. Antti Niemi has started 16 of a possible 17 games and has allowed 18 goals in five straight losses so the Sharks will turn to Stalock vs. Calgary to give Niemi a breather. He should make for a solid spot start.

Colaiacovo spent four seasons with the Blues (2008-12), which were the best years of his career (18G / 88A = 106P in 259 games). Last year he had an injury plagued season with the Red Wings. Colaiacovo only appeared in six of a possible 48 regular season games. He had one assist in nine playoff games.

Morin, 29, was a ninth round pick in 2004 and has only appeared in three NHL games. He currently leads the AHL in scoring with 10 goals and 14 assists (24 points) in 13 games.

The move means Whitney will miss the next two games, but can return on Sunday against the Canucks. The club has also recalled forward Travis Morin from the Texas Stars (AHL).

Burns will miss his 10th straight game, but is progressing towards a return. It continues to be a day-to-day situation, monitor his status for Thursday's game.

Stalock did not allow a goal in a relief effort on Thursday. Tonight would be his second start this season - in his first he allowed only two goals on 40 shots in a win over the Senators. Antti Niemi has started 16 of a possible 17 games and has allowed 18 goals in five straight losses. Tonight vs. Calgary would be a good time to give Stalock a start and Niemi a breather. We will get confirmation after the Sharks morning skate (on ice now).

Ekholm was a minus-3 in the Predators last two games - a minus-4 on the season. He had actually replaced Seth Jones on the top pair in Friday's contest but was moved back on Saturday. Ekholm has four assists in 17 games, and likely won't be a healthy scratch for long.

Bartley has been healthy scratch for the Predators previous five games, but will dress tonight vs. the Islanders. In 12 games this season he has not registered a point while averaging 13:40 TOI on the Predators third pair.

Gleason has been skating with the Hurricanes but is not ready to return to the lineup. He will miss his fifth straight game - he has only appeared in three games this season. Gleason should be considered questionable for Friday vs. Anaheim, but should be ready to go next week.

Downie will play with a cage on tonight and will replace Michael Raffl on the third line with Matt Read and Sean Couturier.

Morris will miss his third straight game after being injured in the first period last Tuesday. He did not skate yesterday either, so he should be considered questionable for Thursday.

Bourque was sent home to be with his wife for the birth of their first child. Taylor Beck will enter the lineup for the Predators.

Vrbata was on the ice with his teammates this morning but skated by himself and did not participate in line rushes. Tonight would be the third straight game he has missed since being injured last Wednesday. If he doesn't play tonight, Vrbata will likely be back on Thursday vs. Chicago, barring any setbacks.

Stempniak missed the last seven games with a broken foot. He was off to a strong start prior to the injury - he posted four goals and five assists in 10 games. Tonight he will skate on the Flames third line with Sven Baertschi and Sean Monahan.

Smith gave up three goals on 32 shots in a win over the Capitals on Saturday. Smith has been on fire lately (won 5 of his last 6) but tonight he has a tough test in St. Louis. He is much better at home than he is on the road - 3-3-1 with a 3.50 GAA and .906 SV% away from Phoenix this season.

Mason allowed two goals on 26 shots in a win over the Oilers on Saturday. Mason continues to play well despite this only being his fourth win of the season. His 2.34 GAA ranks 17th in the NHL while his .925 SV% is good for 10th. He will face the Senators who have won three straight.

Varlamov turned aside 33 of 34 shots to take the win over the Capitals on Sunday. The W moved him to 9-2-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .936 SV% on the season. He continues to be a reliable fantasy starter and has a strong matchup tonight vs. the Hurricanes and their 28th ranked offence.

Stoll will miss his third consecutive game after being injured in the November 2 loss to the Predators. His participation in practice suggests he is not far from returning to the Kings lineup. Monitor his status prior to Thursday's game @ the Islanders.

Cleary like all other Red Wings not named Zetterberg or Datsyuk have struggled to find the score sheet this season. The veteran has one goal and two assists in 18 games.