NHL Hockey Player News

The Blue Jackets have won three of their last four (3-1-0) and will roll with Merzlikins between the pipes on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings. Merzlikins was solid in his most recent outing, saving 32 of 35 shots (.914 SV%) in a 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. The 30-year-old netminder has a 3.07 GAA and .891 SV% in 24 games this season (12-9-3). The Blue Jackets enter Thursday's contest as -123 home favorites against a Red Wings club outscoring their opposition 8-4 during a two-game winning streak.

Hyry was signed as an undrafted forward in the offseason and will make his NHL debut with Dallas on Thursday. The 23-year-old impressed in training camp and has been solid at the AHL-level, scoring 26 points (14G / 12A) in 29 games with Texas this season.

Jaaska joined Chicago (AHL) from HIFK (Liiga) in the offseason and has earned himself his first career call-up to Carolina after putting up seven goals and 16 points in 25 games with the Wolves. The 26-year-old undrafted winger had 67 points in his previous 113 games played with HIFK before heading to North America in the summer.

Kuemper has two wins in his last four games despite posting a save percentage above .900 once through those four starts. He will look to remain in the win column on Wednesday as he hosts Jake Allen and the New Jersey Devils. The 34-year-old Kuemper was acquired from Washington in the offseason and has excelled in his first campaign in Los Angeles with his 9-2-5 record, 2.43 GAA and .910 SV%. Kuemper's opponent, New Jersey is on the back end of a back-to-back and is looking to snap their current two-game losing skid despite being second in the Metropolitan Division.

Daccord did not practice again on Wednesday and is not expected to be able to back up when Seattle takes on Vancouver on Thursday due to a lingering upper-body bruise. The 28-year-old goaltender last appeared for Seattle on December 22nd and currently has a 12-9-2 record, 2.51 GAA and .912 SV% in 23 appearances.

Clurman made his NHL debut on December 29th at 26 years old and picked up two PIMs and four SOG across 11:05 TOI before being assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) on Wednesday. The defenseman returns to the minors, where he a goal, five points and 10 PIMs in 18 games played before his call-up.

Ersson left Tuesday's game vs. San Jose in the second period with a lower-body injury after stopping all 17 of the Sharks' shots he faced but is unfortunately unlikely to play on Thursday in Vegas. He is considered day-to-day and if he misses any period, expect Aleksei Kolosov to take over the crease in his absence.

Tomas Tatar will draw back into the lineup on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Kings, sending MacDermid back to the press box as a healthy scratch. The 30-year-old MacDermid is averaging 5:21 time-on-ice and has zero points in 15 games this season.

Kurtis MacDermid will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Kings, allowing Tatar to re-enter the lineup. The 34-year-old Tatar is averaging 10:38 time-on-ice and has nine points (3G / 6A) in 35 games this season.

The Devils were on the losing end of a 3-2 score against the Anaheim Ducks last night and will revert to Allen between the pipes on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Kings. Allen has struggled lately, allowing three or more goals in four straight (0-4-0), posting a .860 SV%. He has a 2.89 GAA and .897 SV% in 12 games this season (5-6-1). The Devils enter Wednesday's contest -118 road favourites against a Kings club riding a two-game winning streak.

Lambos was the 26th overall pick of Minnesota in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old defenseman has yet to play an NHL game. He has five points (2G / 3A) in 27 games with the Iowa Wild (AHL) this season.

Nesterenko has 12 games of NHL experience but has exclusively played in the AHL this season. The 23-year-old forward has 12 points (5G / 7A) in 29 games with the San Diego Gulls (AHL) this season.

Ekman-Larsson missed his first game of the season on Tuesday but will likely return to the lineup on Thursday. The 33-year-old defenseman is averaging 20:59 time-on-ice and has 13 points (1G / 12A), 52 hits, and 34 blocks in 37 games.

Fehervary was limited to only 14:10 time-on-ice before exiting Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins with an upper-body injury. The 25-year-old Slovak defenseman is averaging 19:24 time-on-ice, recording seven points (0G / 7A), 79 blocks, and 69 hits in 37 games this season. The Capitals return to action on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild.

Matthews has participated at practice the past few days but will miss a sixth straight game on Thursday. The 27-year-old Matthews has had an injury-riddled 2024-25 campaign and is pacing for his lowest offensive output since his rookie season, with 23 points (11G / 22A) in 24 games.

Hryckowian played the last two games for the Stars, replacing an injured Mason Marchment, averaging 6:40 time-on-ice and scoring zero points. Before his call-up, the 23-year-old Hryckowian had a strong season in the AHL, sitting second on the team with 26 points (12G / 14A) in 27 games.

Spurgeon exited Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators after being slew-footed by Zachary L'Heureux, leaving the game after only playing 7:53 time-on-ice. L'Heureux was not issued any penalties on the play. Minnesota will likely provide an update on Spurgeon before they return to the ice on Thursday against the Washington Capitals. Still, the outlook doesn't seem promising as Spurgeon was seen leaving the arena with crutches.

Ersson saved all 15 shots he faced in an eventual 2-0 win over the San Jose Sharks but exited the game after two periods due to an undisclosed injury. The 25-year-old Ersson had saved 47 of 48 shots in his last two appearances (2-0-0) leading up to his injury. The Flyers will likely provide an update on Ersson before they return to the ice on Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Nichushkin exited Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets in the second period after only 11:54 time-on-ice due to a lower-body injury. The 29-year-old Nichushkin has played well since debuting in November, scoring 17 points (11G / 6A) in his last 18 games. Colorado will likely provide an update on Nichushkin before they return to the ice on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres.

O'Brien will fill in for Clayton Keller, who was a late scratch for Tuesday's game in Edmonton. O'Brien has not appeared in a game since October 28th, and has gone pointless in his three games played this season.