NHL Hockey Player News

The Flames have lost six of their last seven and will turn to Wolf in the crease for the second time in the last four games. Wolf has lost three straight, allowing four goals twice, including his most recent outing when he allowed four goals on 18 shots (.778 SV%) in a 5-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues. The Flames enter action as +176 road underdogs on Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets.

Tkachuk did not play on Tuesday due to an illness but could return to the lineup on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators. The Panthers are already without Carter Verhaeghe for the foreseeable future and are eagerly awaiting Tkachuk's return.

The Islanders have won two straight and will turn to Sorokin between the pipes for consecutive games after rolling with Semyon Varlamov in three straight. Sorokin saved 18 of 19 shots in a 2-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, snapping a six-game losing skid for the netminder. The Islanders enter action as -185 road favourites against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

With Aaron Ekblad expected to miss most of the remainder of the regular season, Mahura will draw into the lineup on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators. Mahura has two points (0G / 2A) in his last four games but hasn't played since March 24th.

Ekblad exited Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens after playing only 7:16 time-on-ice due to an undisclosed injury. Ekblad's presence on the blueline will be a critical blow for the Panthers for the remainder of the season but all indications point to him being ready for the playoffs.

The Panthers have lost four of their last five and will return to Bobrovsky to tend the twine on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators. Bobrovsky allowed five goals on 16 shots (.688 SV%) in his last outing in a disappointing 6-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Panthers enter action as -153 road favourites against a Senators club they defeated 3-2 in overtime on February 20th.

Brazeau played only 3:45 of time-on-ice before exiting Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Nashville Predators with an upper-body injury. Brazeau has been a lineup regular for the Bruins for the last several weeks and had five points (4G / 1A) in six games before his injury.

For the first time this season, the Avalanche started a goalie other than Georgiev for two straight contests but will return to him on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers. Georgiev has allowed four goals in two of his last three games (1-2-0), including four on 13 shots (.692 SV%) in his last outing before being replaced by Justus Annunen in an eventual 7-4 win over the Nashville Predators. The Avalanche enter action as +121 road underdogs against an Oilers club coming off a disappointing 5-0 loss to the Dallas Stars.

Colorado has lost three of their last four and will turn to Annunen for the second straight game on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. Annunen has allowed three or fewer goals in eight straight appearances (5-2-1), but struggled in his most recent outing, allowing three goals on 24 shots (.875 SV%) in a 4-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. That said, Colorado enters the action as a -164 road favourite.

Chychrun has been productive from the blueline lately but could be unavailable for Thursday's game against the Florida Panthers after exiting practice early. He has six points (4G / 2A) in his last five games.

Nate Schmidt will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Miller to return from a six-game absence. Miller has one point (0G / 1A) and eight hits in three games with the Jets.

Bogosian played 21:47 in his last outing and recorded one assist but is battling an undisclosed injury and his status for Thursday's game against the Colorado Avalanche is up in the air. If he can play, he will likely skate on the second defensive pair with Jonas Brodin.

The Predators have suddenly lost three straight and will return to Saros in the crease as they try to return to the win column. Despite a 3-0 loss to the Boston Bruins in their last outing, Saros played well, saving 29 of 31 shots (.935 SV%). The Predators currently occupy the first Wild-Card spot in the Western Conference and enter action on Thursday as -185 home favourites against the St. Louis Blues.

Minnesota has won two of their last three and will turn to Gustavsson in the crease on Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche. Gustavsson has been tremendous lately, allowing two or fewer goals in his last five appearances (2-1-1), and posting a tremendous .963 SV%. Minnesota enters action as a +148 road underdog.

Chabot has missed the last three games due to a lower-body injury and will not play on Thursday but is nearing a return. Before his injury, Chabot had six points (2G / 4A) in his last six games.

Crookshank was limited to only 3:37 time-on-ice in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild before exiting the game with a lower-body injury. The 24-year-old Crookshank has three points (2G / 1A) in 13 games with Ottawa this season.

Jarry will serve as the backup on Thursday to Alex Nedeljkovic, who has performed admirably lately and will start for the third time in the last four days. With the Penguins in a heated race for the final playoff position in the Eastern Conference, they will likely continue to roll with Nedeljkovic as long as he regularly continues giving them a chance to win.