NHL Hockey Player News

Mrazek will likely start for the fourth straight on Friday night when the Blackhawks host the New York Rangers. Despite losing his last four games, the 31-year-old Mrazek has been excellent lately, allowing two or fewer goals in each contest, and boasting a dazzling .941 SV%. That said, the Blackhawks rank worst in the league offensively (2.06 GF / GP) and will be hard-pressed for a victory as +257 home underdogs against the Rangers.

Beckman went pointless in nine games with the Wild last season and is yet to play an NHL game in the 2023-24 season. The 22-year-old winger has nine goals and ten assists in 37 AHL games this season.

Despite losing his last contest, the Sabres will turn to Luukkonen between the pipes for the third straight game on Saturday. Luukkonen was excellent in a 2-1 losing effort to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, saving 28 of 38 shots (.933 SV%). The 24-year-old Luukkonen started the season as the third-string netminder for the Sabres but has deservedly earned his way into being the go-to guy between the pipes.

Killorn has missed the last six games with a knee injury and is progressing toward returning to the Ducks' lineup over the next couple of weeks. In his first season with the Ducks, Killorn has 19 points (6G / 13A) in 34 games, his lowest point-per-game pace in six seasons.

Mintyukov has been out of the lineup since January 9th, missing 10 games with a shoulder injury, but appears to be nearing a return. The rookie defender was enjoying an impressive first season in the NHL, registering 19 points (2G / 17A), 56 hits, and 43 blocks in 40 games.

Jones has not played since January 5th, missing 12 games with an upper-body injury, but will return to the lineup on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers. In 34 games this season, the 25-year-old Jones has eight points (4G / 4A).

Whitecloud will sit on Thursday to make way for the season debut of Daniil Miromanov. Whitecloud has two goals and three assists in 36 games this season.

Miromanov spent last season split between Vegas and Henderson (AHL) but suffered an injury that has kept him sidelined so far this season. In a conditioning stint with Henderson, the 26-year-old was impressive, scoring six points (1G / 5A) in five games. Miromanov appeared in 14 games last season and picked up two goals, four assists, 22 SOG, two PIMs and a -6 plus/minus before his injury.

The Vegas Golden Knights will turn to Hill for the second straight game when they travel to Tempe to take on the Coyotes on Thursday. Hill played an integral role in snapping the Oilers' 16-game winning streak in Vegas on Tuesday, stopping 30 of the 31 shots he faced enroute to the 3-1 victory. Hill has picked up right where he left off since returning from an undisclosed injury, winning all three of his starts and posting a .955 SV% in the process. He leads the NHL with a .938 SV% and a 1.88 GAA in 18 appearances this season.

Barre-Boulet will be a scratch on Thursday as Lightning head coach Jon Cooper elects to get some fresh legs into the lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Austin Watson will draw into the lineup in place of Barre-Boulet.

Sorokin will return to the crease on Thursday after a solid performance in his last outing. The talented netminder saved 35 of 37 shots (.946 SV%) in a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, only his second win in his last seven outings. The rested Islanders are -139 home favourites against a Tampa Bay Lighting club that played last night and was defeated 3-1 by the New York Rangers.

Malinski will sit in favour of Jack Johnson on Thursday. Malinski has three goals and seven assists in 23 games this season.

Johnson will take the place of Sam Malinski, who is listed as a healthy scratch. Johnson has two goals and seven assists in 49 games this season.

de Haan will replace the injured Mikhail Sergachev (leg). de Haan has three goals and four assists in 45 games this season.

Watson will play for the first time since January 21st as head coach Jon Cooper looks to get some fresh legs into the lineup for the tail-end of Tampa's back-to-back. Watson has two goals and one assist in 26 games this season.

The Lightning will turn to Johansson on Thursday for the tail-end of their back-to-back after starter Andrei Vasilevskiy got the nod against the Rangers on Wednesday. Johansson has not appeared in a game since January 20th, when he stopped 26 of the 27 shots he faced enroute to a 3-1 victory over the Sabres. It was one of the better starts of the season for the 28-year-old netminder, who owns an .894 SV% and a 3.34 GAA across 22 games with the Lightning.

With Brett Pesce sidelined due to an illness, DeAngelo will get his first opportunity to play since January 5th. DeAngelo has two goals and seven assists in 21 games this season.

Staal is on the ice for warmups and will likely draw in for Ramus Ristolainen, who is listed as a scratch. Staal has one goal and one assist in 17 games this season.

Elliotte Friedman put any trade speculation to rest when he reported Ristolainen is in fact out with an illness, and is not a healthy scratch on Thursday. Marc Staal is expected to draw into the lineup in his place.

Pesce was a late scratch for Thursday's game against Colorado, with the Hurricanes not announcing his absence until the start of warmups. Tony DeAngelo will likely draw into the lineup in his place.