NHL Hockey Player News

Valimaki has not played since November 18th but will draw back into the lineup on Friday against the Montreal Canadiens. The 26-year-old Valimaki is averaging 17:00 time-on-ice and has zero points while recording 16 blocks and seven hits through 16 games.

Ben Jones will exit the lineup on Friday, allowing Khusnutdinov to return from a lower-body injury. Khusnutdinov was the 37th overall pick of the Minnesota Wild in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old has been adjusting to his first full NHL season, averaging 11:26 time-on-ice, scoring two points (0G / 2A).

Matthews has missed nine straight games due to an upper-body injury but appears to be nearing a return to the lineup after being a full participant in consecutive practices. His next chance to return to the lineup will be on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Before his injury, Matthews was off to a slower-than-usual start to the 2024-25 campaign but had six points (2G / 4A) in his last five games.

On the front end of a back-to-back, Minnesota will turn to Fleury between the pipes on Friday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Fleury has only played once in the last three weeks but has been serviceable in limited action this season, posting a 2.76 GAA and .904 SV% in five games (4-0-1). Minnesota enters Friday's contest as sizeable -258 home favorites against a Chicago club coming off an impressive 6-2 win over the Dallas Stars.

Wagner played 12 games with the Avalanche this season, scoring one point (1G / 0A), but was placed on waivers earlier this month and has been with the Colorado Eagles (AHL) since. The 33-year-old Wagner has 66 points (39G / 27A) in 385 career NHL games.

Calvin de Haan and Oliver Kylington have been alternated places in the lineup lately. de Haan will draw into the lineup on Friday. He is averaging 16:00 time-on-ice one and has one point (0G / 1A) in 16 games this season.

Calvin de Haan and Oliver Kylington have been alternated places in the lineup lately. Kylington is averaging 12:10 time-on-ice and has two points (1G / 1A) in eight games this season. He will exit the lineup on Friday in favor of de Haan.

Georgiev will return to the crease on Friday after a strong performance in his most recent outing, saving 18 of 19 shots in a 2-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. Colorado has struggled to receive adequate goaltending this season, but Georgiev has significantly improved lately, posting .910 SV% in his last eight appearances (6-1-0). Colorado enters Friday's contest as +114 road underdogs against a Dallas Stars club riding a two-game losing skid.

Bortuzzo played only 4:51 time-on-ice before exiting his previous game with a lower-body injury. He missed practice on Thursday but will draw back into the lineup on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers. The 35-year-old defenseman is averaging 10:20 time-on-ice through nine games this season.

Hill was tremendous in his previous outing, saving 33 of 34 shots (.971 SV%), but came up short in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche. After a rocky start to the season, the 28-year-old Hill has allowed two or fewer goals in five straight (3-1-1), posting an impressive .932 SV%. The Golden Knights enter the action on Friday as +102 home underdogs against the NHL's first-place team, the Winnipeg Jets.

Olofsson started the 2024-25 season, his first with the Golden Knights, off strong, scoring three goals in four games before suffering a lower-body injury. He will draw back into the Golden Knights lineup after a brief conditioning stint in the AHL.

Hagg, and NHL veteran of 345 games, recently played his first two games with the Golden Knights but has been sent down to the AHL. The 29-year-old defenseman has spent most of the 2024-25 campaign with the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL), scoring eight points (1G / 7A) in 14 games.

Morelli recently made his season debut with the Golden Knights but has been sent down to the AHL. The undrafted 28-year-old has nine points (5G / 4A) in 13 games with the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL).

Vladislav Kolyachonok will draw back into Utah's lineup on Friday, replacing an injured Lamoureux. The 20-year-old Lamoureux, in his first NHL season, is averaging 16:07 time-on-ice and has three points (1G / 2A) in 15 games.

The 22-year-old Cardwell made his NHL debut this season and went scoreless in three games with the Sharks. He has one goal and six assists through 13 games with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL.

Sillinger will return to the lineup after a one-game absence due to an upper-body injury. The 21-year-old Sillinger already has 240 NHL games to his name and has been productive this season, scoring 12 points (3G / 9A) in 20 contests while averaging a career-high 18:06 time-on-ice.

Hronek is among ice time leaders for the Canucks this season, averaging 23:36 time-on-ice. He has nine points (1G / 8A) in 21 games this season. Vincent Desharnais will draw into the Canucks lineup as Hronek's replacement on the blueline.

Filip Hronek (upperbody) will not play on Friday, allowing Desharnais to re-enter the lineup for the Canucks. The 28-year-old Desharnais has played 11 games this season, averaging 14:54 time-on-ice and scoring one point (0G / 1A).