NHL Hockey Player News

Eklund was absence from practice on Wednesday and his status for Thursday's game against the Boston Bruins was up in the air. The 23-year-old Swedish forward has 38 points (11G / 27A) in 58 games this season, but has been held off the scoresheet in three straight.

The Lightning will turn to Vasilevskiy between the pipes for the 44th time this season when they host the Red Wings on Thursday. Vasilevskiy was tagged with a rare defeat in his last start, surrendering four goals on 31 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. The Vezina Trophy favourite still boasts an impressive 29-11-3 record to go along with a .912 SV% on the season. Vasilevskiy and the Lightning enter action on Thursday at -225 on the money line.

While Bussi has an absurd 25 wins in his first 30 NHL games, he has battled some adversity in recent outings. The 27-year-old rookie goalie has allowed four or more goals in three straight games (2-1-0), posting an ugly 4.38 GAA and .827 SV%. The concerning play dates back to before the Olympic break, where Bussi has a 3.15 GAA and .859 SV% in his last seven (6-1-0). That said, Bussi and the Hurricanes enter Thursday's contest as -278 home favourites against a St. Louis Blues team with points in five straight games (4-0-1).

Tuch did not practice on Wednesday, and will be unavailable for Thursday's game against the Washington Capitals. The 29-year-old forward has 57 points (28G / 29A) in 64 games this season, including nine points (6G / 3A) during a seven-game point streak.

The Atlantic Division-leading Buffalo Sabres seem to win regardless of who is tending the twine and, as such, will keep their goalie rotation going on Thursday against the Washington Capitals, turning to Luukkonen. The 27-year-old Luukkonen is coming off one of his worst statistical outings of the season, allowing seven goals on 28 shots (.750 SV%), but the powerhouse Sabres still salvaged an 8-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Sabres have wins in six of Luukonen's last seven appearances (6-1-0), while he boasts a solid 2.77 GAA and .911 SV%. The Sabres enter Thursday's contest as -195 home favourites against a Capitals team that played last night and lost 4-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers.

With Alex Nedeljkovic already confirmed as the Sharks' starting goalie for Thursday's game against the Boston Bruins, the Sharks announce Askarov will be able to serve as his backup. It does not seem as though Askarov's injury is a long-term concern, given that he was not immediately ruled out of the game.

Vladar will be back between the pipes for the Flyers tonight after getting the night off on the front-end of their back-to-back on Wednesday. Vladar struggled in his last outing, allowing six goals on 24 shots before being pulled in a 6-2 loss to the Rangers on Monday. Thankfully, those kind of performances have been rare for the 28-year-old this season, as Vladar boasts a 20-11-6 record and .903 SV% across 39 appearances. The Flyers enter action on Thursday at +185 on the money line.

Coming off a disappointing 4-1 loss last night to the Philadelphia Flyers, Washington's fourth loss in their last five games (1-4-0), they will hope to reverse their fortunes by turning to Lindgren for just his second start since the Olympic break. That said, the 32-year-old Lindgren's play hasn't been encouraging either, losing four of his last five starts (1-3-1) while posting a dreadful 4.16 GAA and .859 SV%. Washington enters Thursday's contest as +184 road underdogs against one of the NHL's hottest teams, the Buffalo Sabres.

Sergachev has not played in over a week, but was back at practice as a full participant on Thursday, indicating that if he is not ready to play on Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks, he should be ready for Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 27-year-old Sergachev is having a terrific season with Utah, scoring 42 points (10G / 32A) in 61 games, and will reclaim his spot on the top powerplay unit when he returns.

The Avalanche acquired Blankenburg from the Nashville Predators last Wednesday in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round draft pick. Blankenburg is a somewhat underrated, 27-year-old two-way defenceman who's put up career highs in goals (six) and assists (15) in just 49 games this season. He quarterbacked the Predators second power-play unit at times this season, but it's unclear where exactly he will slot in on the pecking order of an Avalanche blue-line that just recently swapped out Samuel Girard for Brett Kulak.

Colton was limited to only 8:15 time-on-ice in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, exiting the game with an upper-body injury. The 29-year-old Colton scored a goal before leaving the game, giving him 23 points (8G / 15A) through 60 contests this season. If he is unable to play on Thursday, his next chance to return to the lineup will be on Saturday afternoon against the Winnipeg Jets.

Helleson has not played in over a week and will make his return to the lineup on Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 24-year-old defenseman is averaging 17:25 time-on-ice and has 12 points (2G / 10A) in 51 games this season.

Mackenzie Blackwood has allowed eight goals on 35 shots (.771 SV%) in his last two games, paving the way for Scott Wedgewood to tend the twine on Thursday against the Seattle Kraken. The 33-year-old Wedgewood has been a pleasant surprise for Colorado all season, but has been exceptionally impressive since returning from the Olympic break, posting a stellar 1.33 GAA and .951 SV% in four games (4-0-0). Colorado enters the action on Thursday as sizable -208 road favourites against a Seattle team on a three-game losing streak (0-3-0).

Watson is no stranger to the NHL, with 121 points (63G / 58A) in 528 career games, but he has yet to play a game this season. The 34-year-old forward has 20 points (11G / 9A) and 137 penalty minutes in 48 games this season with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL).