NHL Hockey Player News

Valimaki was the Calgary Flames' 16th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, but has struggled to become an NHL regular. The 28-year-old Finnish defenseman had a breakout 2022-23 season for the Arizona Coyotes, scoring 34 points (4G / 30A) in 78 games, but struggled to follow that up and has spent significant portions of the past two seasons in the AHL.

Daccord has been excellent to start the 2026-27 season, starting two of Seattle's first three games, and will likely return to the crease on Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 30-year-old Daccord has opened the season by saving 56 of 58 shots (.966 SV%) in his first two games (2-0-0). Daccord had a down 2025-26 season, but he'll hope to return to the impressive form he showed in prior years. Seattle enters Tuesday's contest as +148 home underdogs.

Jordan Binnington led the Blues to their first Stanley Cup in the 2018-19 season, but he has struggled to perform at a consistently high level. Last season, the Blues gave an increased workload to Joel Hofer, who eventually outplayed Binnington in the latter half of the season and earned more playing time. Building on that trend, the Blues turned to Hofer in their season opener, and he stopped all 25 shots he faced in a 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars, adding to his case for the team's starting goalie. The Blues enter Tuesday as -140 road favourites against a Chicago Blackhawks team that has been outscored 15-5 in its first three games (0-3-0).

Vejmelka played a career-high 64 games last season and could be due for another busy season, with rookie Sebastian Cossa as his backup. The 30-year-old Vejmelka was perfect in his opening game, saving all 15 shots he faced in a 6-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, but struggled in his follow-up outing, allowing three goals on 18 shots (.857 SV%) in a 4-2 loss to the New York Rangers. The Mammoth enter Tuesday as slight +111 road underdogs against a New Jersey Devils team coming off an embarrassing 6-0 loss to the New York Islanders.

Shesterkin was named the NHL's opening-week first star and will hope to build on that momentum heading into week two. The 30-year-old Russian goalie posted a stellar 1.67 GAA and .934 SV% in three games (2-1-0), capping it by scoring his first career goal into an empty net in a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Rangers enter Tuesday as -151 home favourites against a New York Islanders team coming off a dominant 6-0 win over the New Jersey Devils.

Veleno exited Sunday's game with a lower-body injury and will remain sidelined for at least a week, beginning with Tuesday's game against the New York Islanders. The 26-year-old forward is averaging 11:37 time-on-ice and has zero points through four games this season.

Bowen Byram did not play on Saturday, as he tended to a personal matter, but he was back at practice on Monday, and will return to the lineup on Tuesday. The 25-year-old defenseman is still searching for his first point with the Blackhawks. He is averaging 24:59 time-on-ice and has a -4 plus/minus through two games this season.

Bussi emerged out of nowhere last season as a 27-year-old making his NHL debut, playing admirably in the Hurricanes' crease and ultimately helping lead them to a Stanley Cup. He carried that momentum into the 2026-27 season, saving 19 of 20 shots (.950 SV%) in his season debut, a 1-0 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers. That said, he struggled in his following outing, allowing five goals on 27 shots (.815 SV%) in a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals. The Hurricanes will likely alternate between Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov this season, but they will start Bussi on Tuesday for the third time in four games. Carolina enters the action on Tuesday as -117 road favourites against the Montreal Canadiens, who have scored eight goals in their first two games (1-0-1).

DeBrusk did not play in Vancouver's previous game because of an illness, but he returned to practice Tuesday, suggesting he should be ready to play when the team returns to action Thursday against the New Jersey Devils. The 29-year-old DeBrusk is averaging 15:36 of ice time and has one assist in two games this season. He is expected to be relied upon heavily in Vancouver's top six this season.

Sam Rinzel will return to Chicago's lineup Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues, sending Korchinski to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 22-year-old Korchinski played 76 games as a rookie in the 2023-24 season but has played only 30 combined games since.

The Blackhawks defense has struggled early in the 2026-27 season, so they opted to make 22-year-old Rinzel a healthy scratch in their previous game. He is averaging 17:53 time-on-ice and has a -2 plus/minus through two games. Kevin Korchinski will be a healthy scratch to accommodate Rinzel's return to the lineup.

The Minnesota Wild lack depth at center ice, so they expect to rely heavily on Yurov in their top six and can ill afford to lose him for any stretch of time. The 22-year-old forward has one assist in two games and has started the season playing on an all-Russian line with Kirill Kaprizov and Max Shabanov.

With Filip Gustavsson (hip) sidelined to the start of the season, Minnesota will continue to rely on Wallstedt, turning to him for his third straight game to start 2026-27. The 23-year-old Swedish goalie has given Head Coach John Hynes no reason to deviate, posting a stellar 1.01 GAA and .957 SV% through two games (2-0-0). Minnesota enters the action on Tuesday as slight -106 road favourites against a Buffalo Sabres team that has been outscored 9-7 through two games (1-1-0).

Justin Danforth will make his season debut on Tuesday, resulting in Carrick being a healthy scratch. The 34-year-old Carrick is averaging 7:32 time-on-ice and has zero points through two games this season.

Sam Carrick will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild, allowing Danforth to draw into the lineup for his season debut. The 33-year-old Danforth has spent most of his career in the AHL, but has seen more regular NHL action in recent seasons. He has 64 points (31G / 33A) in 187 career games.

Having not played since Saturday, the Predators were likely always turning to Saros to tend the twine on Tuesday, but Justus Annunen (undisclosed) surfacing on Injured Reserve sealed the deal. The 31-year-old Saros has had a solid start to the 2026-27 season, posting a 2.03 GAA and .933 SV% in two outings (1-1-0). He played exceptionally well in his previous game, saving 29 of 30 shots (.967 SV%) in a 2-1 win over the Dallas Stars. The Predators enter Tuesday's contest as +134 road underdogs against a Toronto Maple Leafs team that has scored just six goals through three games this season (1-2-0).

Knight had a solid first full season with the Blackhawks in 2025-26, posting a serviceable 2.82 GAA and .902 SV% in 55 games (19-25-11). That said, the 25-year-old goalie has struggled out of the gate in 2026-27, as has his team, which is still without Connor Bedard (shoulder), posting an ugly 4.04 GAA and .875 SV% in two outings (0-2-0). The Blackhawks aren't expected to be the epitome of team defence this season, but they struggled last year as well, and Knight still performed well, so they will hope he showcases that same talent this year. The Blackhawks enter Tuesday's contest as +127 home favourites against a St. Louis Blues team off to a 1-1-0 start this season.