NHL Hockey Player News

Coming off a 4-3 win over the Utah Mammoth yesterday, the Panthers will turn to Tarasov on the tail end of a back-to-back on Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche. Tarasov has had an up-and-down season, but is coming off arguably his best performance as a Panther, saving 20 of 21 shots (.952 SV%) in a 4-1 win over the New York Islanders. The 26-year-old goalie has a 2.47 GAA and .911 SV% in nine appearances this season (3-4-1). The Panthers enter the action on Thursday as significant +201 road underdogs against an Avalanche team that sits atop the NHL with only two regulation losses (21-2-7).

The Capitals have skyrocketed to the top of the Eastern Conference, 8-1-1 in their last 10, and will roll with Thompson on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 28-year-old Thompson has been outstanding lately and is coming off an impressive 39-save performance in a 2-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets for his second shutout of the season. He has a 1.96 GAA and .925 SV% in 21 games this season (13-6-2). Still, the Capitals enter Thursday's contest as slight +102 home underdogs against a Hurricanes team they defeated 4-1 last month.

Walman returned to practice last week, seemingly nearing a return, but was placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve, guaranteeing he will be out of the lineup for at least 10 more days. The 29-year-old defenseman has not played more than 65 games in a season since becoming an NHL regular in 2021-22. He has 10 points (3G / 7A) in 17 games this season.

Clattenburg made his NHL debut last month and has one goal in five games with the Oilers. He will sidelined indefinitely due to an eye injury.

Frederic exited practice with an apparent upper-body injury on Wednesday and did not return. He has struggled making his presence felt since joining the Oilers last season, but is showcasing his grit and toughness, suiting up on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings. The 27-year-old Frederic has only three points (2G / 1A) in 30 games this season.

Jones has 64 points (32G / 32A) in 284 career NHL games, but has spent most of the previous two seasons in the AHL. The 27-year-old forward has seven points (5G / 2A) in 17 games this season with the Bakersfield Condors (AHL).

Lyon unexpectedly entered Buffalo's most recent game late in the first period after Colten Ellis suffered an injury. The 33-year-old Lyon went on to save 21 of 24 shots (.875 SV%) in an eventual 4-3 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers. The 33-year-old Lyon has a 3.22 GAA and .899 SV% in 15 appearances this season (4-6-3). The Sabres enter Thursday's contest as slight -111 road favorites against a struggling Canucks team coming off a 4-0 shutout loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

Norris recently returned from a 25-game absence due to a shoulder injury and will return to the sidelines on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks. It's unclear whether Norris' recent ailment is related to the shoulder injury that has kept him out of over 150 games in the past four seasons. When healthy, Norris has been productive and has seven points (2G / 5A) through five games this season.

With Thatcher Demko returning from a lower-body injury, Vancouver has assigned Tolopilo back to the AHL. The undrafted 25-year-old goalie returns to the Abbotsford Canucks (AHL), where he has a 3.35 GAA and .901 SV% in five games (1-3-1).

Demko has been sidelined for several weeks with a lower-body injury, but will return to the crease on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres, marking his first appearance between the pipes since November 11th. The Canucks were a modest 8-8-1 before Demko's injury, but struggled without him, going 3-8-2 in 13 games. The 29-year-old Demko has a 2.80 GAA and .903 SV% in 10 games (5-4-0) this season, but has battled injury adversity over the past few seasons and will likely be eased back in a starting workload. The Canucks enter Thursday's contest as -101 home underdogs against a Sabres team that snapped a three-game losing skid on Tuesday in a 4-3 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers.

The Canucks, already expected to be without Elias Pettersson (upper body), will take a major blow to their offensive prowess if Boeser is not able to suit up on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres. The 28-year-old Boeser has 16 points (9G / 7A) in 28 games this season, but has been held off the scoresheet in eight of his last 10 games.

Simon Edvinsson (lower body) will not play on Thursday, resulting in the Red Wings recalling Gustafsson from the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL). The 33-year-old Gustafsson played one game with the Red Wings this season, recording zero points in 17:23 time-on-ice.

Demko has been sidelined for several weeks with a lower-body injury, but will return to the crease on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres, marking his first appearance between the pipes since November 11th. The Canucks were a modest 8-8-1 before Demko's injury, but struggled without him, going 3-8-2 in 13 games. The 29-year-old Demko has a 2.80 GAA and .903 SV% in 10 games (5-4-0) this season, but has battled injury adversity over the past few seasons and will likely be eased back in a starting workload. The Canucks enter Thursday's contest as -101 home underdogs against a Sabres team that snapped a three-game losing skid on Tuesday in a 4-3 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers.

The Stars' blueline is getting healthier, which resulted in Kolyachonok being a healthy scratch on Tuesday, but he will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. The 24-year-old Kolyachonok has been impressive in limited action since making his team debut last month, scoring three points (1G / 2A) and averaging 12:42 time-on-ice in 10 games.

The red-hot Stars, 9-0-2 in their last 11, will turn to Oettinger on Thursday in a meeting against his hometown team, the Minnesota Wild. Oettinger was the second star in the NHL last week and has been picking up momentum after a mediocre start to the season. The 26-year-old American goalie has a 1.85 GAA and .934 SV% in his last six games (6-0-0). The Stars enter Thursday's contest against a Wild team that has been amongst the NHL's best over the last month but has suddenly lost three of its last five (2-2-1).

Blackwood started three straight games while Scott Wedgewood was injured, but it appears the Avalanche will return to an even goalie rotation after Wedgewood made his return on Tuesday. The 29-year-old Blackwood returns to the crease against the Florida Panthers on Thursday, following a 23-save performance (.920 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Colorado has received exceptional goaltending regardless of who is tending the twine, and Blackwood has been no exception, posting an excellent 2.21 GAA and .920 SV% in 10 games (8-1-1). Colorado enters Thursday's contest as significant -224 home favorites against a Panthers team that played last night and is riding a three-game winning streak.

Kurtis MacDermid will draw back into Ottawa's lineup on Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, sending Halliday to the press box as a healthy scratch. The 23-year-old Halliday has two assists in seven games this season.

Stephen Halliday will be a healthy scratch on Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, allowing MacDermid to re-enter the lineup. The 31-year-old MacDermid has only played once in the last four weeks. He has zero points and is averaging 4:16 time-on-ice through nine games this season.

Gavin Brindley (lower body) will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Florida Panthers, resulting in Bardakov heading the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 24-year-old Bardakov, in his first NHL season, has five points (1G / 4A) in 25 games.