NHL Hockey Player News

A disappointing couple of weeks for Seattle has effectively put them out of contention for a playoff spot, but they have received adequate netminding from Grubauer, who will return to the crease on Monday against the Winnipeg Jets. The 34-year-old German goalie saved 27 of 30 shots (.900 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 4-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. He has a 2.80 GAA and .906 SV% in his last six games (2-3-1), and is far and away having his best season with Seattle. The Kraken enter Monday's contest as +148 road underdogs against a Jets team that is 3-1-0 in their last four games.

Sabourin was playing regularly for Tampa Bay towards the end of March, but he had missed two straight due to an undisclosed injury. The 33-year-old Sabourin has four points (1G / 3A) and 89 penalty minutes in 22 games this season.

The Sharks are on the outside of the playoff picture, but are still within reach of a Wild Card spot and will turn to Nedeljkovic on Monday against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 30-year-old Nedeljkovic has had an inconsistent season, but he was solid in his most recent outing, saving 19 of 20 shots (.950 SV%) in a 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has a 2.93 GAA and .883 SV% since the beginning of March (5-4-2). The Sharks enter Monday's contest as -169 home favourites against a Blackhawks team that defeated the Seattle Kraken 4-2 on Saturday to snap a five-game losing streak.

Cirelli was a surprise scratch on Monday, with the Lightning not announcing his absence prior to warmups. He is considered day-to-day with the injury. Scott Sabourin will draw into the lineup in his place.

For the first four weeks following the Olympic break, the Sabres had an equal goalie rotation, but with Alex Lyon struggling in recent games, the team will turn to Luukkonen for his fourth start in their last five games. The 27-year-old Luukkonen was solid in his most recent outing, saving 20 of 22 shots (.909 SV%), but did not receive enough goal support in an eventual 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators. Since returning from the Olympic break, Luukkonen is boasting an impressive 2.30 GAA and .921 SV% in 11 games (8-2-1). The Sabres enter Monday's contest as +105 home underdogs against the Tampa Bay Lightning in a must-win game if they have any intentions of winning the Atlantic Division.

In a pivotal game that could decide the winner of the Atlantic Division, Tampa Bay will turn to Vasilevskiy on Monday against the Buffalo Sabres. The 31-year-old Vasilevskiy was excellent in his previous outing, saving 21 of 22 shots (.955 SV%) in a 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins. He has battled some inconsistencies this season, but has a solid 2.03 GAA and .916 SV% in his last four games (3-1-0). Tampa Bay enters Monday's contest as -116 road favourites against a Buffalo team that has been outscored 10-3 in its last two games (0-2-0).

Ryan Winterton will be a healthy scratch on Monday, allowing Meyers to re-enter the lineup. The 27-year-old Meyers is averaging 11:52 time-on-ice and has 15 points (7G / 8A) in 49 games this season.

Oleksiak has played all but two games for Seattle this season, but he will be a healthy scratch on Monday, allowing Cale Fleury to enter the lineup. The 33-year-old Oleksiak is averaging 16:53 time-on-ice and has 13 points (5G / 8A) in 73 games this season.

Jamie Oleksiak will be a healthy scratch on Monday, allowing Fleury to re-enter the lineup. The 27-year-old Fleury is averaging 16:12 time-on-ice and has three points (1G / 2A) in 21 games this season.

Ben Meyers will draw into Seattle's lineup on Monday, sending Winterton to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 22-year-old Winterton is averaging 11:47 time-on-ice and has 18 points (4G / 14A) in 62 games this season.

Mangiapane has not played in nearly three weeks, but could be an option on Monday against the San Jose Sharks. The Edmonton Oilers signed Mangiapane in the off-season to provide some depth scoring, but after tallying just 14 points (7G / 7A) and a -19 plus/minus in 52 games, he was dealt to the Blackhawks in a trade. Through seven games with Chicago, the 29-year-old Mangiapane has two points (1G / 1A) and a -3 plus/minus.

Kane has been in and out of the lineup in recent games, and it is unclear what his status is for Tuesday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 34-year-old Kane is averaging 16:25 time-on-ice and has 31 points (13G / 18A) in 71 games this season.

The Kings have received higher-quality netminding from Forsberg in recent outings, and with their playoff hopes on the line and only six games remaining in the regular season, they will turn to him on Monday against the Nashville Predators. The 33-year-old Swedish goalie was excellent in his previous game, saving 23 of 24 shots (.958 SV%) in a 2-1 overtime win over the St. Louis Blues. He has a solid 2.53 GAA and .917 SV% in his last seven appearances (3-3-0). The Kings enter Monday's crucial contest as -134 home favourites against a Predators team that currently holds the final Wild Card position after going 7-3-0 in their last 10 games.

With Lankinen sidelined, expect Nikita Tolopilo to see the majority of the action between the pipes for the Canucks. The 30-year-old Lankinen has a 3.69 GAA and .875 SV% in 44 games this season (9-26-5), and it is unclear if he will target a return in one of Vancouver's final six games this season.

Knight was outstanding in his previous outing, saving 32 of 33 shots (.970 SV%), but did not receive ample goal support, losing 3-1 to the Edmonton Oilers to extend his losing streak to five games (0-3-2). The 24-year-old Knight has allowed four or more goals in five of his last eight games (1-4-3), but still has a serviceable 3.27 GAA and .903 SV% to show for it. The Blackhawks enter Monday's contest as +148 road underdogs against a Sharks team that is 4-1-0 in their last five games.

With Ty Dellandrea drawing back into San Jose's lineup, Gaudette will head to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 29-year-old Guadette is averaging 11:33 time-on-ice and has 25 points (17G / 8A) in 62 games this season.

Dellandrea recently returned from a lengthy injury, but returned to the sidelines after playing just one game. The 25-year-old bottom-six forward is averaging 14:17 time-on-ice and has 11 points (2G / 9A) in 43 games this season.

With their playoff hopes on the line, the Sharks will continue their push, with their offensive leader, Celebrini, in the lineup on Monday. The second-year forward has been outstanding for the Sharks this season, scoring a remarkable 106 points (41G / 65A) through 75 games at the age of 19. He has nearly double the production of the second-highest point producer on the team, which is Will Smith with 54 points.

Mintyukov just recently returned to the lineup after missing time with a lower-body injury, and quickly returned to the sidelines and missed another two games. That said, he was back at practice on Monday and could be an option on Tuesday against the Nashville Predators. The 22-year-old defenseman is averaging 18:26 time-on-ice and has 20 points (8G / 12A) in 68 games this season.