NHL Hockey Player News

Miller has not played since suffer an upper-body injury on March 2nd, but was back at practice in a non-contact jersey on Tuesday. He will not play on Tuesday against the Calgary Flames, but appears to be nearing a return. The Rangers have gone 2-1-0 without Miller, who was picking up production before his injury, scoring 14 points (3G / 11A) in his last 13 games.

Gudbranson exited Monday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings after only 5:02 time-on-ice due to a lower-body injury and will remain sidelined on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 34-yer-old defenseman is averaging 17:51 time-on-ice and has three points (1G / 2A) in 21 games this season.

The Rangers are well above .500 when Igor Shesterkin starts (20-12-6) and would likely be in playoff contention if not for a prolonged injury, but, on the tail end of a back-to-back, they will turn to Jonathan Quick. The 40-year-old veteran Quick is sporting a miserable 4-15-2 record. He allowed five goals on 34 shots (.853 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 6-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils, and has lost 16 of his last 17 appearances (1-14-2) while posting an ugly 3.69 GAA and .874 SV%. Still, the Rangers enter Tuesday's contest as -131 home favourites against a Calgary Flames team that was defeated 7-3 by the Washington Capitals last night.

Vasilevskiy has battled some adversity lately, but he was excellent in his most recent outing, saving 27 of 29 shots (.931 SV%) in a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 31-year-old goalie has only two wins in five games since the Olympic break (2-3-0), both against the struggling Maple Leafs, and has a dreadful 5.17 GAA and .813 SV% in outings against other teams (0-3-0). Still, Tampa Bay enters Monday's contest as significant -235 home favourites against a Columbus Blue Jackets team that has lost four of seven games since the Olympic break (3-1-3).

With Sam Reinhart (undisclosed) not play on Tuesday, Kunin will re-enter the lineup against the Detroit Red Wings. The 28-year-old Kunin has not played in nearly two weeks. He is averaging 8:36 time-on-ice, recording four points (2G / 2A) and 82 hits in 44 games this season.

Cernak exited Sunday's rollercoaster 8-7 loss to the Buffalo Sabres after only 6:47 time-on-ice due to an upper-body injury and will remain sidelined on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 28-year-old Slovak defenseman is averaging 17:57 time-on-ice, recording seven points (1G / 6A), 77 blocks, and 81 hits in 43 games this season.

Panthers' Head Coach Paul Maurice indicated that Reinhart will not play on Tuesday, mostly for maintenance purposes, and should be ready to return to the lineup on Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 30-year-old Reinhart has 59 points (28G / 31A) in 63 games this season and only has four points (1G / 3A) in his last seven outings.

The Panthers have been more liberal with their goalie usage in recent weeks and will turn to Tarasov on Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings. The 26-year-old Tarasov has lost both of his starts since returning from the Olympic break (0-2-0), but has been serviceable nonetheless, posting a 2.56 GAA and .923 SV%. The Panthers enter Tuesday's contest as -127 home favourites against a Red Wings team they defeated 3-1 less than a week ago.