NHL Player News

Merzlikins (illness) is questionable to return to Tuesday's game versus the Senators.

Merzlikins exited the game after the first period. He allowed two goals on seven shots before he was replaced by Jet Greaves. Merzlikins likely won't be back in the contest unless Greaves gets injured, and the former should be considered day-to-day ahead of Thursday's game versus the Stars.

Kesselring (ankle) won't play against Nashville on Tuesday.

Kesselring will miss his second straight game after tweaking his ankle injury. However, the issue isn't believed to be serious. He hasn't picked up a point in 17 appearances this season while collecting 23 shots on goal, 23 blocked shots and 16 hits.

Lyon will guard the road goal versus the Predators, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Lyon backed up Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on Monday versus the Hurricanes, and now he'll make his return to the crease a day later. Lyon had missed nine games due to a lower-body injury. Given Luukkonen's strong play in Lyon's absence, the Sabres' crease is likely to be a timeshare moving forward.

Peeke (lower body) is expected to play against Dallas on Tuesday, per Jim McBride of The Boston Globe.

After missing Saturday's 5-2 win over Chicago, Peeke will replace Henri Jokiharju (personal) in Tuesday's lineup. The 27-year-old Peeke has four goals, nine points, 54 shots on net, 92 blocked shots and 58 hits across 48 appearances this season.

Rantanen (illness) won't play Tuesday versus the Bruins, Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine reports.

Rantanen's absence will take a lot of scoring potential out of a lineup that's been struggling to fill the net lately. He has 19 goals and 63 points in 48 appearances this season. His next chance to play is Thursday in Columbus.

Vasilevskiy will patrol the home crease against San Jose on Tuesday, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times.

Vasilevskiy is coming off a 19-save performance in Sunday's 4-1 win over Dallas. He has a 20-7-3 record with a 2.22 GAA, a .915 save percentage and one shutout through 30 appearances in the 2025-26 campaign. San Jose sits 16th in the league with 3.13 goals per game this season.

Brodin (lower body) won't return before the Olympics and will not represent Sweden at the tournament, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports Tuesday.

Brodin's status for the Olympics was already in doubt, and this update confirms that. The 32-year-old blueliner is on injured reserve and considered week-to-week, but he'll be out for nearly six weeks at a minimum due to the injury.

Wallstedt will defend the road net against Montreal on Tuesday, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Filip Gustavsson played in Monday's 6-3 win over Toronto, and Wallstedt will get the second half of the back-to-back. The 23-year-old Wallstedt has lost his last two outings while allowing 11 goals on 49 shots. He has a 12-4-4 record this campaign with a 2.64 GAA, a .914 save percentage and four shutouts through 20 appearances. Montreal sits fourth in the league with 3.39 goals per game this season.

Askarov will guard the road goal against Tampa Bay on Tuesday, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.

Askarov will get the second half of San Jose's back-to-back after Alex Nedeljkovic played in Monday's 4-1 win over Florida. The 23-year-old Askarov has a 16-12-1 record with a 3.53 GAA and an .890 save percentage across 30 appearances of the 2025-26 campaign. Tampa Bay sits second in the league this season with 3.49 goals per game.

Howden (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, per the NHL media site.

Vegas recalled Jonas Rondbjerg from AHL Henderson in a corresponding move. Howden has missed the last five games and isn't expected to return until after February's Olympic break. He has accounted for nine goals, 15 points, 46 shots on net and 66 hits across 39 appearances this season.