NHL Player News

Girard (upper body) will be back in the lineup versus Winnipeg on Saturday,

Girard missed five games with the injury. He will play alongside Kris Letang on the second pairing. Girard has three goals and 12 points in 47 games split between Colorado and Pittsburgh this season.

Hellebuyck will guard the road goal against Pittsburgh on Saturday, according to Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press.

Hellebuyck has one victory in his last five outings (1-3-1) while allowing 18 goals on 129 shots. He has a 17-19-1 record this campaign with a 2.83 GAA and an .897 save percentage through 46 appearances. Pittsburgh ranks seventh in the league with 3.44 goals per game this season.

Ingram will guard the home cage versus Tampa Bay on Saturday, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports.

Ingram will start his fifth straight game, as he has taken over the No. 1 duties from Tristan Jarry. Ingram is 11-7-2 with a 2.77 GAA and an .892 save percentage in 23 appearances this season. The Lightning are second in NHL scoring, generating 3.57 goals per game, but they have been slumping of late, losing six of their last 10 contests.

Sorokin will defend the road net against the Canadiens on Saturday, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.

Sorokin is coming off a 23-save effort in Thursday's 3-2 loss to Ottawa. He has a 25-16-2 record this campaign with six shutouts, a 2.50 GAA and a .913 save percentage across 43 appearances. Montreal sits fifth in the league with 3.46 goals per game this season.

Laba (lower body) is week-to-week, according to Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic on Saturday.

Laba missed Thursday's 6-3 loss to Columbus after sustaining the injury in Wednesday's 6-3 defeat against New Jersey. He has collected nine goals, 21 points, 61 shots on net, 42 blocked shots and 98 hits in 65 games this season. It's unclear when he will be available to return to the lineup.

Appleton (undisclosed) is expected to be in the lineup against Boston on Saturday, according to Ansar Khan of MLive.com.

Appleton left Thursday's 3-1 win over Montreal, but he participated in Saturday's morning skate and appears to be available to play against the Bruins. He has contributed five goals, 13 points, 57 shots on net and 76 hits across 59 appearances this season.

Vaakanainen (upper body) is week-to-week, according to Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic on Saturday.

Vaakanainen sat out Thursday's game versus Columbus after being injured against the Devils on Wednesday. The defenseman has six assists in 33 games with the Rangers this season. There isn't much time left in the regular season, and Vaakanainen may spend the remainder of it on the shelf.

Graves (undisclosed) was removed from injured reserve Saturday, per the NHL media site.

Graves hasn't been in Pittsburgh's lineup since Jan. 21 against Calgary. He played in two games for AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton during a recent conditioning stint. Graves has one goal, 19 shots on net, 35 blocked shots and 15 hits in 19 NHL appearances this season.

Brandsegg-Nygard (undisclosed) will be a game-time decision Saturday versus Boston, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports.

Brandsegg-Nygard has missed the last three games with the injury. The 20-year-old rookie has one assist in 12 games this season. Should he miss Saturday's tilt, look for Dominik Shine to remain in the lineup.

Per Claire Hanna of TSN, Sanderson (upper body) has returned to the ice and could be back in action in 7-10 days, according to head coach Travis Green.

Sanderson remains week-to-week, but he has been skating for a few days. He will miss his seventh straight game against Toronto on Saturday, and an exact return date remains unclear. Sanderson has 11 goals and 37 assists, including 19 points on the power play, over 62 contests this season.