NHL Player News

Binnington will draw the road start versus the Sharks on Friday, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.

Binnington will get the nod in a game that could be challenging for the Blues, who only have five defensemen dressed for the contest. With Justin Faulk traded to Detroit and Colton Parayko (back) out, that's a lot of defensive skill unavailable Friday. Binnington has lost eight straight NHL games, all in regulation, and he has an .844 save percentage in that span.

Parayko (back) won't be in the lineup Friday versus the Sharks, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.

The Blues traded Justin Faulk to the Red Wings on Friday, and they didn't have the time to make a call-up on defense with Parayko still sidelined. As such, they'll dress 13 forwards and just five blueliners in this contest. Parayko's status for Sunday's game in Anaheim has yet to be determined.

Howden (lower body) will be activated from long-term injured reserve prior to Sunday's game versus the Oilers, per SinBin.vegas.

Howden will miss his 20th consecutive game Friday, but that looks to be the end of his absence. The 27-year-old will be a bottom-six option upon his return Sunday. He will need to be activated from long-term injured reserve to officially make his return.

Karlsson (lower body) will need the Golden Knights to make a run in the playoffs to get back into the lineup, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports Friday.

The Golden Knights won't put Karlsson on season-ending long-term injured reserve, as there's still a chance he comes back. However, that won't happen in the regular season, and it's unlikely he'll get back in the first round of the playoffs. Once healthy, he may be limited to a bottom-six role given his lengthy layoff and the intensity of the postseason.

Malkin received a five-game suspension Friday for slashing the Sabres' Rasmus Dahlin in Thursday's contest.

Malkin will be out until March 16 versus the Avalanche. Malkin's slash was particularly egregious, as it was toward the head of Dahlin, which likely factors into the significant length of this suspension. Sidney Crosby (lower body) is also out currently, so the Penguins will be getting a taste of the future without the two franchise cornerstones available over the next week-plus.

Kane (illness) will play Friday versus the Blackhawks, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports.

Kane was initially not expected to play, but he'll be back in action. The 34-year-old is slated for third-line duties and should also factor in on the power play.

Knight (illness) won't suit up for Friday's game versus the Canucks, Scott Powers of The Athletic reports.

Knight will miss at least one game, and Arvid Soderblom will start Friday. Caydon Edwards is the emergency backup goalie for this contest but shouldn't be expected to see the ice unless Soderblom gets hurt. Knight's status for Sunday in Dallas is not yet clear, but the Blackhawks would likely dip into their depth at AHL Rockford if he is still sick over the weekend.

Andersen will protect the road goal versus the Oilers on Friday, Adam Gold of 99.9 The Fan reports.

Andersen is getting the first half of a back-to-back and the harder matchup of the Hurricanes' two games in Alberta. He will be starting for the third time in four games, having allowed four goals on 44 shots over his last two outings. Brandon Bussi will likely get the nod Saturday versus the Flames.

Soderblom will guard the home goal versus the Canucks on Friday, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Soderblom will get a start in a soft matchup against the NHL's worst team. The 26-year-old posted a 22-save shutout over the Mammoth in his last outing. This is the kind of game where Soderblom is a viable streaming and DFS option for fantasy managers.

Rantanen (lower body) will not resume skating for 7-10 days, Sam Nestler of DLLS Stars reports Friday.

Rantanen will likely be out at least another two weeks at this point, with a return in the last week or so of March looking most likely if the rest of his recovery is smooth. The 29-year-old has already missed four games and will likely be sidelined for another eight or more. Mavrik Bourque continues to get top-six minutes in Rantanen's absence.