NHL Player News

Foligno (illness) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against Nashville, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports.

Foligno missed Monday's game against the Canadiens, and he'll be unavailable for a second consecutive matchup ahead of the Olympic break. Tyler Pitlick will likely remain in the lineup against the Predators, while Foligno's next chance to return to action for the Wild will be Feb. 26 against the Avalanche.

Gustavsson will patrol the crease on the road against Nashville on Wednesday, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports.

Gustavsson is undefeated in regulation over his last eight outings, posting a 5-0-2 record, 2.94 GAA and .894 save percentage. With his decent run of games of late, the backstop has a decent chance of being named the starter for Sweden ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Ristolainen scored an empty-net goal and added an assist in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Capitals.

Ristolainen didn't record his first point until Dec. 23 after making his season debut Dec. 16. He's riding a modest two-game point streak, and his empty-netter in the final minute of Tuesday's win was his first goal of 2025-26. The 31-year-old has been skating on the first pairing while posting six points, 28 shots on net, 26 blocked shots and 20 hits through 18 appearances.

Tippett scored a goal in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Capitals. He also added three shots on goal, two hits and one blocked shot.

Tippett scored a goal for the first time since his hat trick against the Avalanche on Jan. 23. The 26-year-old winger has been consistent as a scoring weapon for the Flyers and looks to be on pace to hover around the 50-point plateau if he stays healthy down the stretch. Tippett has reached that mark just once in his career, but he's recorded at least 43 points in each of the last three seasons.

Blackwood is slated to start Wednesday's home game against the Sharks, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.

Blackwood has alternated wins and losses over his last five starts, going 2-3-0 with a 2.26 GAA and .912 save percentage during that time. However, he's coming off a pair of dominant starts against the Red Wings in which he allowed just one goal on 52 shots (.981 save percentage) despite his 1-1-0 record. Blackwood made a pair of starts against the Sharks in November, including one at home and one on the road, and he went 1-0-1 with a 1.48 GAA and .939 save percentage.

Oettinger will defend the cage at home against the Blues on Wednesday, Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Oettinger is riding a five-game winning streak despite sporting a 2.74 GAA and .877 save percentage. Still, the wins are what matter, and that could be enough to secure Oettinger the starting role for Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics ahead of Connor Hellebuyck and Jeremy Swayman.

Vladar stopped 26 of 28 shots in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Capitals.

Since returning from a lower-body injury last Wednesday, Vladar posted a save percentage of at least .900 and won for the first time. Despite his 2.74 GAA and .885 save percentage since the beginning of January, the 28-year-old netminder should see the bulk of the starts down the stretch for the Flyers.

Head coach Glen Gulutzan said Wednesday that Bichsel (lower body) is "very, very close" to returning but won't play until after the Olympic break, Brien Rea of Victory+ reports.

Bichsel is nearing a return to the lineup after having surgery for a lower-body injury in early December. However, it appears the Stars will exercise caution and give him a few extra weeks to rest. It wouldn't be surprising to see him back on the ice when the Stars resume play in late February.

Lyubushkin (lower body) is set to play Wednesday versus St. Louis, per Brien Rea of Victory+.

Lyubushkin missed Dallas' past four games because of the injury. He has a goal, seven points, 36 PIM, 54 hits and 67 blocks in 39 appearances in 2025-26. The 31-year-old's return might result in Alex Petrovic being a healthy scratch Wednesday.

Beauvillier recorded a goal and an assist in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Flyers.

Beauvillier has found the back of the net in back-to-back games, something he hadn't done all season long previously. He has three of his 12 goals in 2025-26 in his last six appearances. Beauvillier has contributed 20 points, 122 shots on net and 75 hits through 58 outings this campaign.