NHL Player News

Rittich will draw the start in Chicago on Tuesday, Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reports.

Rittich will make his fifth straight start Tuesday due to Ilya Sorokin being on injured reserve because of a lower-body injury. The 33-year-old Rittich has played well during his stint as the No. 1 netminder, posting a 2-1-1 record, 1.49 GAA and .952 save percentage over four appearances. This might be a favorable matchup for Rittich, as the Blackhawks have lost seven of their last eight games and have heavily struggled without Connor Bedard (upper body).

Vladar will defend the road net against Vancouver on Tuesday.

Vladar made 23 saves in a 5-2 win over the Canucks on Dec. 22. He has a 13-6-3 record with a 2.37 GAA and a .909 save percentage across 22 appearances this season. Vancouver is tied for 25th in the league with 2.76 goals per game this campaign.

Lyon suffered a lower-body injury in Monday's 4-2 win over St. Louis, according to Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News on Tuesday.

Lyon didn't participate in Tuesday's practice, and it's unclear if he will be available for Wednesday's road matchup against Dallas. He has won his last seven outings while allowing only 15 goals on 185 shots. If Lyon misses game action, Colten Ellis (concussion) could come off injured reserve to push Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for playing time.

Cooley signed a two-year, $2.7 million contract extension with Calgary on Tuesday, according to Chris Johnston of The Athletic.

Cooley has posted a 4-4-2 record with a 2.40 GAA and a .914 save percentage through 13 appearances this season. He has been a solid backup behind Dustin Wolf and will likely maintain that role for the length of his contract.

Demko will patrol the home crease Tuesday versus Philadelphia, Jeff Paterson of CanucksArmy.com reports.

Demko has followed up a three-game winning streak with losses in his last two outings, conceding a combined nine goals on 74 shots in losses to the Flyers and Sharks. He'll have a chance to rebound against the Flyers, who are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Kraken on Sunday. Demko has an 8-7-0 record with one shutout, a 2.63 GAA and a .907 save percentage through 16 contests this season.

Knight will patrol the home crease against the Islanders on Tuesday, Tracey Myers of NHL.com reports.

Knight has lost his last five outings while allowing 15 goals on 121 shots. He has a 10-11-5 record this season with two shutouts, a 2.65 GAA and a .910 save percentage through 26 appearances. The Islanders sit 24th in the league with 2.77 goals per game this year.

Skinner will get the home start against the Hurricanes on Tuesday, per Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff.

Skinner has struggled since being dealt to the Penguins, posting a record of 0-3-0 with a 4.18 GAA and an .831 save percentage across three appearances. He has allowed at least three goals in all three of his outings with Pittsburgh. The Hurricanes are on the second half of a back-to-back, having defeated the Rangers on Monday in overtime by a 3-2 score, while the Penguins have been off since Sunday.

Blackwood stopped 23 of 25 shots in Monday's 5-2 win over the Kings.

Blackwood was beaten once in the second period and once more in the final frame, but he didn't have to worry about the support from the offense since the Avs scored five goals to cruise to victory. Blackwood extended his winning streak to six with this easy outing, and he owns a 1.99 GAA and an impressive .929 save percentage over that stretch. The Avalanche are known for their powerful offense, but Blackwood has been a key part of the team's success this season as well.

Forsberg stopped 21 of 25 shots in Monday's 5-2 loss to the Avalanche. The fifth goal was an empty-netter late in the third period.

Forsberg has been elevated to the No. 1 role between the posts due to the absence of Darcy Kuemper (upper body), but Forsberg has been inconsistent, allowing three or more goals in four of his last six starts. Over that stretch, the 33-year-old veteran has gone 2-4-0 with a 2.67 GAA and a .907 save percentage. The Kings' offense hasn't done him any favors either. Los Angeles has managed two or fewer goals in seven of Forsberg's last eight appearances.

Wolf stopped 24 of 25 shots in Monday's 2-1 overtime win over the Bruins.

Wolf was excellent throughout the game, as the lone goal he conceded came through a deflection late in the first period. The 24-year-old has won three of his last four starts and owns a 7-2-0 record in 10 appearances in December, posting a 2.36 GAA and a .916 save percentage. Wolf has also allowed two or fewer goals in four of his last six outings.