NHL Player News

Brazeau (upper body) is available for Monday's game against the Avalanche, Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports.

Brazeau has missed the last four matchups due to his upper-body injury, but he participated in Monday's morning skate and has officially been cleared to return to game action. Across six appearances since the Olympic break, he's recorded a goal, two assists, six hits and six blocked shots while averaging 12:56 of ice time.

Lizotte (upper body) won't play against Colorado on Monday.

Lizotte will miss at least one game, but it's unclear if he will be ready to return against Carolina on Wednesday. He has contributed seven goals, 19 points, 49 shots on net, 35 blocked shots and 49 hits in 55 games this season. After missing the last four outings, Justin Brazeau (upper body) will replace Lizotte in Monday's lineup against the Avalanche.

Draisaitl (lower body) didn't participate in Monday's practice because he is still going through the evaluation process, Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton reports.

Draisaitl sustained the injury in Sunday's 3-1 win over Nashville after extending his point streak to nine consecutive games. He has amassed six goals and 11 assists during that span, giving him 35 tallies and 97 points across 65 appearances this season. There was no update on Draisaitl's status following Monday's practice, but head coach Kris Knoblauch believes the 30-year-old forward could miss some games, per Derek Van Diest of NHL.com.

Silovs was the first goalie off during Monday's morning skate, Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now reports, indicating that he'll draw the road start against Colorado.

Silovs and Stuart Skinner have alternated starts since the Olympic break, and that trend will continue Monday. Across his last five starts, Silovs has gone 3-2-0 with a 2.91 GAA and .884 save percentage.

Vejmelka was the first goalie off the ice Monday, Robert Tiffin of D Magazine reports, indicating he'll guard the road cage against Dallas.

Vejmelka has given up three or more goals in each of his last four outings, earning himself a 1-2-1 record along the way. Despite the slump, Vejmelka continues to see the bulk of the workload ahead of Vitek Vanecek and currently leads the league with 52 starts.

Alexeyev was reassigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Monday.

Alexeyev was called up by the Penguins on Thursday but didn't appear in any games during his time with the NHL club. He should have more consistent opportunities to play in the AHL, where he's recorded three goals, four assists and 15 PIM over 29 appearances this year.

St. Ivany (hand) was recalled from his conditioning assignment with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Monday.

St. Ivany's promotion back to the NHL roster doesn't guarantee he'll be in the lineup versus the Avalanche on Monday. If he does suit up, he figures to replace Ilya Solovyov or Connor Clifton in the third pairing. During his three-game conditioning stint in the minors, St. Ivany notched one assist.

Kuznetsov (upper body) won't play against Detroit on Monday, Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The Fan reports.

Kuznetsov is day-to-day after sustaining the injury in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Islanders. He has earned four goals, 12 points, 58 shots on net, 89 blocked shots and 75 hits across 52 appearances this season. Due to Kuznetsov's absence, Hunter Brzustewicz will draw into Monday's lineup against the Red Wings.

Wedgewood will tend the twine at home versus the Penguins on Monday, Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports reports.

Wedgewood is riding a five-game winning streak, during which he is sporting a 1.26 GAA and .954 save percentage. The Ontario native has featured in four of the Avalanche's last six outings, though one appearance was in relief of Mackenzie Blackwood. Looking ahead, Colorado will likely continue to ride the hot hand, so look for Wedgewood to hold onto the starting gig as long as he continues to perform.

Gudbranson (upper body) will be a game-time decision versus Carolina on Tuesday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Gudbranson has been out of action for the Blue Jackets' last three contests due to his upper-body injury. The 34-year-old blueliner's return is unlikely to impact the majority of fantasy managers, considering he is currently mired in an 11-game point drought. Gudbranson doesn't offer enough category coverage in fantasy due to his lack of scoring.