Fantasy Hockey

The Flames recalled Lazar from AHL Stockton on Friday.

Lazar has been pretty productive in the minors this season, notching 16 goals and 36 points in 46 appearances. With James Neal (lower body) sidelined, Lazar will likely get an opportunity to draw into the big club's lineup immediately against the Penguins on Saturday. The 2013 first-round pick will hope to produce a stand-out performance and make a case for remaining with the Flames down the stretch.

Carter (lower body) might be available for Saturday's clash with Boston, Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Carter has missed the previous five games due to his lower-body issue, but could be ready to rejoin the lineup. Prior to getting hurt, the center was bogged down in a five-game goal drought, during which he managed just one assist, 10 shots and four hits. While the veteran certainly won't be reaching the 60-point mark this year, he could still challenge for 40 with 25 games remaining on the schedule, though he'll have to shake off any rust quickly.

Nielsen didn't practice Friday due to a "stomach bug."

Coach Jeff Blashill isn't sure if Nielsen will be available Saturday against the Flyers, so his status for that contest could come down to a game-time decision. Confirmation on Nielsen's availability against Philadelphia should surface once Detroit takes the ice for pregame warmps.

Dubinsky (lower body) was designated for injured reserve Friday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

The news effectively rules Dubinsky out against the Blackhawks on Saturday, though he could technically still be activated in time to play if the team utilizes retroactive IR. With the 32-year-old sidelined and Boone Jenner (undisclosed) also out versus Chicago, the Jackets recalled Cole Sherwood from the minors, and he figures to slot into a fourth-line role.

Jenner (undisclosed) won't make the trip to Chicago for Saturday's game against the Blackhawks, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.

Jenner is reportedly just "nicked up," so although his injury doesn't sound overly serious, it will cost him at least one contest. The 25-year-old winger will hope to heal up in time for Monday's matchup with Tampa Bay.

Fitzgerald (arm) will suit up for AHL Providence on Friday against AHL Toronto, Mark Divver of The Providence Journal reports.

Fitzgerald appears set to rejoin the lineup after concerns of a setback in his recovery popped up at practice Tuesday, but it appears the center is no worse for the wear. If the 24-year-old can resume his minor-league productivity (26 points in 37 games), he could be in line for a call-up by the Bruins down the stretch.

Okposo went straight to the dressing room Friday after a third-period fight versus the Rangers' Anthony DeAngelo, Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald reports.

Okposo dished out a hard hit on DeAngelo, who took exception and picked a fight with just 7:51 remaining in regulation. Okposo would've gotten out of the box with less than three minutes remaining, so he may have simply been held out for a precautionary measure. Okposo isn't a standard fighter, as his last tilt came in November of 2015 versus the Lightning's Ryan Callahan. Expect an update on his condition after the game as he looks to be healthy for Sunday's contest versus the Devils.

The Devils placed Coleman (upper body) on injured reserve Friday.

Coleman will be eligible to return to action Sunday against the Sabres, but there's no telling if he'll be healthy enough to suit up for that contest at this juncture. The 27-year-old forward has struggled recently, going scoreless while posting a minus-3 rating in his last six games, so the Devils will hope he'll be able to find his scoring touch once he's given the green light to rejoin the lineup.

The Devils activated Wood (upper body) off of injured reserve Friday.

Wood looks primed to rejoin the lineup after sitting out each of the last four games. Prior to his absence, he served as the left wing on the second line, and there's a good chance he will slot back in there versus the Wild. He should also retake his spot on one of the Devils' power-play units.

Ritchie (illness) won't play Friday against the Bruins.

With Ritchie under the weather, the recently recalled Troy Terry will draw into the lineup for Friday's contest. The 23-year-old winger will hope to recover in time for Sunday evening's matchup with the Capitals.

Roussel picked up an assist in Thursday's shootout win over the Kings.

Roussel has six points in his past 10 contests, a scoring rate much higher than we're used to seeing. He has 24 points through 54 games this season, and is in line to crack the 30-point mark for the first time in his career. That's not his main contribution though, as he leads the NHL with 112 PIM.

Wilson picked up an undisclosed injury the prevented him from practicing with the team Friday, Mike Chambers of The Denver Post reports.

Wilson has missed the past two games, but it wasn't immediately clear if this was due to his injury or simply being a healthy scratch. The winger should be considered questionable at best for Saturday's matchup with the Blues given he wasn't able to practice Friday.

Skjei won't return to Friday's game versus the Sabres after suffering a lower-body injury, Colin Stephenson of Newsday reports.

Skjei doesn't light up the scoresheet but he logs major minutes and adds a physical component. It's not clear how serious the injury is, and Skjei will look to get healthy for Sunday's game versus the Penguins.

The Jets recalled Niku from AHL Manitoba on Friday, Jim Toth of TSN 1290 Winnipeg reports.

With Dmitry Kulikov (upper body) and Joe Morrow (lower body) nursing injuries, Niku was brought up in case both are unable to play Saturday versus the Senators. Niku has played 11 games with the Jets this season and recorded two assists, but he's compiled 12 points in 20 AHL outings. He'll likely slot into the third pairing if he draws in.

Cole's upper-body injury is a fractured orbital bone which will keep him out of the lineup indefinitely, Mike Chambers of The Denver Post reports.

Cole was injured in a fight with Washington's Tom Wilson on Feb. 7 and has missed the previous four games. With no timeline for when the Michigan native might be ready to go, the blueliner should probably be considered week-to-week for the time being.

Klingberg (undisclosed) will be in the lineup against Carolina on Saturday after x-rays came back negative, Sean Shapiro of The Athletic reports.

Klingberg was forced to leave Thursday's clash with Tampa Bay after blocking a shot, but appears to have avoided any serious damage. If the blueliner is going to help keep the Stars in playoff contention, he is going to need to produce more than the two points he registered in his last eight outings.

Leddy hasn't registered a point in the his last 11 games for the Islanders.

What may be of bigger concern to the Islanders is that the defensive play of Leddy seems to be slipping as well. Leddy has a rating of minus-5 in his last six games and is a minus-2 overall this season in 57 games. Leddy was putrid last season with a rating of -42, but coach Barry Trotz seemed to have gotten through to Leddy this season that he must play stronger in his own end. This may be just a blip on the radar, but the play of Leddy will be worth watching as the Isles battle for first-place in the Metropolitan Division.

Walker took a puck to the face during Thursday's game against Vancouver and some swelling has led to questions surrounding his status Saturday against the Bruins, Jon Rosen of Fox Sports West reports.

Fortunately, the Kings have ruled out a concussion from the incident, but he's not out of the woods just yet. The team will reevaluate Walker after another night of rest, so a definitive word on his status won't arrive until game day.

Gibson (upper body) won't play in Friday's home game versus the Bruins, Elliott Teaford of The Orange County Register reports.

Kevin Boyle will make his second career start and veteran Ryan Miller will serve as the backup. Gibson remains on injured reserve but can be activated at any point, with his next chance being Sunday's home matchup versus the Capitals.

Boyle will start between the pipes in Friday's home game against the Bruins, NHL.com's Dan Arritt reports.

Boyle was fantastic in his first NHL start Wednesday against Vancouver, stopping all 35 shots en route to an impressive 1-0 shutout victory. The undrafted rookie will look to stay sharp and pick up a second straight win in a home matchup with a Boston team that's only averaging 2.27 goals per game on the road this campaign, 28th in the NHL.

Smith will guard the goal in Saturday's road game against the Penguins, Derek Wills of Sportsnet 960 The Fan reports.

Smith was sharp in his last start Thursday against the Panthers, turning aside 30 of 32 shots, but he ultimately suffered his 13th loss of the season due to a lack of goal support from his teammates. The veteran netminder will look to stay dialed in and snap his three-game losing streak in a road matchup with a Pittsburgh team that's averaging 3.46 goals per game at home this season, sixth in the NHL.

Kinkaid will patrol the crease in Friday's road game against the Wild, NHL.com's Jessi Pierce reports.

Kinkaid was terrible in his last start Tuesday against St. Louis, surrendering eight goals on 39 shots en route to an 8-3 defeat. The American backstop will look to bounce back and secure his 16th win of the season in a road matchup with a Minnesota team that's only averaging 2.93 goals per game at home this campaign, 25th in the NHL.

According to Mark Lazerus of The Athletic, Crawford feels "ready to go" physically, but believes he'll probably need to log a few more practices to get his timing down before returning to game action.

This is fantastic news for the Blackhawks and Crawford's owners, as there was legitimate concern that the 34-year-old netminder may consider hanging up his skates after suffering his second major concussion in a little over a year against the Sharks on Dec. 16. Instead, the 2003 second-round pick appears to be on the verge of returning to the lineup, and could do so as soon as Wednesday against Detroit.

Dubnyk will guard the home goal Friday against the Devils, Jessi Pierce of The Athletic reports.

Dubnyk surrendered four goals in the final two periods of Tuesday's game against the Flyers to go home with a loss for the fifth time in the last six games. While some of his record troubles have come due to a lack of offensive support, that certainly wasn't the case versus Philadelphia. Dubnyk will look to bounce back Friday against a Devils team averaging just two goals over eight February contests.