NHL Player News

Luukkonen will protect the road goal versus the Canadiens on Tuesday, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.

Luukkonen has struggled in his starts this season, but he earned a win in relief on Monday after a bad game from Colten Ellis. Luukkonen has allowed 13 goals on 69 shots, and considering the Sabres are on the second half of a back-to-back, including travel, he'll be a risky fantasy play against Montreal.

Garland (illness) is expected to play in Tuesday's home matchup against the Panthers, per Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers.

In an interview Tuesday morning, head coach Rick Bowness mentioned that Garland was dealing with an illness. After taking line rushes during Tuesday's warmups, however, Garland appears to be in good enough shape to play. He might have his playing time capped if there are any lingering effects of the illness, but if he's a full go, he should see solid usage from the team's second line. Garland will aim to notch his first point of the 2026-27 campaign Tuesday after being held off the scoresheet through five outings.

Ersson will defend the home crease in Tuesday's clash against the Blues, per Andrew Wilimek of the Senators' official site.

Ersson will make his first regular-season start at the Canadian Tire Centre as a member of the Senators on Tuesday, where he'll look to get his campaign on track. Across two appearances in 2026-27, the 26-year-old netminder has an 0-1-0 record, a 3.85 GAA and an .886 save percentage. He'll face off against the Blues, who he has found success against in the past, where he's posted a 2-1-1 record, an .894 save percentage and a 2.41 GAA across four outings. He's a decent spot start for fantasy managers in a pinch Tuesday.

Matinpalo (upper body) won't play against St. Louis on Tuesday, and there is no timeline for his return, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports.

Matinpalo suffered an upper-body injury in Monday's 4-1 win over New Jersey. He hasn't earned a point in six appearances this season, but he has posted four shots on net, eight blocked shots and four hits. Jorian Donovan will replace Matinpalo in Tuesday's lineup against the Blues.

Wolf will guard the road crease in Tuesday's clash against the Ducks.

Wolf will aim to reclaim his peak form Tuesday, as he's struggled to begin the new season. Across three appearances, the 25-year-old netminder has an 0-3-0 record, a 5.42 GAA and an .816 save percentage across 87 shots attempts between three outings. Tuesday's matchup will be a tough one for him, however, as the Ducks rank sixth in the NHL with 3.60 goals per game to open the 2026-27 campaign. Wolf is best left on waivers for the time being in fantasy.

Grzelcyk (lower body) suffered a "flare-up" and could be out for at least "a few days," head coach Lindy Ruff told Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News on Tuesday.

Buffalo placed Grzelcyk on injured reserve Tuesday. He hasn't played since Opening Night against Columbus on Oct. 1. With Rasmus Dahlin (upper body) and Grzelcyk unavailable, the Sabres recalled Dennis Gilbert from AHL Rochester to play against Montreal on Tuesday.

Evangelista (illness) will not play in Tuesday's road clash against the Red Wings, per Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site.

Evangelista didn't travel to Detroit with New Jersey, as he's currently getting back to 100 percent from an illness. He played in Saturday's clash against the Senators, but was limited to just 11:43 of ice time likely due to the same illness. The 24-year-old winger has been solid otherwise in the new season, compiling two goals, three points, 12 shots on net and four blocked shots across five appearances. His next chance to return will be Thursday's home game against the Rangers.

Ralph was assigned to AHL Springfield on Tuesday, per the NHL media site.

As expected, Ralph's temporary call-up was a salary-cap-related move by the Blues. St. Louis placed Torey Krug (ankle) on long-term reserve after bringing Ralph up from the minors.

Markstrom (undisclosed) is considered day-to-day and will miss Tuesday's road clash against the Blue Jackets, per Rob Darragh of the Panthers' official site.

Markstrom exited Monday's contest with some tightness, but is expected to have avoided injury. Tuesday's absence is likely just a maintenance day for the 36-year-old netminder, and we could see him suit up again as early as Thursday against the Canucks. For Tuesday's clash Akira Schmid will draw the start and Cooper Black will back up.

Gudas (undisclosed) is day-to-day and won't play against Columbus on Tuesday, per Rob Darragh of the Panthers' official site.

Gudas will miss at least one game, though it's unclear when he will be available to return to the lineup. He hasn't earned a point in six appearances this season, but he has registered three shots on net, 11 blocked shots and 13 hits. Uvis Balinskis will replace Gudas in Tuesday's lineup against the Blue Jackets.