Lycksell made his season debut with the Flyers on December 7th, playing 6:11 time-on-ice and recording two penalty minutes but he did not draw back into the lineup after that outing. In a corresponding move, the Flyers have recalled Rhett Gardner.
Olle Lycksell was reassigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL, allowing the Flyers to recall Gardner. Gardner has spent the entirety of the 2023-24 campaign in the AHL, scoring four points (3G / 1A) and 39 penalty minutes in 21 games with the Phantoms.
Makar has not played since exiting Colorado's December 13th contest against the Buffalo Sabres after playing only 17:21 and will miss his third straight contest on Tuesday. Makar has been outstanding this season, scoring 37 points (8G / 29A) in 27 games but will not play for the fifth time in the last nine games as injuries are beginning to become a concern for the elite defenseman. Devon Toews has manned the blueline on the powerplay in Makar's absence.
Andrei Kuzmenko will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday, allowing Di Giuseppe to return to the lineup. Di Giuseppe has eight points (3G / 5A), 17 penalty minutes, and 42 hits while averaging 13:35 time-on-ice through 29 games this season.
After being a healthy scratch at the end of November, Kuzmenko played 10 consecutive games but will again be a healthy scratch on Tuesday against the Nashville Predators. In those 10 games, Kuzmenko has three points (3G / 0A) and is averaging only 13:53 time-on-ice, a significant drop from the 15:24 he was averaging in the 19 games leading up to then.
Cole Guttman will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday, allowing Entwistle to return to the lineup after missing two games due to an illness. Entwistle has five points (2G / 3A) in 21 games this season while playing predominantly on the fourth line with Reese Johnson and Ryan Donato.
Sherwood was a late scratch for Friday's game with the team announcing his absence less than 15 minutes before the puck drop and did not play on Saturday either. He has been cleared to play on Tuesday but will remain out of the lineup. Sherwood has 11 points (5G / 6A), 51 shots, and 83 hits in 29 games this season, playing predominantly on a line with Tommy Novak and Luke Evangelista.
Blackwell will make his season debut after missing the first two and a half months of the season recovering from a groin injury. Blackwell scored 10 points (2G / 8A) in 53 games in his first season with the Blackhawks last year. He is expected to skate on the third line with Jason Dickinson and Nick Foligno.
Binnington will likely start for the fifth consecutive game and look for his third-straight win on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In the two games since Drew Bannister took over coaching duties for the Blues, Binnington has won both games, saving 52 of 57 shots (.912 SV%) in the process. The Blues are +151 road favourites against the Lightning despite defeating them 5-0 in their only other meeting, a 30-save shutout for Binnington, his only one of the season.
Tarasov made an unceremonious season debut on Saturday, allowing five goals on 29 shots (.828 SV%) in a 6-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils, but will return to the crease on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres. After missing the first two months of the season due to a knee injury, Tarasov posted a 2.57 GAA and .915 SV% during a four-game stint with the Cleveland Monster of the AHL earlier this month. The Blue Jackets are sizeable +162 road underdogs against a Sabres team that is 3-6-1 in their last 10 games and was shut out 2-0 by the Arizona Coyotes in their last contest.
Shesterkin has struggled this season but is coming off one of his stronger performances, saving 21 of 22 shots (.955 SV%) in a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Saturday. His 2.91 GAA and .904 SV% through 18 games (11-7-0) are well below what is expected of the 2021-22 Vezina winner. Shesterkin and the Rangers are slight -102 road underdogs on Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who defeated them 7-3 one week ago. The Maple Leafs have scored 19 goals over their last three games (2-0-1) and are the hottest team in the NHL over the last five weeks (10-1-4).
Bellemare exited Monday's game against the Dallas Stars with a lower-body injury after playing only 4:10 time-on-ice. The Kraken finished the game with only 10 forwards as Jared McCann exited the game as well shortly after. The 38-year-old Bellemare has five points (4G / 1A) in 29 games this season while averaging 9:34 time-on-ice.
McCann was held off the scoresheet, playing only 9:10 before exiting Monday's contest against the Dallas Stars with a lower-body injury. McCann's offensive production has slipped after post career-highs in goals (40) and assists (30) last season but will still be a significant loss for the Kraken if he misses any extended time. After McCann exited the game, Tomas Tatar saw an increase in deployment for the Kraken.
Johnson has only played five of nine games for the Sabres in December, scoring zero points, four shots, and two hits. He will return to his familiar spot in the press box on Tuesday as a healthy scratch.
McAvoy will likely return to action on Tuesday after returning to practice on Monday as a full participant, including lining up on the top powerplay unit, a spot previously occupied by Kevin Shattenkirk. McAvoy has missed four straight games due to an upper-body injury suffered on December 7th.
Zacha will return to the Bruins' lineup on Tuesday after being a full participant at practice on Monday, re-assuming his previous duties, including centring the top powerplay unit. Zacha suffered an upper-body injury early in the Bruins' December 9th contest against the Arizona Coyotes. After a stretch of 17 points (8G / 9A) in 17 games, Zacha was held to only one point (0G / 1A) in the four games leading up to his injury.
Before the start of the season, Quinn was scheduled to return around Christmas and the 22-year-old will do so on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets as he completes his recovery from Achilles surgery. Quinn had a solid rookie season, scoring 14 goals with 23 assists (37 points) in 75 games. At practice on Monday, he skated on a line with Tage Thompson and Zach Benson.
Mrazek will likely start on Tuesday, giving him consecutive starts for the second time in the last two wakes, a rare occurrence in what has been a season mostly consisting of an equal rotation between Mrazek and Arvid Soderblom. Mrazek has played well for the bottom-dwelling Blackhawks this season, posting a 3.10 GAA and .907 SV% in 19 games (7-10-0), but has allowed four goals in each of his last two starts (0-2-0), posting a .867 SV%. As they are most nights, the Blackhawks are sizeable underdogs (+215) as they host the Colorado Avalanche, a team that defeated them 4-0 in their last meeting.
Czarnik was sent down to Grand Rapids (AHL) ahead of Monday's game but was immediately recalled on Tuesday morning as Klim Kostin suffered an upper-body injury. Czarnik has split time this season between Detroit and Grand Rapids, where he has seven points (3G / 4A) in nine games playing for the Griffins.
