J.J. Moser will not play on Wednesday due to an upper-body injury, allowing Valimaki to re-enter the lineup. Valimaki last played on December 19th, recording two penalty minutes, two shots, and one hit in 20:56 time-on-ice.
Vejmelka will start for the third time in the last five games and look to improve on his best run of play this season when he takes the crease on Wednesday. Over his last three appearances (3-0-0), Vejmelka has saved 73 of 75 shots (.973 SV%) and has demanded action with his solid play after seemingly losing the starting gig to Connor Ingram earlier this month. The Coyotes are +149 home underdogs on Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche, who has won two straight, including a 4-1 win over the Coyotes on Saturday.
Juuso Valimaki is expected to draw back into the Coyotes lineup on Wednesday as Moser will be out with an upper-body injury. The 23-year-old Moser has 15 points (3G / 12A) while averaging 19:38 time-on-ice through 33 games this season.
Veleno played 14:07 time-on-ice on Saturday but suffered an undisclosed injury at some point that will keep him out of the lineup on Wednesday against the Minnesota Wild. The 23-year-old centerman has four points (1G / 3A), a -10 plus/minus, and 15 shots in his last eight games.
Petry played only 11:53 in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils before exiting with an undisclosed injury. He played 13 consecutive games for the Red Wings, recording four points (1G / 3A), 15 shots, and a +2 plus/minus rating.
Michael Hutchinson manned the crease in a 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, but the Red Wings will turn back to Reimer, who should be a mainstay between the pipes as long as Ville Husso and Alex Lyon are out of the lineup without injuries. Reimer allowed six goals on 43 shots (.860 SV%) in his last game but was able to record his first victory in his last nine outings. The Red Wings are +123 road underdogs against a Minnesota Wild club that has won three straight contests.
Jarry has only started one of the last five games for the Penguins, an atrocious 10-save performance (.714 SV%) in a 7-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on December 16th, but will return to the crease on Wednesday evening. Omitting his most recent performance, Jarry has played well, allowing three or fewer goals in eight straight games (3-3-2), posting a .927 SV%. The Penguins are slight +101 road underdogs against a New York Islanders team that has points in three straight (2-0-1).
Ruzcika has been a regular in the Flames lineup for most of the season but will replaced by Walker Duehr on Wednesday. The Slovak-born Ruzicka has nine points (3G / 6A) in 29 games this season but has only one point in his last eight contests (0G / 1A).
Adam Ruzicka is expected to be a healthy scratch as Duehr will re-enter the Flames lineup on Wednesday. Duehr has four points (1G / 3A) and 21 hits while averaging 8:11 time-on-ice through 15 games this season.
Mitchell replaced Kevin Shattenkirk on Saturday but will return to the press box as a healthy scratch on Wednesday. The 24-year-old defenseman has two points (0G / 2A), 11 shots, and 13 blocks in 13 games this season.
Hellebuyck is among the league's hottest goaltenders since mid-November and will return to the crease on Wednesday evening. Hellebuyck has won 10 of his last 13 games (10-1-2), allowing three or fewer goals in each contest, posting a sensational .938 SV%. The American netminder has been a big reason why the Jets have catapulted into a race for the top seed in the Central Division, and he is in for a favourable matchup against the league-worst Chicago Blackhawks.
Bobrovsky saved 23 of 25 shots (.920 SV%) in the Panthers' last game before the Christmas break, an impressive 4-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday and will return to the crease on Wednesday. The sometimes-inconsistent Bobrovsky has played well over the last month, posting a .916 SV% through nine games (6-3-0). The Panthers are slight -112 road favourites against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have won three straight, outscoring their opposition 13-6.
Markstrom was terrific in his first two games after returning from a fractured finger (2-0-0), saving 58 of 59 shots (.983 SV%) before allowing four goals on 33 shots (.879 SV%) in a 5-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings in his most recent outing. Markstrom will return to the crease on Wednesday against the Seattle Kraken, who they defeated 4-3 on November 30th. The Flames are -139 home favourites against the Kraken, who have points in six straight (4-0-2), outscoring their opposition 21-10.
Omitting a horrible performance on December 19 when he allowed four goals on 18 shots (.778 SV%), Levi has been tremendous this month, posting a .932 SV% in five December contests (4-0-1). Levi will return to the crease for the Sabres on Wednesday, his third start in their last four games, in a challenging matchup against the struggling Boston Bruins. The Sabres are +130 road underdogs against a Bruins team that has lost four straight (0-2-2).
Despite winning three straight contests, Jordan Binnington will serve as the backup for the second time in the last three games for the Blues. Hofer was outstanding on December 21st, saving 37 of 38 shots (.974 SV%) in a 4-1 win over the Florida Panthers. Hofer has been wildly inconsistent in his first full season at the NHL level but has saved 46 of the last 48 shots he has faced (.958 SV%). The Blues are +153 home underdogs against the Dallas Stars, who they defeated 4-3 less than two weeks ago.
On Saturday, Shattenkirk was a healthy scratch and replaced by Ian Mitchell on the Bruins' defensive core. Shattenkirk has two goals and six assists in 26 games this season and is expected to skate with Parker Wotherspoon on the third defensive pair.
