Malinski will re-enter the lineup in place of Jack Johnson, who is listed as a healthy scratch for Tuesday's game in New Jersey. Malinski will skate alongside Bowen Byram on Colorado's third pair.
Willman will fill in for Tyler Toffoli, who was a late scratch on Tuesday due to an illness. Willman has one goal and one assist in 12 games with the Devils this season.
Toffoli was a surprise scratch for Tuesday's game, with the team only announcing his absence at the start of warmups. Max Willman will draw into the Devils' lineup to fill the void.
Vanecek will start for the third time in the last four games for the Devils in a challenging matchup against the high-scoring Colorado Avalanche. The Devils have lost two straight, and Vanecek has allowed four or more goals in each of his last two starts. That said, Vanecek and the Devils will be facing off against an Avalanche club that lost a hard-fought battle last night, 2-1 versus the New York Rangers in overtime.
After Alexandar Georgiev got the nod in Monday's 2-1 overtime defeat to the Rangers, the Avalanche will turn to Annunen for the tail-end of their back-to-back in New Jersey on Tuesday. Annunen owns a 14-5-4 record on the year along with a .908 SV% in 23 games with the Colorado Eagles (AHL). His lone NHL start this season came on January 16th in Ottawa. The 23-year-old netminder allowed four goals on 40 shots as the Avalanche walked away with a 7-4 victory. He draws a tough matchup on Tuesday in New Jersey, though the Avalanche do still find themselves as slight favourites at -115.
Puljujarvi was signed to a two-year, $1.6 million ($800,000 AAV) contract Sunday and will make his debut on Tuesday vs. Winnipeg. The 25-year-old had been playing on a PTO for Pittsburgh's AHL team after undergoing a double hip surgery in the off-season and excelled in his brief appearances as he had four goals and nine points in 13 total games played.
Smith has missed the Penguins' previous six games due to an upper-body injury but will return to the lineup on Tuesday vs. Winnipeg. The 32-year-old right-winger is in his first season with Pittsburgh after being acquired from Vegas for a 2024 third-round pick in the offseason. He is having a down year by his personal standards having only collected 20 points (8G/12A) in his first 40 games.
Ersson will get the nod for the fifth consecutive game on Tuesday when the Flyers travel to Sunrise. The 24-year-old netminder has struggled of late, going winless in his last five appearances and posting an .826 SV% over that span. On the bright side, those struggles came on the heels of what had been the most successful stretch of Ersson's young career, as he posted an 11-2-2 record and a .931 SV% across his previous 15 games. The Flyers will need him to regain some of that form in Florida on Tuesday where they find themselves as +170 underdogs.
Demko returns from Toronto after making his second career All-Star appearance over the weekend and will take over the crease Tuesday in Carolina. The 28-year-old deservedly earned his All-Star nod after posting an impressive 26-8-1 record, 2.44 GAA, .920 SV% and five shutouts in the first half of the season. He will take on the red-hot Carolina Hurricanes, who have won 11 of their last 14 games and are currently 10th in the NHL in goals per game (3.38).
Tippett has been out since January 20th due to a lower-body injury but was activated off the Injured Reserve Tuesday and is expected to return to his top-six role. The 24-year-old is enjoying somewhat of a breakout season which led to a big contract extension this season with 18 goals, 30 points, 167 SOG, two PIMs, and a -3 plus/minus in 46 games played.
Demko returns from Toronto after making his second career All-Star appearance over the weekend and is expected to take over the crease Tuesday in Carolina. The 28-year-old deservedly earned his All-Star nod after posting an impressive 26-8-1 record, 2.44 GAA, .920 SV% and five shutouts in the first half of the season. He will take on the red-hot Carolina Hurricanes, who have won 11 of their last 14 games and are currently 10th in the NHL in goals per game (3.38).
The 35-year-old Bonino was averaging 12:15 time-on-ice this season and had been held off the scoresheet in 14 straight games. Assuming he goes unclaimed, the veteran forward will be a free agent after his contract is terminated by the Rangers.
Hill has won both games since returning from injury and will return to the crease on Tuesday night. Hill picked up right where he left off earlier this season, playing tremendously, saving 76 of 80 shots (.950 SV%) across two games (2-0-0). Hill faces his toughest test of the season on Tuesday as the Golden Knights are +137 home underdogs against the virtually unbeatable Edmonton Oilers, who are searching for their 17th straight victory.
Karlsson missed all but one game in January (12 total) due to a lower-body injury but was a full participant in practice Sunday and is expected to play on Tuesday. The 31-year-old is having his best season in Vegas since his historical inaugural campaign with the team in 2017-18 as he has 15 goals, 32 points, 93 SOG, and a +10 plus/minus in 38 games before his injury.
Scheifele has missed the Jets' previous six games as he dealt with a lower-body injury but will return to Winnipeg's lineup on Tuesday vs. Pittsburgh. The 30-year-old star centre will make a much-welcomed return as he currently leads the Jets in points with 14 goals and 41 points in 41 games played before his injury.
With newcomer Sean Monahan joining the Jets and Mark Scheifele being activated from IR, Jonsson-Fjallby has been placed on waivers. In 26 games this season, the 25-year-old Jonsson-Fjallby has five points (2G / 3A), 23 shots, and 28 hits while averaging 8:07 time-on-ice.
After straight three straight games (1-2-0), Markstrom will be well-rested in the Flames' return to the ice after the All-Star break. In his last outing, Markstrom saved all 32 shots he faced in a 1-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, his second shutout of the season. The Flames, in their first game since trading talented two-way center Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks, are +164 road underdogs against a Boston Bruins club riding a two-game winning streak.
Hayton has not played since mid-November but appears to be nearing a return to the lineup. Before his injury, Hayton had four points (2G / 2A) in his last five games after being held without a single point in his previous 11.
Dumba's return to the lineup appears imminent after being a full participant at practice on Tuesday. The 29-year-old Dumba has been limited to only five points (2G / 3A) in 44 games with the Coyotes this season while playing predominantly on a defensive pair with Travis Dermott.
Fleury will make his return to the crease in a matchup against his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. The veteran Fleury has not played since January 19th due to an upper-body injury but was playing well before that, saving 45 of the last 47 shots he's faced (.957 SV%). Minnesota enters action on Friday night as +114 home underdogs against a Penguins club riding a two-game winning streak.
