McDavid played just 37 seconds before exiting the game and now officially will not return. He appeared to injure himself after an awkward fall along the boards and skated off shortly afterwards. We should expect to receive an update on the status of his injury after Monday night's game.
The Jets, the only undefeated team in the NHL this season (8-0-0), have given Hellebuyck the night off in two of the last four contests but will return to their All-Star netminder on Monday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hellebuyck has been outstanding to start the 2024-25 season, making an early-season case to win back-to-back Vezina trophies, posting a stellar 1.66 GAA and .940 SV% in six games (6-0-0). The Jets enter action on Monday as slight -110 home favorites against the Maple Leafs.
The Maple Leafs, riding a season-worst three-game losing streak (0-2-1), will turn to Stolarz in the crease for a second consecutive outing. Before Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins when Stolarz allowed four goals on 34 shots (.882 SV%), he had allowed two or fewer goals in each of his previous five contests (3-2-0). The 30-year-old netminder has a solid 2.19 GAA and .927 SV% in six appearances. The Maple Leafs enter the action on Monday as slight -101 road underdogs against the undefeated Winnipeg Jets (8-0-0).
Tampa Bay will turn to Vasilevskiy between the pipes for the third straight game and the seventh time in eight contests this season. Vasilevskiy has been inconsistent this season, allowing three or more goals in four of his last five games (2-3-0), but is coming off a spectacular 32-save shutout, his first of the season, on Saturday in a 3-0 win over the Washington Capitals. Tampa Bay enters action on Monday as a -131 home favorite against the Nashville Predators.
Saros will be back between the pipes for the Predators on Monday after Scott Wedgewood got the nod in the tail-end of their back-to-back on Saturday. After a slow start, Saros is coming off his best two games of the season, going 2-0-0 with a .968 SV% and a shutout over his last two appearances. His strong performance of late has improved his SV% and GAA on the year to .908 and 2.74, respectively. He will need to be at his best again on Monday as the Predators enter action as +115 underdogs in Tampa Bay.
Kulich will take a seat on Monday to make room for the return of Nicolas Aube-Kubel (lower-body). Kulich has registered one goal and zero assists in seven games this season.
Soderblom will return to backup Petr Mrazek on Monday after missing the last two games due to an illness. Soderblom has made two appearances this season, posting a 0-1-1 record and a .911 SV%. Drew Commesso has been reassigned to Rockford (AHL) to make room for Soderblom's return.
Commesso will return to the AHL without making an appearance after serving as Chicago's backup in the absence of Arvid Soderblom (illness). The former second-round draft pick owns a 1-1-0 record and an .854 SV% in two AHL games this season.
Del Gaizo has played three games with the Predators this season but will return to the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL). The 25-year-old has predominantly played in the AHL since being drafted in the fourth-round by the Predators in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, including a 34 point campaign (8G / 26A) in 60 games with Milwaukee last season.
Smith, the puck-moving defenseman, has 47 points in 123 career NHL games played but last appeared in the NHL with Pittsburgh all the way back in 2022-23. He spent all of 2023-24 with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) and had nine goals and 43 points in 63 games played.
Benson has played six of seven games to start the season for the Sabres, scoring zero points and recording a -4 plus/minus, but has missed the last two due to a lower-body injury. Benson's move to Injured Reserve allows Aube-Kubel to draw back into the lineup for the Sabres.
With Will Smith missing another game as part of a development strategy to ease him into NHL action, Kostin will re-enter the Sharks lineup on Monday against the Utah Hockey Club. The 25-year-old Kostin is averaging 8:45 time-on-ice through six games this season and has zero points.
With Thatcher Demko (undisclosed) still sidelined for the foreseeable future, Lankinen has taken the reins of the Vancouver crease and will start for a fifth straight game on Monday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 29-year-old Lankinen is riding a four-game winning streak and has a stellar 1.95 GAA and .930 SV% through five games this season (4-0-1). That said, the Canucks enter action on Monday as +113 home underdogs against a Hurricanes club with a 5-2-0 record.
Adam Klapka will be a healthy scratch on Monday, allowing Rooney to re-enter the lineup for the Flames. The 31-year-old Rooney has been limited to only two games so far this season, scoring zero points while averaging 4:36 time-on-ice.
Kevin Rooney will draw into the Flames lineup on Monday, replacing Klapka. The 24-year-old Klapka is averaging 8:27 time-on-ice through five games this season, recording zero points, eight penalty minutes, and 18 hits.
The Hurricanes will turn to Kochetkov between the pipes for the fourth time this season when they face off against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday. Kochetkov has had up-and-down results through a small three-game sample size this season (2-1-0) but was excellent in his last outing, saving 30 of 32 shots (.938 SV%) in a 4-2 win over the Calgary Flames. The Hurricanes enter the action on Monday as -125 road favorites against a Canucks club riding a four-game winning streak.
The Hurricanes recalled Spencer Martin from the Chicago Wolves (AHL) because of Andersen's injury, which is not expected to keep him out of the lineup long-term. Andersen is considered day-to-day and his injury is not related to the blood clotting issue that kept him out of the lineup for several months last season. The 35-year-old netminder has a 1.48 GAA and .941 SV% through four outings this season (3-1-0).
After starting the season on a 5-0-1 run, the Flames have lost two consecutive games in regulation and will turn to Vladar between the pipes. The 27-year-old Vladar has been serviceable this season, allowing three or fewer goals in three of four outings (2-1-1), posting a respectable 2.73 GAA and .904 SV%. The Flames enter the action on Monday as +149 road underdogs against a Vegas Golden Knights club averaging a league-best 4.7 goals per game through nine games this season (6-2-1).
Jack Thompson will be a healthy scratch on Monday, allowing Benning to draw back into the lineup. The 30-year-old Benning, in his ninth NHL season, has zero points, a -5 plus/minus, six blocks, and eight hits through five games.
