Holloway has been out since November 13th due to a lower-body injury but has been activated off the Long-Term Injured Reserve Wednesday and loaned to Bakersfield (AHL) for a conditioning stint. The 22-year-old sophomore got out to a bit of a slump prior to his injury as he had only a goal, no assists, 29 SOG, 13 PIMs and a -3 plus/minus in 14 games played.
Lindgren was originally considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury after leaving the Capitals' game Friday vs. the Islanders and has been placed on the Injured Reserve Wednesday. The injury comes at an unfortunate time for the 30-year-old who was having a surprise breakout season with his 7-3-3 record, .928 SV% and 2.27 GAA.
Pacioretty is returning from a second torn achilles injury but will make his Capitals' debut Wednesday as Washington takes on New Jersey at home. The 35-year-old signed a one-year, $2 million contract in the offseason after collecting three goals in five games prior to a season ending injury with Carolina in 2022-23.
Balinskis made his NHL debut in 2023-24 with Florida after three seasons in the Czechia pro league and was rewarded Wednesday with a two-year, $1.7 million ($850,000) contract extension. The 27-year-old has managed to pick up a goal, an assist, 18 SOG, and six PIMs in 18 games played in his first season in Florida.
Cousins was the recipient of a controversial hit from Arizona's Jason Zucker which has led to a hearing but is now said to be in concussion protocol and is expected to be out Thursday vs. Vegas. The 30-year-old scrappy centre has struggled to produce offensively in 2023-24 with only two goals, three assists, 20 PIMs, 63 SOG and a -10 plus/minus in 37 games played.
Karlsson will miss at least the next two games as he tends to a lower-body injury. He played 18:36 time-on-ice in the Golden Knights 3-0 loss at the hands of the Seattle Kraken at the Winter Classic on Monday. Karlsson was previously occupying the center-ice position on the third line between Paul Cotter and Michael Amadio.
Ingram will return to the crease for the Coyotes on Thursday as their equal distribution goalie rotation is back in full effect. In his last outing, Ingram saved all 28 shots he faced for a 2-0 shutout victory over the Anaheim Ducks, his second shutout in four outings. Ingram and the Coyotes will be facing a tougher foe on Thursday when they welcome the New York Islanders, who have points in five of their last seven games (3-2-2). In his last 12 games (7-4-0), Ingram has four shutouts and a dazzling .928 SV%.
Johansen was not present at practice on Wednesday as he battles an illness and will be a game-time decision against the Dallas Stars on Thursday. In Tuesday's 5-4 victory over the New York Islanders, Johansen was held off the scoresheet and recorded a -1 plus/minus rating in 14:11 time-on-ice. He has three points (1G / 2A) in his last three games.
Beauvillier left the game in the second period after taking an awkward hit along the boards and will be out for the foreseeable future as he has been placed on injured reserve. Beauvillier has scored six points (2G / 4A) in 15 games since joining the Blackhawks last month.
Semyon Varlamov exited Tuesday's game against the Colorado Avalanche in the first period, his second injury in less than a week, prompting the Isaldners to recall Appleby again. If Varlamov is out for an extended period, Appleby will unlikely see much action between the pipes as Varlamov will take the reigns between the pipes.
Bortuzzo drew back into the Islanders lineup on Tuesday but played only 8:10 time-on-ice and exited the game with a lower-body injury. Bortuzzo had difficulty leaving the ice and will be out of action for at least one week as he was placed on injured reserve.
The Kraken placed Megna on waivers Tuesday but he did not clear and has been claimed by the Blackhawks. Megna has spent most of the season in the press box for the Kraken, being limited to only two games with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, scoring one point (1G / 0A). He has 141 NHL games under his belt, tallying 25 points (4G / 21A) in time split between the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and Seattle.
Oettinger has not played since exiting a contest against the Ottawa Senators on December 15th in the first period with an upper-body injury. Scott Wedgewood has taken the reigns in the Stars' crease during Oettinger's eight-game absence, helping the team go 5-2-1 in that stretch. With Oettinger's status being upgraded from week-to-week to day-to-day, his return is on the horizon, and he should return to seeing the bulk of action between the pipes for the Stars.
Schwartz has been on long-term injured reserve since November 28th, missing 15 games with an upper-body injury, but appears to be nearing a return after being a full participant at practice on Wednesday. Before his injury, Schwartz was in the midst of a cold streak, scoring only one point (0G / 1A) and registering a -5 plus/minus in his last eight games.
Terry did not play against the Edmonton Oilers on New Year's Eve and will miss the first game of 2024, his second-straight contest, as he continues to recover from an upper-body injury. Before his injury, Terry was beginning to turn the corner on a disappointing season, scoring nine points (4G / 5A) in his last 10 games after scoring only two points (0G / 2A) in his previous 11.
Bjornfot has not played a game for the Kings since their season opener when he recorded one block in 10:12 time-on-ice. He has been placed on unconditional waivers and, if he goes unclaimed, will join the Ontario Reign (AHL), where he has scored zero points in nine games this season.
Dostal will start the first game of 2024 for the Ducks, his first start since December 23rd, when he allowed three goals on 22 shots (.864 SV%) in a 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken. In six December appearances (1-4-0), Dostal allowed fewer than three goals five times, posting a respectable .918 SV%. The Ducks are welcoming a Toronto Maple Leafs team that played the night before, a 3-0 shutout victory over the Los Angeles Kings, but are still +179 home underdogs as they look to snap a two-game losing streak in which they have been outscored 9-2.
Poitras is making an earlier-than-anticipated return to the Bruins after an abrupt exit for him and the rest of the Canadian team at the World Junior Championship. In five tournament games, Poitras scored four points (2G / 2A). Before leaving the Bruins to join Team Canada, Poitras had only six points (1G / 5A) in his last 16 games after scoring seven points (4G / 3A) in his 11 games prior.
Lundestrom will make his season debut on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, on schedule with his six-month recovery period after receiving off-season Achilles surgery. Lundstrom had four goals, 10 assists, 60 SOG, two PIMs and a -13 plus/minus through 61 games in 2022-23.
Clarke was the eighth overall pick of the King in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and made his NHL debut last season, scoring two points (0G / 2A) in nine games. He has spent the entirety of this season with the Ontario Reign of the AHL, amassing 32 points (7G / 25A) in 30 games.
