Kelemen will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday, allowing Jan Jenik to make his season debut for the Coyotes. Kelemen has played two games for the Coyotes this season, averaging 8:10 time-on-ice, recording two hits and zero points.
Jenik has spent a good portion of the season with the Coyotes but will finally make his season debut on Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues. In nine games with the Tuscon Roadrunners of the AHL, Jenik has five points (2G / 3A), a +5 plus/minus, and nine penalty minutes. He is expected to skate on the fourth line alongside Liam O'Brien and Travis Boyd.
The Sharks will dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen on Wednesday as Labanc will be out of the lineup with an upper-body injury. Labanc only has two points (0G / 2A) in 13 games this season along with a -8 plus/minus rating.
Kahkonen is coming off his first victory of the season, a heroic 44-save effort (.978 SV%) in a 5-1 win over the St. Louis Blues. Despite a horrendous 3.86 GAA, Kahkonen has an impressive 50% quality start rate through seven appearances this season (1-5-0). Expect another busy night for Kahkonen as the Sharks allow a league-worst 38.3 shots on goal per game and are +246 road favourites against a Seattle Kraken team that has points in four straight contests (2-0-2).
Skinner served as the backup for the first time since Jack Campbell was demoted to Bakersfield (AHL) earlier this month as Calvin Pickard started for the Oilers but was unsuccessful, allowing four goals on 31 shots in a 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers. In his last contest, Skinner allowed five goals on 23 shots (.783 SV%) in a 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning but was stellar in his three games prior (3-0-0), allowing only five goals on 86 shots (.942 SV%). The Oilers are +125 road underdogs on Wednesday against a Carolina Hurricanes team that is mid-pack in the league offensively (3.24 GF / GP) and defensively (3.18 GA / GP) and is fourth in the Metropolitan division with a 10-7-0 record.
Georgiev entered the final minute of play with a 3-2 lead over the Nashville Predators on Monday but allowed two goals in 16 seconds en route to a 4-3 regulation loss. Georgiev's 3.08 GAA and .888 SV% through 15 games (10-5-0) leaves a lot to be desired, but the Bulgarian goaltender has consistently collected victories when called upon this season. The Avalanche are -163 home favourites against a Vancouver Canucks team that leads the league offensively, averaging 4.11 goals scored per game.
Ruzicka was a healthy scratch for the Flames' previous game but will draw back into the lineup as he takes to spot of Connor Zary on Wednesday. The 24-year-old center has struggled as of late as he has gone nine games without a point but has two goals, two assists, 14 SOG, four PIMs and a -4 plus/minus in 13 games played.
Zary has been a pleasant surprise this season for the Flames as the 22-year-old 2020 first-round pick (24th overall) has three goals, eight points, and 14 SOG in nine games but will miss Wednesday as he deals with a minor undisclosed injury. The young center will be replaced by Adam Ruzicka but is not expected to be out of the Flames' lineup for long.
Jost will replace Peyton Krebs, who will be a healthy scratch for the Sabres on Wednesday. Jost did not play in the last game for the Sabres but has dressed in 13 of 18 games this season, tallying two points (1G / 1A), and 17 shots on goal while averaging 11:10 time-on-ice. He is expected to slot in on the third line between Jordan Greenway and Victor Olofsson.
Krebs will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday, allowing Tyson Jost to re-enter the lineup. Krebs played in each of the last three games for the Sabres but did not register a single shot or point in those contests. He has one point (0G / 1A) and nine shots on goal in 17 games this season.
Harley has not played since November 12, when he exited the game with an upper-body injury and will be a game-time decision for the Stars on Wednesday against the Vegas Golden Knight. In 14 games, Harley has five points (3G / 2A) and will replace Joel Hanley in the lineup if he can play.
Despite an up-and-down season for the season for the Flames, Markstrom has quietly improved on a poor 2022-23 campaign. Markstrom has helped the Flames record at least a point in each of his last four starts (3-0-1), saving 99 of 108 shots in the process (.917 SV%). The Flames are slight -109 road favourites against a Nashville Predators team that won two straight but lost 4-2 to the Flames on November 7th when Markstrom saved 16 of 18 shots (.889 SV%), leading his team to a 4-2 victory.
Katchouk will slide into the Blackhawks' lineup, his first game since November 16th, replacing Taylor Hall, who is dealing with an undisclosed injury. Hall has four points (2G / 2A) in 10 games this season, averaging 16:20 time-on-ice and played most recently on a line with Tyler Johnson and Taylor Raddysh.
Saros is coming off his first victory in November thanks to heroics from his Predators teammates, who scored two goals in the final minute to overcome a 3-2 deficit and win 4-3 over the Colorado Avalanche. Through 14 games this season, Saros remarkably only has two quality starts (.357) after registering at least a .618 quality start rate in his four previous seasons. This string of poor play is unfamiliar territory for the perennial Vezina-finalist. The Predators hope his most recent victory can help jump-start Saros back into the netminder he has proven himself to be over the past half-decade. Saros and the Predators are slight -103 home underdogs against a Calgary Flames team that has scored four or more goals in three straight (2-0-1).
Katchouk will return to the Blackhawks' lineup on Wednesday as Taylor Hall is not expected to play due to an undisclosed injury. Katchouk last played on November 16th when he scored one point (0G / 1A), one shot, and two hits in 13:06 time-on-ice.
Oettinger will return to the crease after serving as the backup to Scott Wedgewood on Monday in the Stars' 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers. The Stars have been keen on managing Oettinger's workload this season as the 24-year-old netminder was due for a rest after playing three consecutive games (2-1-0), posting an out-of-character .876 SV%. The last time Oettinger had four or more days of rest between games, he saved 38 of 39 shots (.974 SV%). In his only matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights this season, also after four days of rest, he saved 32 of 34 shots (.941 SV%) in a 3-2 shootout loss.
Ludvig has not played since his NHL debut on October 24th when he suffered a concussion that has forced him to miss the last 11 games for the Penguins. Last season with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, Ludvig had 17 points (3G / 14A) in 54 games.
After winning four straight starts, Jarry has dropped his last two but will look to return to the win column as the Penguins' starter on Wednesday. Jarry has been solid this season, posting a 2.59 GAA and .910 SV% through 13 games (6-7-0), but has had very little room for failure as all but one of his victories have required him to register a save percentage of .923 or better. The Penguins are slight -103 home underdogs on Wednesday against a New York Rangers team coming off their first regulation loss in 12 games (10-1-1).
Igor Shesterkin has struggled in two games (1-1-0) since returning from a lower-body injury, allowing seven goals on 67 shots (.896 SV%), so the Rangers will likely turn to their veteran backup Quick Wednesday against their division rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Quick has proved skeptics wrong early this season, posting a 1.98 GAA and .928 SV% through six appearances (4-0-1), numbers that rival the best posted in any single season over his 17-year career. It is unlikely that Quick maintains these gaudy totals, but the Rangers, who have points in 11 of their last 12 games (10-1-1), are facing a Penguins team that will be without two of their top-six forwards, Rickard Rakell (upper-body) and Bryan Rust (lower-body).
