Jokiharju took a puck to the face in Calgary last Thursday and is week-to-week with a broken bone under his nose. Ilya Lyubushkin and Owen Power have taken on larger roles with both Jokiharju and Mattias Samuelsson out.
Samuelsson went down awkwardly in a collision with Curtis Lazar on Saturday and is expected to miss a few weeks. This is probably the best-case scenario because it looked like the injury may have been serious when it first happened. Owen Power and Ilya Lyubushkin have been skating with Rasmus Dahlin since Samuelsson got hurt.
Holden has appeared in four straight games and five of the Senators' first six games. However, it looks like he'll be scratched in favour of Nikita Zaitsev vs. the Wild.
Zaitsev has been a healthy scratch for the last four games but is set to replace Nick Holden in the lineup on Thursday. Zaitsev has only appeared in one game this season, failing to get on the scoresheet in 12:12 TOI.
Hart was basically unbeatable his last time out stopping 31 of 32 shots in a 3-1 victory over Nashville. If the Vezina were to be presented today, Hart would have a hard time not winning it as he ranks fourth in SV% (.949) and fifth in GAA (1.75) while still yet to lose a game through four starts (4-0-0). He faces Florida at home who lost their last game 4-2 against Chicago on Tuesday and should see their fortunes change as they are 7th in SOG (34.9) but 21st in league goals (3.0).
Forsberg won his third straight start with a 20 save (.909 SV%) 6-2 victory over Arizona his last time out. He has been steady this season, pitching a .904 SV% and 2.83 GAA while starting all but one of Ottawa's games. His Senators will host the Wild at home Thursday who is coming off a 3-1 win over Montreal and is looking to lower and improve their 31st-ranked goals against per game (4.67).
Luff was enjoying a great start in Grand Rapids (AHL) as he had seven points (3G/4A) and a +3 plus/minus rating. In 87 career NHL games he has 13 goals and 10 assists while playing for two different teams prior to the Red Wings.
Sorokin brings his two-game losing streak into Wednesday's start after allowing a season-high five goals on 26 shots (.808 SV%) in his previous time out in a 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay. He has struggled so far in 2022-23, collecting only one win through his first four starts (1-3-0) while pitching a .908 SV% and 2.83 GA. They will be taking on their inner-state rivals the Rangers at home on Wednesday. The Rangers are coming off a hard-fought 3-2 shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche the night before.
Gauthier will get the call up to the Rangers Wednesday after scoring two goals in his first four games with Hartford of the AHL. In 96 career games, the 25-year-old has five goals and 18 points to go along with a -14 plus/minus rating.
Kravtsov will slot out of the lineup due to an upper-body injury as Julien Gauthier takes his spot for his first game of the season. Through three games in 2022-23, Kravtsov was yet to get a point while going +2 with no SOG.
This is the last time Peterson can be sent down to the AHL without having to pass through waivers after he was sent to the Texas Stars (AHL) Wednesday. I one game prior to the send-down, he was -1 with zero points across 12:19 TOI.
Blummel has been dominating the AHL to start 2022-23, with five goals and three assists through his first five games showing he more than earned the call-up. The 22-year-old has yet to play a game in the NHL after being drafted in the 4th round of the 2019 NHL entry draft.
Jiricek was the No.6 pick in the 2022 draft this past June. The 18-year-old prospect will be filling in for Adam Boqvist who was announced out for six weeks (foot) Wednesday.
Boqvist is expected to miss six weeks with a broken bone in his foot. He was yet to record a point in four games prior to the injury, collecting three SOG.
Kallgren struggled in his lone start of the season, stopping 15 of 18 shots (.833 SV%) in a 3-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes over a week ago. He gets a great matchup taking on San Jose who is last in the NHL in goals for per game with just 1.88 GF/GP to go along with their 2-7-0 record.
Kahkonen had his best start of the season his last time out stopping 34 of 36 shots (.944) in a loss to New Jersey. He has struggled this season, losing all his starts (0-3-0) while posting a 3.46 GAA and a .873 SV%. He faces a Maple Leafs team that has struggled to get going so far offensively, ranking 25th in the NHL in GF (2.71).
Binnington shut the Oilers out his last time taking the crease in a 23-save performance. He has been exceptional through three starts this season, going 3-0-0 while pitching the fifth-best save percentage (.940 SV%) and this best GAA (1.65) in the NHL. His Blues will host the Oilers who have won two of their last three games by scoring six goals and will also be hoping to solve Binnington this time around.
