Vanecek has not played since suffering an upper-body injury on December 14th and will spend some time in the AHL on a conditioning stint with the San Jose Barracuda. Before his injury, the 29-year-old Czech netminder was sporting a 3.84 GAA and .885 SV% in 14 appearances (3-8-1).
Sabourin has been limited to only four NHL games in the last four seasons. The 32-year-old Sabourin has primarily been an AHL player in his career, including scoring 13 points (5G / 8A) in 35 games with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) this season.
Doughty underwent ankle surgery after being injured in the preseason and has missed the first 47 games of the season but will finally debut on Wednesday against the Florida Panthers. He has been a staple on the Kings' blueline for over a decade. Over the last two seasons, Doughty averaged nearly 26:00 TOI/GP. In 82 games in 2023-24, he had 15 goals, 50 points, 44 PIMs, and a +15 plus/minus.
The Predators are coming off a disappointing 5-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks when Saros allowed five goals on 35 shots (.857 SV%), but he will likely return to the crease on Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks. The 29-year-old Saros has allowed three or more goals in seven of his last 11 appearances (4-5-1), posting an ugly .865 SV%. The Predators enter Wednesday's contest as -146 home favorites against a Canucks squad on a two-game winning streak.
Chisholm did not play Minnesota's last game but he will re-enter the lineup on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 25-year-old Chisholm is averaging 17:46 time-on-ice and has 11 points (2G / 9A) in 43 games this season.
Hischier scored a goal in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens but exited after only 14:09 time-on-ice due to an undisclosed injury and has not played since. The 26-year-old Hischier has 43 points (24G / 19A) in 51 games this season. In the Devils' most recent game, Ondrej Palat was the main beneficiary, taking Hischier's spot on their top powerplay unit.
Ullmark has not played since December 22nd, missing 16 games with a back injury, but appears to be nearing a return to action. After a rough start to his tenure in Ottawa, the 31-year-old Ullmark was finally starting to play to his potential before his injury, posting an exquisite .954 SV% in nine games (8-0-1).
Minnesota will turn to Fleury between the pipes in the tail end of a back-to-back on Thursday when they visit the Montreal Canadiens. Fleury struggled in his most recent outing, allowing five goals on 29 shots (.828 SV%) in a 5-4 loss to the Calgary Flames. The 40-year-old netminder has a 2.76 GAA and .904 SV% in 17 appearances this season (10-5-1).
On the front end of a back-to-back, Minnesota will turn to Gustavsson between the pipes on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Gustavsson was reliable in his most recent outing, saving 18 of 20 shots (.900 SV%) in a 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. That said, the 26-year-old netminder has struggled lately, allowing four or more goals in five of his last six appearances (1-4-0), posting an ugly .850 SV%. Minnesota enters Wednesday's contest as +153 road underdogs against a Toronto team outscored 7-2 during a two-game losing skid.
Kane has missed the last three games due to an upper-body injury but was back at practice on Wednesday. Before his injury, the 36-year-old Kane has been held off the scoresheet in two straight games after a stretch where he tallied 16 points (6G / 10A) in 10 games.
Tarasenko did not play on Monday due to an illness but was back at practice on Wednesday. Tarasenko is averaging only 14:44 time-on-ice, his lowest total since his rookie season in 2012-13. He has 20 points (6G / 14A) in 48 games this season.
Bobrovsky has only started three of the previous seven games for the Panthers but will return to the crease on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Kings. The 36-year-old Bobrovsky has been inconsistent this season, posting a 2.80 GAA and .898 SV% in 33 games (20-11-2). That said, he has been better lately, posting a .912 SV% in his last 12 (6-5-1). The Panthers enter Wednesday's contest as -150 home favorites against a Kings squad that has lost four of their last five (1-3-1).
Jones has split time between Minnesota and Iowa (AHL) this season. He has been productive at the AHL level, scoring 14 points (5G / 9A) in 20 games but hasn't seen that success translate to the NHL, scoring zero points through 26 games this season.
Kurtis MacDermid will draw back into New Jersey's lineup on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers, resulting in Halonen being a healthy scratch. Halonen is averaging 13:54 time-on-ice and has zero points through two games with the Devils this season.
Brian Halonen will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers, allowing MacDermid to re-enter the lineup. The 30-year-old MacDermid is averaging 5:21 time-on-ice, recording zero points, 21 penalty minutes, and 31 hits in 19 games this season.
Struble has spent most of the previous two seasons in the NHL with Montreal but has not been able to remains a permanent fixture. The 23-year-old defenseman has five points (2G / 3A) in 26 games with the Canadiens this season.
Klingberg hasn't played since undergoing hip surgery over a year ago after a brief 14-game stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he scored five points (0G / 5A). The 32-year-old Klingberg isn't far removed from being one of the league's elite powerplay quarterbacks. He scored a career-high 67 points (8G / 59A) in 82 games with the Dallas Stars in the 2017-18 season. However, his production has dipped significantly in recent years, tallying only 85 points (16G / 69A) and a -60 plus/minus in his 155 most recent games. Given Evan Bouchard's dominance on Edmonton's top powerplay unit, it's unlikely that Klingberg will find himself in that position. Yet, he could still see an uptick in production considering the star power of his surrounding cast.
