Hughes suffered the injury early in the first period of Thursday's game and returned for one shift before exiting the game for good. We should get an update on his status ahead of New Jersey's game in Ottawa on Saturday.
Ekholm is coming off a sensation three-goal performance in 19:58 time-on-ice in Monday's 7-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks, but is battling an undisclosed injury, making his status for Thursday uncertain. Luckily, it appears he will be available for tonight's game against the Sharks. The 35-year-old defenseman has 26 points (6G / 20A) in 54 games this season.
Joseph will take a seat on Thursday to make way for return of Oskar Sundqvist (ankle). Joseph has two goals and nine assists in 38 games this season.
Sundqvist suffered a scary injury nearly two weeks ago, a cut that narrowly missed his Achilles, which would have likely ended his season. The 31-year-old Sundqvist has missed several games, but will return on Thursday against the Florida Panthers. He is averaging 13:20 time-on-ice and has 13 points (3G / 10A) in 39 games this season.
Already without top-six forwards Robert Thomas (lower body) and Dylan Holloway (ankle), the Blues' injury woes worsened in Tuesday's game against the Dallas Stars, with Jordan Kyrou (upper body) and Jake Neighbours (lower body) both exiting the game early. Luckily for the Blues, both Kyrou and Neighbours are healthy enough to return on Thursday against the Florida Panthers. The 23-year-old Neighbours has 21 points (12G / 9A) in 41 games this season, but has struggled lately, with only one assist in his last five outings.
Already without top-six forwards Robert Thomas (lower body) and Dylan Holloway (ankle), the Blues' injury woes worsened in Tuesday's game against the Dallas Stars, with Jordan Kyrou (upper body) and Jake Neighbours (lower body) both exiting the game early. Luckily for the Blues, both Kyrou and Neighbours are healthy enough to return on Thursday against the Florida Panthers. The 27-year-old Kyrou has had a disappointing season, with only 24 points (11G / 13A) through 43 games. Over his previous four seasons, Kyrou was nearly a point-per-game player, with 285 points in 317 games (0.9 PTS/GP).
McIlrath will immediately fall back out of the Capitals lineup after drawing in on Tuesday. Rasmus Sandin is returning from a lower-body injury and will take McIlrath's spot in the lineup.
Sandin did not play on Tuesday because of a lower-body injury but appears to be good to go for Thursday's game against the Detroit Red Wings. The 25-year-old Swedish defenseman is averaging 18:48 time-on-ice and has 17 points (2G / 15A) in 47 games this season.
Roy did not play on Tuesday and will remain sidelined for Thursday's game against the Detroit Red Wings. The 30-year-old defenseman is averaging 20:46 time-on-ice and has 14 points (1G / 13A) in 53 games this season.
This comes as somewhat of a surprise as Ristolainen did not take line rushes in warmups on Thursday after exiting Wednesday's game with a lower-body injury. The 31-year-old Finnish defenseman has three assists in 15 games this season.
Brodzinski will draw out of the lineup on Thursday as the Rangers opt to get some fresh legs into their lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Brett Berard will dress in his place.
Berard will slot in on Thursday as the Rangers opt to get some fresh legs into their lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Jonny Brodzinski will sit in his place.
Hathaway will draw into the lineup on Thursday along with Nicolas Deslauriers as the Flyers opt to get some fresh legs into their lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Carl Grundstrom and Lane Pederson will serve as healthy scratches.
Deslauriers will draw into the lineup on Thursday along with Garnet Hathaway as the Flyers opt to get some fresh legs into their lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Carl Grundstrom and Lane Pederson will serve as healthy scratches.
Pederson will take a seat on Thursday along with Carl Grundstrom as the Flyers opt to get some fresh legs into their lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Garnet Hathaway and Nicolas Deslauriers will draw in.
Grundstrom will take a seat on Thursday along with Lane Pederson as the Flyers opt to get some fresh legs into their lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Garnet Hathaway and Nicolas Deslauriers will draw in.
Despite a 5-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, Konecny had a terrific performance on Wednesday, scoring all three goals, but suffered a lower-body injury late in the game. The 28-year-old forward has 48 points (20G / 28A) in 51 games this season.
With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen expected to miss at least a week due to an injury, Alex Lyon will see an increase in usage, beginning with Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Kings. The 33-year-old Lyon has been terrific lately and is coming off his second shutout of the season, a 26-save performance in a 5-0 win over the New York Islanders. Lyon has won nine straight outings, posting an impressive 2.11 GAA and .927 SV%. The Sabres enter Thursday's contest as -120 home favourites against a Kings team with points in six straight games (3-0-3).
Kuemper allowed four goals on 29 shots (.862 SV%) in his previous outing but salvaged a 5-4 shootout win over the St. Louis Blues. The 35-year-old Kuemper is amid his worst stretch of the season, posting a 3.46 GAA and .866 SV% in his last 10 games (4-3-3). The Kings enter the action on Thursday as slight +109 road underdogs against a Buffalo Sabres team that is among the hottest in the NHL, going 9-2-1 in their past 12 games.
The Devils have been rotating goalies, not entirely by preference, as neither Jake Allen nor Jacob Markstrom has been able to string together a consistent stretch of reliable goaltending. The 35-year-old Markstrom allowed three goals on 18 shots (.833 SV%) in his previous outing, a 4-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken. He has a sub- .900 SV% in four of his last five games (3-2-0). The Devils enter the action on Thursday as -131 home favourites against a Nashville Predators team that has lost four of their last five games (1-3-1).
