Blueger, 24, was a second-round pick (No.52 overall) in 2012 and could make his NHL debut on Wednesday after 179 career games in the AHL. Blueger leads Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in points, scoring 21 goals with 18 assists (39 points) in 45 games.
Johnson missed the Lightning’s final game before the All-Star break/bye week but will play Wednesday. Johnson has collected 18 goals and 16 assists (34 points) in 47 games this season—but just one assist in his last five games.
Jones was originally questionable after suffering a minor injury during the All-Star game. However, Jones is on the ice for warmups and will play against the Sabres. Jones has seven goals and 22 assists (29 points) in 41 games this season.
Niku has been in the Jets lineup for the last six games but will be replaced by Ben Chiarot in the lineup on Tuesday.
Chiarot has missed the last three games but will replace Sami Niku in the lineup on Tuesday. Chiarot has four goals and four assists (eight points) with a plus-6 rating and 38 PIMS in 45 games this season.
Bishop allowed two goals on 29 shots in the Stars win over the Jets on January 19th. Bishop has played well as of late, going 5-3-1 with a 2.34 GAA and .922 SV% in his last nine starts. Tonight he faces a Sabres team that played in Columbus last night and come in at 11-12-3 on the road this season.
Hunwick has been a healthy scratch for the last 13 games but will replace Lawrence Pilut on Tuesday. It will be Hunwick’s first game since December 18th and just third NHL game of the season.
Pilut has been great for the Sabres since being recalled but can’t seem to stick in the lineup. Pilut played in the last two games but will be replaced by Matt Hunwick on Tuesday.
Hintz has split the 2019 campaign between the AHL and NHL. During his time in Dallas, Hintz has just five points (2G / 3A) but is over a point-per-game with 22 points (9G / 13A) in 21 AHL games.
Pitlick was hurt vs. the Kings on January 17th and missed their game vs. the Jets on the 19th. Pitlick’s move to IR opened up a roster spot for the Stars to recall Roope Hintz from Texas (AHL).
Letestu has spent the entire season in the AHL, where he has collected 26 points (13G / 13A) in 39 games. Letestu could make his season debut on Tuesday with Boone Jenner dealing with an undisclosed injury.
Stalock is in his third season with the Wild and has gone 6-5-0 with a 2.92 GAA and .894 SV% in 14 games. The Wild are comfortable with Stalock as their backup and an $783K AAV cap-hit will allow them to easily move-on in the future if need be.
“Jordan has really fit in well with our group and provides veteran leadership both on and off the ice,” said GM Don Waddell. “He skates with a relentless energy that epitomizes the way Coach Brind’Amour wants the Hurricanes to play.” The 26-year-old winger has 10 goals and three assists (13 points) in 50 games during his first season with the Hurricanes.
Hutton was pulled after allowing five goals on 12 shots in the Sabres loss in Edmonton on January 14th. After a long break, Hutton will look to get back on-track tonight in Columbus. Hutton has gone 1-6-2 with a 3.31 GAA and .895 SV% in his last nine starts, so perhaps look elsewhere when looking for a starter on Tuesday.
Halak allowed two goals on 13 shots after replacing Tuukka Rask in the Bruins loss to the Rangers on January 19th. With Rask sidelined with a concussion, Halak will be the Bruins unquestioned No.1 for the foreseeable future. He is 9-3-0 with a 2.29 GAA, .926 SV% and one shutout on home-ice this season and has a nice matchup vs. a Jets team that played in Philadelphia last night.
Smith has been a healthy scratch for the last three games but will replace Pavel Buchnevich on Tuesday. Smith likely won’t see enough playing time to be a factor on Tuesday and has just eight points (2G / 6A) in 31 games this season.
Buchnevich has struggled this season and has just three goals and one assist in his last 16 games. Buchnevich will be replaced but Brendan Smith, who will serve as the Rangers’ seventh defenseman.
Hannikainen has missed the last six games but will replace Boone Jenner (undisclosed) on Tuesday. Hannikainen, who will skate on the fourth line, has seven points (4G / 3A) in 34 games this season.
Jenner is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury and will be replaced by Markus Hannikainen vs. the Sabres. Look for Alexander Wennberg to replace Jenner on the second line with Nick Foligno and Josh Anderson.
Bobrovsky allowed two goals on 31 shots in the Blue Jackets loss in Minnesota on January 19th. Bobrovsky has had a tough time in his last seven stars, going 3-4-0 with a 3.84 GAA and .864 SV%. The 30-year-old comes in at 10-7-1 with a 2.85 GAA, .902 SV% and one shutout at Nationwide Arena this season.
