Yamamoto had been skating on the Oilers’ first line, but will be a healthy scratch vs. the Blackhawks. Drake Caggiula will replace him on the first line and Jesse Puljujarvi will draw-in on the third line.
Puljujarvi has been a healthy scratch for the last four games, but will replace Kailer Yamamoto in the lineup vs. Chicago. Puljujarvi will skate on the third line with Ryan Strome and Milan Lucic and returns to the lineup with one goal on nine shots in seven games.
Fleury surrendered three goals on 22 shots in the Golden Knights 4-3 OT win over the Senators on Sunday. Fleury was given the night off on Tuesday, so he’ll draw back in tonight in St. Louis. The veteran netminder has gone 5-4-1 with a 2.49 GAA, .897 SV% and one shutout in 10 starts.
Howard allowed there goals on 37 shots in the Red Wings 5-3 win in Columbus on Tuesday. Howard has actually played extremely well in his last five starts, going 2-3-0 while allowing just 12 goals on 182 shots (.934 SV%). Tonight he faces the Devils on home-ice, where has gone 0-3-1 with a 2.78 GAA and .927 SV% in four games.
Smith allowed one goal on 25 shots in the Flames 3-1 win in Toronto on Monday. The win snapped a three-game losing skid for Smith, who will make his 10th start tonight vs. the Avalanche. The 36-year-old comes in at 2-2-1 with a brutal 4.20 GAA and .847 SV% in five starts at the Scotiabank Saddledome this season.
Koskinen gave up three goals on 27 shots in the Oilers 5-3 win in Nashville on Saturday. It was an impressive return to the NHL for Koskinen, who struggled mightily in the preseason. With Cam Talbot dropping Tuesday’s game vs. Minnesota, Koskinen will start for the second time in four games.
Hedman was already ruled out of Thursday’s game vs. the Predators, but head coach Jon Cooper said their all-start defenseman will also miss this weekend’s back-to-back. With Hedman out, Ryan McDonagh will play on the top-pairing and top power-play tonight.
Rinaldo is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body ailment. The veteran winger is expected to be replaced by Rocco Grimaldi on the Predators fourth line.
Schmaltz has just one assist in eight games this season and will come out of the lineup tonight with Carl Gunnarsson (hip) making his season debut.
Fabbri will play his first game since February 4th and will skate on the fourth line with Robert Thomas and Oskar Sundqvist. Fabbri could work his way into fantasy relevance again if he plays well and moves up the lineup.
Gunnarsson missed the first 10 games of the season, but will replace Jordan Schmaltz in the lineup on Thursday. Gunnarsson brings nearly no offence to the Blues lineup, so he’s best left on the waiver wire.
Allen allowed three goals on 19 shots before leaving Saturday’s win over the Blackhawks with an injury. Allen healed quickly and is set to start again tonight vs. the Golden Knights. The 28-year-old has gone 3-2-3 with an ugly 3.99 GAA and .874 SV% in his first nine starts this season.
Juulsen took part in the Canadiens’ morning skate but remains a game-time decision for Thursday’s game vs. the Capitals. If Juulsen plays, he is expected to replace Victor Mete.
Noesen, who has just one goal and one assist in nine games this season, will come out of the lineup on Thursday due to an upper-body ailment. Joey Anderson will replace him in the Devils’ bottom-6.
Vanek was forced to leave Tuesday’s game with a lower-body injury and will miss at least a couple of weeks. Vanek picked up his third assist in four games before getting hurt early in the first period. Wade Megan was recalled from Grand Rapids (AHL) and will replace Vanek on Thursday.
Rinne was activated from IR on Wednesday and will make his return to the crease tonight in Tampa Bay. Rinne has missed the last five games with an undisclosed injury, but gets back between the pipes with a 2.10 GAA and .929 SV% this season. He’ll be in tough against a Lightning team that has won four of their last five and rank third in the NHL in goal-scoring (3.64 GF/PG).
Schneider missed the first eight games of the season but stopped five of six shots in relief of Keith Kinkaid on Tuesday. The 32-year-old was once viewed as one of the best goalies in the NHL, but has struggled to a pedestrian 2.86 GAA and .908 SV% in 100 games over the last two seasons. A return against the Red Wings is the perfect scenario for Schneider.
Hutton allowed two goals on 38 shots in the Sabres 2-1 overtime loss to the Flames on Tuesday. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for Hutton, who has stopped 81 of the last 88 shots (.921 SV%) that he has faced. Hutton has a solid matchup in Ottawa, but comes in at 1-2-0 with a 3.11 GAA and .904 SV% on the road this season.
Anderson allowed two goals on 24 shots after replacing Mike Condon in the Senators loss in Arizona on Tuesday. Anderson has been inconsistent this season (shocker) and is now on a four-game winless streak, allowing an impressively bad 16 goals on 146 shots (.890 SV%) in the process. Even against a Sabres team that is averaging the sixth fewest goals per game in the league, Anderson is a risky option.
