Despite practicing on Tuesday and Wednesday, Eichel is not ready to return to the Sabres lineup on Thursday. Regardless, he is obviously getting close to a return to the lineup, so monitor his status heading into Saturday’s game vs. the Blackhawks.
Rust has missed the last two games with a concussion that he sustained in Philadelphia last Wednesday. Rust is expected to replace Josh Jooris on the Penguins fourth line and comes into tonight with 33 points (10G / 23A) in 57 games this season.
Holtby was yanked after he allowed three goals on nine shots in the Capitals loss in Anaheim on March 6th. With Holtby struggling and Philipp Grubauer playing well, Grubauer started the last four games, but Holtby will draw back into the crease tonight. The Capitals lit the Islanders up last night and will look do so again tongiht with Holtby between the pipes.
DeSmith allowed one goal on 18 shots in the Penguins win over the Stars on Sunday. After a few tough outings, DeSmith has settled in a bit recently, stopping 26 of the last 27 shots (.963 SV%) that he has faced. Tonight he faces the Rangers at Madison Square Garden and comes in at 1-2-0 with a 2.99 GAA and .909 SV% on the road.
Jones was forced to leave Monday’s game for vs. Montreal but head coach John Tortorella said that it was precautionary. Jones was still able to pick up a goal and an assist before leaving the game, giving him four goals and three assists (seven points) in his last three games. Make sure he’s active in all formats on Thursday.
Hutchinson, who got the start in Nashville, left in the first period after suffering an upper-body injury. On Wednesday, the Jets recalled Eric Comrie from Manitoba (AHL) which suggests that Hutchinson will miss at least one game.
It looks like the Panthers have caught a break and Trocheck should be in the lineup tomorrow. This isn’t overly surprising considering he was able to play through a suspected ailment on Monday. Trocheck will head into Thursday’s game on a four-game point streak, picking up two goals and five assists (seven points) during that stretch.
With Steve Mason already out for a couple of weeks and Michael Hutchinson leaving Tuesday’s game with an upper-body injury, Comrie comes up as the Jets’ temporary No.2 netminder. Winnipeg wants to get Hellebuyck some rest, so Comrie could see some playing time during this call-up. The 22-year-old has gone 17-11-3 with a 2.56 GAA and .918 SV% in 31 games with the Moose, but has allowed nine goals on 74 shots (.878 SV%) in two career NHL games.
DeBrusk absorbed a big hit early on Tuesday but was able to play through it for a period of time, but eventually went down the tunnel and never returned. DeBrusk ended up logging just 10:48 TOI and should be considered questionable as the Bruins head to Florida for a clash with the Panthers on Thursday.
Chara took a tumble into the corner boards in the first period of Tuesday’s game and never returned. The Bruins were already without Charlie McAvoy and Torey Krug also left the game, so they were without their top-3 defenseman and were still able to make a furious third period comeback. Expect an update on Chara’s status leading up to Thursday’s game in Florida.
It is unclear what happened to Krug that forced him from Tuesday’s win in Carolina. Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy did not have any sort of update on Krug postgame, so he will likely be reevaluated on Wednesday and an update will follow. Krug was reportedly seen walking around without any obvious signs that he is dealing with a lower-body injury.
Lehtonen allowed four goals on 26 shots in the Stars loss in Montreal last night. Head coach Ken Hitchcock announced that he is going to play Lehtonen until he sees Bishop again, so look for Lehtonen to make his fifth consecutive start tonight in Toronto. Lehtonen has gone 1-3-1 with a 2.39 GAA and .917 SV% since Bishop went down with a lower-body injury.
Andersen allowed two goals on 40 shots i the Maple Leafs 5-2 win over the Penguins on Saturday. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Andersen, who is now just two wins from tying his career-high (35) in that category. The Stars are in town with a high-powered offence, but come in on the tail-end of a back-to-back and are under .500 (14-16-3) on the road this season.
Trocheck seemed to be in some discomfort at the tail-end of the Panthers’ loss to the Senators on Monday. However, he was able to finish the game, collecting two assists in 20:15 TOI. The Panthers’ second-line centre continues his great season, having posted 26 goals and 38 assist (64 points) in 67 games. His absence from Wednesday’s practice clouds his status for Thursday’s game, but check in on him during tomorrow’s morning skate to see exactly what’s up.
Zaitsev has been battling an illness and will miss his second straight game on Wednesday. However, Zaitsev was able to get on the ice for the first time in five days, which suggests that he could be ready for tomorrow’s game in Buffalo.
Dermott missed Tuesday’s practice but says he will play tonight vs. the Stars after getting over a head cold. Dermott has picked up just one assist over his last nine games though.
Methot was forced to leave Tuesday’s loss in Montreal with an upper-body injury and is not expected to play in Toronto on Wednesday. It has been a brutal season for Methot in terms of injuries, so look for the Stars to be patient to make sure he’s ready for the playoffs. Julius Honka will likely replace him in the lineup against the Maple Leafs.
Heatherington has one assist in five games with the Stars this season but has spent most of the season in Texas, where he has picked up 17 points (3G / 14A) across 52 contests. Marc Methot was hurt on Tuesday, so Julius Honka will likely draw into the lineup on Tuesday, leaving Heatherington as the Stars seventh defenseman.
DeAngelo was forced to leave Monday’s game vs. the Hurricanes with what ended up being a sprained ankle. DeAngelo’s 3-4 week timetable effectively ends his 2017-18 season with eight assists and a minus-18 rating in 32 games. Ryan Sproul was recalled from Hartford (AHL) and he is expected to replace DeAngelo on Wednesday.
