Bemstrom was a healthy scratch on Tuesday but will draw back in for Eric Robinson on Thursday. Bemstrom was dominant in Sweden last year but has just nine points (3G / 6A) in 26 games in the NHL this season.
Killorn was a game-time decision on Tuesday but didn't end up playing for the second straight game. This morning he was on the ice for the morning skate and was on a line with Carter Verhaeghe and Mathieu Joseph, so expect him to fill a fourth-line role if he plays.
Landeskog has been sidelined by a lower-body injury since October 26th but all signs are pointing towards him playing Thursday in Montreal. Landeskog, who had three goals and four assists in 11 games before getting hurt, will likely be back on the top-line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.
Gibbons has split his campaign between the NHL and AHL, posting 11 points (3G / 8A) in 12 AHL games and no points in 11 NHL games.
Leskinen was an undrafted free agent that came to North America this year after spending the last three full seasons in Finland. The 22-year-old defenseman has recorded one goal and 11 assists (12 points) in 24 games with Laval so far this year.
Samsonov allowed two goals on 27 shots in the Capitals win in Detroit on Saturday. The win snapped a brief two-game losing skid for Samsonov, who finished November at 2-1-1 with a 2.73 GAA and .914 SV%. Tonight he faces a Kings team that has won seven of their last nine (7-1-1) home games while scoring 3.33 goals per game.
Anderson allowed one goal on 19 shots in the Senators loss in Columbus on November 25th. He ended up missing the next four games with a lower-body injury but will start Wednesday in Edmonton. While the Oilers don’t have a ton of scoring depth, facing them in Edmonton on a back-to-back with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the lineup makes Anderson a super risky start on Wednesday.
Rust skated this morning but remains day-to-day and will not play against the Blues. With Patric Hornqvist and Rust both missing from their top-6, the recently signed Stefan Noesen is expected to make his Penguins debut.
Aston-Reese was absent from Tuesday’s practice session but the Penguins expect him to be in the lineup vs. the Blues. Aston-Reese has just four goals and three assists (seven points) in 27 games this season.
Jarry surrendered four goals on 29 shots in the Penguins loss in Columbus last Friday. Matt Murray did not have his best showing in St. Louis the following night, so Jarry will get a shot at the Blues on home-ice on Wednesday. The 24-year-old was 4-2-0 with a 2.42 GAA and .923 SV% in November and is 4-1-0 with a 1.59 GAA and .948 SV% on home-ice, so he’s a reasonable spot-start option tonight.
Andersen allowed five goals on 28 shots in the Maple Leafs' 6-1 loss in Philadelphia last night. Despite head coach Sheldon Keefe saying Michael Hutchinson would start Wednesday earlier in the week, it looks as if Andersen will be between the pipes again. Normally he's a top-end option but starting two nights in a row and facing a Colorado team that is getting healthy and has won three straight while scoring 16 goals (5.33 goals per game) makes him a low-end option tonight.
