Wennberg had to hang back in Vancouver because an infected hand would not allow him to fly back to Columbus. Wennberg is finally back in Columbus but still is not expected to be in the lineup tomorrow.
Mitchell has missed the last four games, but it looks like he will be available for Tuesday’s game against the Predators. Mitchell has no points and a minus-2 rating in six games with the Canadiens.
Jooris missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury, but he will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Avalanche. Jooris will skate on the second line with Mikael Backlund and Joe Colborne. He has 11 goals and 10 assists (21 points) in 52 games this season.
Niemi stopped 27 of 28 shots in the Sharks 2-0 loss to the Canadiens on Saturday. It has been an up-and-down month for Niemi, who sits 4-4-0 with a 2.22 GAA and .930 SV% in eight starts in March. Tonight he gets the nod in Ottawa—he has gone 15-8-2 with a 2.39 GAA and .926 SV% in 25 starts on the road this season.
Carter has been out since February 9th but despite being cleared to play, he will not be in the lineup tonight vs. the Maple Leafs. The Wild will see how tonight goes before deciding when to get him back in.
This is a tough break for Puempel, who’s NHL career was off to a nice start. He had just been moved to the Senators top-6 for Saturday’s game and he recorded one assist before suffering the ankle injury. He could be back before the end of the regular season.
Hamilton was a healthy scratch on Saturday and was returned to the AHL this afternoon. He had one goal and one assist in 16 games with the Oilers after posting 29 points (15G /14A) in 32 games with Oklahoma City.
Murray has missed the last two games and will miss his third straight game on Tuesday. There is no doubting Murray’s talent, but he has only appeared in 10 games this season and has missed 50.6% of games in his first two seasons in the NHL. He is listed as day-to-day.
Dubinsky has missed the las three games and will miss his fourth straight game on Tuesday. Dubinsky is listed as day-to-day, so a return on Friday in Chicago seems possible.
Niemi stopped 27 of 28 shots in the Sharks 2-0 loss to the Canadiens on Saturday. It has been an up-and-down month for Niemi, who sits 4-4-0 with a 2.22 GAA and .930 SV% in eight starts in March. Tonight he gets the nod in Ottawa—he has gone 15-8-2 with a 2.39 GAA and .926 SV% in 25 starts on the road this season.
Wilson missed Saturday’s game against the Sabres, but his return to practice on Monday is a good sign that he will be available for Tuesday’s game against the Canadiens. Wilson has no points in his last six games.
Bjugstad missed practice on Monday and is listed as doubtful for Tuesday’s game. Bjugstad has missed a lot of practices recently and he is dealing with lower-body “soreness.” Monitor his status during Tuesday’s morning skate.
Crawford allowed four goals on 29 shots in the Blackhawks 4-0 loss to the Stars on Saturday. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Crawford, who will make his 50th start of the season tonight in Carolina. Crawford has gone 5-1-1 with a 1.70 GAA and .948 SV% in seven starts this month.
Datsyuk has missed the last three games, but he return to practice on Monday. Despite being back with the team, he did not take part in line rushes which suggests that he won’t be back in the lineup on Tuesday. Monitor his status leading up to tomorrow’s game.
Lehtonen stopped all 33 shots that he faced in the Stars 4-0 shutout win over the Blackhawks on Saturday. It was a terrible matchup and Lehtonen turned in a stellar performance. He has won five of his last six starts while posting a 1.50 GAA and .940 SV%. He makes for a great option tonight in Buffalo.
Bailey, 23, who signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Maple Leafs over the weekend is expected to make his NHL debut this weekend. The 6-foot-3, 195 lbs. forward had 22 goals and 18 assists (40 points) in 37 games with Penn State University this season. It was his third season with Penn State, he collected a total of 80 points (45G / 35A) in 96 games in three years at the University.
Puempel missed the morning skate and will miss tonight’s game with a lower-body injury that he suffered on Saturday. He will be replaced in the lineup by Zack Smith and Mike Hoffman will take his place with Mika Zibanejad and Bobby Ryan.
Michalek missed the morning skate and will be held out of tonight’s game with a head injury that he suffered on Saturday. He is considered day-to-day. Colin Greening will enter the lineup for Michalek and Alex Chiasson will replace him on a line with Kyle Turris and Mark Stone.
Smith went to the AHL for a conditioning stint and scored one goal and one assist with Binghamton (AHL). Tonight will be Smith’s first game since December 13th. Smith has two goals and one assist in 27 games with the Senators this season.
Hammond allowed three goals on 25 shots in the Senators 5-3 win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday. This guy just does not lose. He has gone 13-0-1 with a 1.65 GAA and .947 SV% since being recalled. He has given the Senators a real shot at making the playoffs and that push will continue tonight vs. the Sharks. He made 28 saves in a 4-2 win over San Jose in late February.
