Zucker missed the most recent Wild game with a lower-body injury. His placement on IR allowed the Wild to recall Veilleux for forward depth. He is able to play as soon as he is healthy with his placement being retroactive to Feb. 6.
Smith did not get a chance to play for Team Canada behind Carey Price and Roberto Luongo, but he did play very well with Phoenix before heading overseas. He won two of four starts while posting a 1.27 GAA, .960 SV% and one shutout. Tonight he will get a shot against a Jets team who have been great under new head coach Paul Maurice.
Kuemper allowed two goals on 18 shots in a win over the Predators in the Wild's last game before the Olympic break. He has seven of his 12 consecutive starts and holds a 2.46 GAA and .917 SV% in 15 games this season. On Thursday he will face an Oilers team he beat 4-1 on Jan. 16.
Brouillette has one goal and one assist in two games with the Capitals this season. While with Hershey he has nine goals and eight assists (17 points) in 36 games.
Hertl is expected to practice on Thursday but at this point still is not expected to play again this season.
Talbot participated in the morning skate, but if his fiancee goes into labor, Roy will complete his 20-man lineup with an extra defenseman, Cory Sarich, who hasn't played since Jan. 11 because of a back injury.
Staal says that his back is feeling good, but head coach Alain Vigneault says he is still day-to-day and a decision on whether he plays tomorrow will be made tomorrow.
Glencross has been practicing since returning from the Olympic break, but still is not ready to return to the Flames lineup. Glencross has been sidelined since December 21 with a high ankle sprain.
Stempniak still has not returned to the Flames after leaving for personal reasons. Stempniak has not practice in nearly one week. Monitor his status prior to Saturday's game in Edmonton.
With Jonathan Quick returning to Kings practice today, it is no surprise that it looks like Jones will get the start tonight in Colorado. Jones allowed one goal on 15 shots after replacing Quick in a loss to the Penguins on Jan. 30. In his first start vs. the Avs he stopped 23 of 25 shots in a 3-2 shootout win.
Granlund was the Flames second round pick (45th overall) in 2011. He has 23 goals and 21 assists (44 points) in 50 games with Abbotsford (AHL) in his first North American season. Granlund is expected to centre the fourth line with Paul Byron and Westgarth on his wings.
Ortio is 20-6-0 with a 2.22 GAA and .926 SV% with the Abbotsford Heat (AHL) in his first North American season. His first NHL start will come against the 31-22-6 Kings who will be playing their second game of a back-to-back set.
Pavelec went 2-1-1 with the Czech Republic in the Olympics and appears set to start the Jets first game back on Thursday. He is 7-6-0 over the last two months and sits with a 2.97 GAA and .901 SV% on the season. He will look to move to 2-0-0 vs. the Coyotes tomorrow night.
Sedin had been in Sweden dealing with a family matter, so we likely won't know until closer to puck-drop if he will be in the lineup tonight. If he does play, expect him to skate on a line with his brother and Alex Burrows.
Canucks head coach John Tortorella would not divulge the severity of Kesler's hand injury. When asked about MRI results, he said that Kesler is "day-to-day." Tortorella also said that if "Kesler could play, he would play", which suggests that the hand injury is relatively serious. Consider Kesler questionable for Friday's game as well.
Lack stopped 28 of 29 shots in a 2-0 loss to the Red Wings in his last start (Feb. 3). Tuesday was the first time Luongo skated with the team since before leaving for Sochi, so Lack will get the call in the first game back. Lack is 2-0-0 with a 1.44 GAA and .945 SV% in two starts vs. St. Louis this season.
Hutton gave up four goals on 23 shots in a loss to the Ducks in the Preds last game before the break. He has lost his last three starts while allowing a combined 10 goals. Head coach Barry Trotz said today that Hutton is still the team's starter, however Pekka Rinne is inching closer to a return, which would result in the end of Hutton's run as the Preds number-1.
Rinne has been sidelined since October with a bacterial infection following surgery to his hip. His assignment is a great sign that he is close to a return. He will likely start one or two games with Milwaukee to get him back into game shape at which point he will be recalled and presumably retain his job as the Predators starter.
Grabovski missed eight games leading up to the Olympic break, but is ready to return to the lineup tomorrow. Grabo has been held scoreless in his last five games, but sits with 12 goals and 21 assists (33 points) in 49 games this year.
Green missed the last five games before the Olympic break with a concussion, but he has passed concussion protocol and will play vs. the Panthers. Green has seven goals and 23 assists (30 points) in 51 games this season.
