Gibbons missed the last five games, but will be back tonight and will start on a line with Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz and also see time on the second power-play unit. He has two goals and four assists in 13 games.
Varlamov gave up two goals on 11 shots after replacing Sami Aittokallio in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Lightning. Varlamov enters play at 8-1-1 with a 2.52 GAA and .921 SV% in January. He will meet the Stars for the fourth time this season, he is 3-0-0 with a 1.97 GAA and .942 SV% against Dallas.
Lehtonen stopped all 24 shots that he faced in a 3-0 win over the Penguins on Saturday. It was a huge win over a great team. Lehtonen will need to be at his best once again with the Avalanche in town tonight. Lehtonen is 0-1-1 with 4.38 GAA and .883 SV% in two prior starts against Colorado.
Fleury gave up three goals on 28 shots in a 3-0 loss to the Stars on Saturday. Fleury has been a workhorse throughout his career, tonight will mark his 43rd start of the season. Fleury is 28-12-1 with a 2.31 GAA and .915 SV% in the first 42 starts and has a good chance to chalk up a league leading 29th win tonight vs. Buffalo.
Sturm played 14 seasons in the NHL. He was originally drafted 21st overall by the San Jose Sharks in 1996. He played seven and a half seasons with the Sharks before moving on to Boston for four and a half seasons. Towards the end of his career he bounced around with the Kings, Capitals, Canucks and Panthers. He totalled 242 goals, 245 assists (487 points) in 938 regular season games. He also had 22 points (9G / 13A) in 68 playoff games.
Zetterberg first injured his back this season when he suffered a slightly herniated disc Dec. 1 in Ottawa and he didn't return until Dec. 28. The Red Wings had a 3-6-2 record without their leader. Now, he's back on the shelf and general manager Ken Holland said he doesn't know if the latest ailment is the same thing that kept Zetterberg out of the lineup last month and that Zetterberg is day-to-day. But as coach Mike Babcock is fond of saying, day-to-day can often mean 10 days.
Khudobin stopped 23 of 26 shots in a 6-3 win over the Senators on Saturday. Khudobin has won three in a row with a 2.67 GAA and .899 SV%. He has enjoyed a lot of success in his first season with the Hurricanes, he sits at 10-3-0 with a 2.20 GAA and .927 SV% so far. Tonight he will face a surging Columbus squad.
It is good news that Kessel has returned to the ice, but not participating in drills is not a great sign. The Leafs will likely release an update after practice.
Nabokov will not start, but will dress after missing 10 games with a leg injury. The Islanders will take on the Rangers on Wednesday, look for Nabby to make his return to the crease then.
Visnovsky missed 46 games with a concussion that he suffered on October 19. The 37-year-old had one goal and two assists with a plus-3 rating in eight games before getting hurt. Visnovsky has averaged 35.25 points per season over the last four seasons. With 28 regular seasons games remaining, it is realistic to expect 15-plus points out of Visnovsky who will start on the top power-play tonight.
Poulin allowed three goals on 35 shots in a 4-3 loss to the Blues on Saturday. With Nabokov getting activated off of IR, Poulin will see his starts decrease going forward, but still gets the call tonight. He has won seven of his last 10 starts with a 3.03 GAA and .898 SV%. He will face a Bruins team who have won three of four.
Expect an injury update following practice, but if Kessel misses anytime, it would be a serious blow to the Maple Leafs lineup. Stay tuned.
Gibbons has missed the last five games after suffering a lower-body injury on January 11. Gibbons was activated from IR on Saturday and could return to the Pens top-line tonight in Buffalo.
Grabovski missed Saturday's game after suffering an apparent leg injury on Friday in New Jersey. The Capitals are back in action on Tuesday, consider Grabo questionable.
Nabokov could be activated off of IR and dress tonight vs. the Bruins. He has missed the last 10 games after getting injured on January 6. Monitor his status following the morning skate.
Visnovsky has been out since October 19 with a concussion, but has finally worked his way to a potential return tonight vs. the Bruins. Monitor his status following the morning skate.
Hamonic is not ready to return to the Islanders lineup, but it is a positive step in his recovery. Hamonic has missed the last seven games and could find himself on IR soon with Lubomir Visnovsky nearing a return.
Bolland continues to work his way back from a severed achilles tendon. There is still no timetable for Bolland's return, but it is good that he has not had a setback in his recovery.
Ward has been out for nearly one month with a lower-body injury. He has ramped up his workouts recently and facing shots is a big step in his recovery. Carolina has six games remaining before the Olympic break, continue to monitor Ward's progress as we near the break.
Bobrovsky was pulled after allowing three goals on 10 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Sabres on Saturday. He was handed his first loss in eight starts since returning from IR. Tonight in Carolina, he will look to get back on the winning track. The Hurricanes have won three in a row while outscoring the opposition 14-8.
