Halak allowed four goals on 14 shots after replacing Brian Elliott on Tuesday. It was a rough night all around for the Blues, but that likely won't become a trend. On Thursday, Halak will take on a Rangers squad who have won six of their last eight games while outscoring their opponents 23-14.
Smith allowed four goals on 29 shots in a loss to the Maple Leafs on Monday. After winning back-to-back starts for the first time since November 9 & 12, Smith got diced up by Phil Kessel and the Leafs. Smith has a great matchup to earn his 18th win of the season tonight vs. Calgary. He stopped 22 of 24 shots in a 4-2 win over the Flames on October 22.
Crescenzi has one goal and one assist in 32 games with the Toronto Marlies. This is a minor league deal only.
Kozun was the 179th overall pick in 2009. He has 29 points (10G / 19A) in 43 games with Manchester this season. He has never played an NHL game.
Khudobin stopped 15 of 17 shots after replacing Justin Peters on Sunday. With Peters struggling it is no surprise that Khudobin will start tonight in Philly. Since returning from his ankle injury Khudobin is 5-2-0 with a 2.07 GAA and .935 SV%. He already has one win over the Flyers this season.
Sedin did not skate on Wednesday which puts his status for Thursday's contest in jeopardy. When his ironman streak was intact, he likely would have tried harder to be in the lineup, but now that that is over the Canucks will tread lightly with their star playmaker.
Schroeder missed the last 10 weeks with a broken ankle, but will play with Utica over the weekend and likely be back with the Canucks next week. Schroeder has three goals and six assists in 34 career NHL games.
Varone joins the Sabres for his first career call-up after joining the Americans on a one-year AHL contract prior to the 2011-12 season and then subsequently signing a three-year, entry-level NHL contract in March 2012. Since his breakout season in 2011-12, in which he led the Amerks in scoring with 52 points (11G / 41A) through 76 regular-season games, Varone has recorded 120 points (30G / 90A) in 176 career AHL games played. Varone again leads the 2013-14 Amerks in scoring with 33 points (8G / 25A) in 38 games.
Porter hadn't dressed since December 21 and has only registered one assist with a minus-5 rating in 12 games with the Sabres.
McNabb played in seven games during his most recent call-up. He failed to record a points and was a plus-1 with seven shots and 14 hits. He returns to Rochester where he has 15 points (3G / 12A) in 20 games.
Mason was pulled after allowed four goals on 24 shots in a loss to the Islanders on Saturday. He was given the night off on Monday, so he will be back in the crease tonight vs. Carolina. In two previous starts vs. the Hurricanes, Mason is 0-1-1 with a 1.98 GAA and .944 SV%.
Hannan has missed the last four games with a concussion that he suffered on January 9 vs. the Red Wings. The Sharks have a healthy number NHL ready defenseman so Hannan's loss is not overly devastating to their blueline. Consider him day-to-day.
Beck has not recorded a point in two games with the Predators this season but has played very well in Milwaukee. In 35 games in the AHL he has racked up 11 goals and 16 assists (27 points).
Schroeder has been sidelined for 10 weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a broken ankle. Schroeder presence at practice reveals that he is close to returning and with the Canucks extremely thin up the middle right now, he may not go to Utica for conditioning. Monitor his status during Thursday's morning skate.
There were some questions whether or not Voracek would be available for Tuesday's game, but the game getting postponed allowed him an extra day to heal his ailing hand. Voracek has been on a tear recently, he has recorded five goals and three assists in his last nine games. He has a total of 35 points (14G / 21A) in 50 games this season.
Larsson has no goals and four assists in six games since being assigned there on Jan. 9 to get back playing after recovering from a left knee injury he sustained in Nov. 23 in San Jose. “He’ll stay there right now and play for a while,” GM Lou Lamoriello said. “Right now, our defense is playing good and we just want him to get his total game back. He’s playing a lot and the team is playing very well. It’s a good team there right now."
“We’ve got the day off and we’ll know tomorrow morning,” Lamoriello said. Henrique recorded a goal in 10:50 before exiting the game and not returning. He has been heating up recently, he has seven goals and four assists (11 points) in his last 13 games.
Anderson stopped all 34 shots he faced in a 2-0 win over the Capitals on Tuesday. It was Andy's 16th win and third shutout of the season. He continues to put his early season struggles behind him as he has now won seven of his last 10 games. On Thursday he will meet a Lightning team who have averaged 3.20 goals per game in their last 10 games.
Hemsky has been skating for the last few days as he works his way back from a bone bruise on his ankle. He is listed as day-to-day, but could play on Friday if Thursday's practice goes well.
After skating on his own on Monday, Yak was ready to join the team today. He is still listed as questionable for Friday, but his presence at practice is a positive step in his recovery.
