Kostka has only appeared in two games with the Blackhawks this season, he will return to the team when he is 100% ready to return to the lineup.
Pirri posted six goals and five assists and a plus-6 rating while averaging 12:14 in 24 games with the Hawks.
McQuaid re-aggrevated a lower-body injury that forced him out of action for eight games between Nov 11-25. Matt Bartowski is expected to enter the lineup in his spot.
Head coach Randy Carlyle said that "Kessel did not feel good in one part of his body" and asked to be excused from the workout. It does not sound like Kessel is dealing with anything serious, so he should be in the lineup tomorrow vs. the Stars.
McNabb appeared in three games with the Sabres, he failed to record a point while averaging 16:48 TOI. He returns to Rochester where he has two goals and 10 assists in 15 games. He will play one game in Rochester tonight and then likely head back to Buffalo.
Franson missed the last two games after being injured on Friday vs. Buffalo. Franson leads the Leafs with 13 assists, but is still in search of his first goal. Morgan Rielly will likely be scratched with Franson returning.
Smithson has played in 13 games with the Maple Leafs, averaged 10:20 TOI, has no points, a minus-4 rating and one shot on goal. He is on a two-way contract so there will be no cap-hit if he is claimed from waivers.
Price stopped 28 of 30 shots on Monday vs. New Jersey to earn his fifth straight win. Price has been excellent all season as he has his eyes on Team Canada's starting job. During his five game winning streak he has posted a 1.80 GAA and .940 SV%. He draws a tough assignment tomorrow vs. Boston.
Budaj gave up two goals on 26 shots in a loss to the Capitals last Friday. The loss was is second of the season and moved him to 4-1-1 with a 1.63 GAA and .939 SV%. He has been great when called upon so far and has a solid matchup versus a punch-less offence in New Jersey. On a quiet night in the NHL he makes for a solid spot-start.
This is great news for the Red Wings and Datsyuk owners. He will not play tonight and I suspect he won't play on Friday either, but maybe Saturday back at home vs. Florida. Monitor his status throughout the week and into the weekend.
DeKeyser is on long-term injured reserve and is eligible to return between December 12-14, but he is not sure if he will be ready by then. He is aiming for a mid-to-late December return - especially with the Winter Classic on January 1. Before being injured he was averaging 25:04 TOI in his last five games and had two goals and nine points in 22 games.
Lupul is likely still a week away from returning to the Maple Leafs lineup, but his return to the ice this morning with the team, albeit as an extra, is a good sign for the winger. The Maple Leafs are hampered by injuries, so Lupul return would be immense.
It appears Vinny will miss his second straight game with the back ailment. His absence during the morning skate is a strong indicator that he will not dress tonight. Michael Raffl will remain in his spot on the 2nd line with Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds. Consider Lecavalier day-to-day.
With Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg both out, Weiss will shift from the 4th line centre to the 1st line RW. He will skate with Johan Franzen and Gustav Nyquist and start on the wing. The Red Wings offseason signing has be a huge disappointment so far posting just two goals and one assist with a minus-4 rating in 22 games. He gets a shot with two talented players tonight, so maybe this is the opportunity he needs to get his season turned around.
Mason allowed two goals on 26 shots in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Predators. It was a great game for Mason who moved to 4-1-0 in his last five. He will take on a depleted Red Wings squad in Detroit tonight - Mason is 3-2-2 with a 1.82 GAA and .943 SV% on the road.
It is not really surprising that he is not on the ice after just suffering the injury last night. The Leafs will release a full injury update on Bozak in the next couple of days after he is re-evaluated. He already missed a month with a hamstring issue earlier this season.
Kadri has been moved to the top-line in practice because Tyler Bozak is not on the ice after suffering a lower-body injury versus San Jose on Tuesday. Should Bozak miss an extended period of time, Kadri will likely get a look on the top-line with James van Riemsdyk and Phil Kessel - something that will certainly boost his fantasy value, because he not be great alongside David Clarkson so far.
Bourque missed five games in late November with a lower-body injury and will now sit with an upper-body injury. In Montreal on Monday he potted his sixth goal of the season to go with one assist in 23 games. Consider him day-to-day for now.
It appears Kane is in danger of missing a second straight game when the Jets face the Panthers tomorrow. He will have to skate on Thursday morning if he is going to dress, so we will update his status tomorrow.
Krug's availability for Thursday's game never really seemed in jeopardy, but this ensures that he will be in the lineup tomorrow. The 22-year-old defenseman has enjoyed a great start to the season collecting seven goals and 16 points in 27 games. The seven goals in tied for the league lead amongst D-men. He should be activated in all formats.
