Datsyuk continues to battle a knee ailment. He was kept off of the ice all weekend to rest his knee, but it was not enough. Monitor his status prior to Thursday's game vs. the Avalanche.
Rinne will make his first NHL start since October 22 when he takes on the Penguins Tuesday. He coasted to two victories during his conditioning stint with Milwaukee (AHL), but he gets a tough test right out of the gate with the Penguins in town. Before getting hurt, Rinne was 4-4-1 with a 2.31 GAA and .917 SV%, pretty close to his career numbers and likely what you can expect out of him over the next 21 games. However, be cautious with tonight's matchup.
With Hossa out 2-3 weeks, the Hawks will start by giving Saad the chance to play with Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews. Saad has 18 goals and 23 assists (41 points) and a plus-27 rating already, but a spot on the top-line could help inflate those numbers even further.
WIth Pekka Rinne back with the Preds and the emergence of Carter Hutton, Dubnyk has been placed on waivers in an attempt to send him to Milwaukee (AHL). However, with he could be claimed by the Oilers and return as their backup as they try to trade Ilya Bryzgalov before the deadline. He could also be claimed by the Sabres so that they don't need to acquire a backup as they try to trade Jaroslav Halak.
The Oilers acquired Scrivens from the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 15 for a third-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft. Since coming to Edmonton, Scrivens has posted a 3-4-0 record with a 2.15 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage. He was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2013-14 season.
Stempniak missed the last two games because of the birth of his twin daughters, but he will return tonight in Minnesota. Stempniak has eight goals and 15 assists with a minus-21 rating in 51 games.
Scandella has missed the last three games after suffering a knee injury on February 4. Scandella will join Mikko Koivu as Wild regulars returning to the lineup tonight vs. the Flames. He has three goals and 13 assists (16 points) with a plus-10 rating in in 55 games this season.
"[I'm] very excited. It's been a long wait. Little nervous," said Koivu about returning tonight after missing 17 games with a broken ankle. Koivu will make his return on the second line with Charlie Coyle and Dany Heatley on his wings. Koivu has eight goals and 27 assists (35 points) in 44 games this season. His return helps solidify the Wild's front-end.
Brodeur stopped 18 of 19 shots in a 6-1 stomping of the Islanders on Saturday. Cory Schneider was lit up on Sunday, so the Devils will turn to Brodeur, in what could be his last start with New Jersey. He has a good matchup as he goes up against a shorthanded Red Wings squad.
Bobrovsky allowed three goals on 20 shots in a 6-3 win over the Panthers on Saturday. It was a good bounce-back performance after a disappointing loss to the Devils on Thursday. Tonight, he gets the nod between the pipes in Toronto. Bob is 2-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .953 SV% against the Maple Leafs this season.
Hossa left Saturday's outdoor game against the Penguins after playing just 4:18 and did not return. There is no word on the nature of Hossa's upper-body injury, but it will cost him the next couple of weeks. The Blackhawks will likely recall a forward in the next few days.
The Flames will get Brian McGrattan back in the lineup tonight, but expect Mikael Backlund to move to the top-line to replace Stajan.
Lehtonen allowed four goals on 21 shots in a 4-2 loss to the Lightning on Saturday. Despite outshooting Tampa Bay 41-21, the Stars were unable to get two points. Lehtonen will look to bounce back tonight as he draws a great matchup vs. the Sabres. Lehtonen is 1-1-0 with a 2.56 GAA and .902 SV% since getting back from Sochi.
Dillon missed Saturday's game with a lower-body injury and was skating with the injured Stephane Robidas at the Stars' morning skate, which suggests he will not play tonight vs. Buffalo.
Rinne won both of his starts with Milwaukee (AHL) while posting a 0.99 GAA and .943 SV%, however he only faced 35 shots in two games. Rinne could make his return to the Preds cage on Tuesday vs. the Penguins.
Jaskin had one assist and a plus-1 rating in three games during his most recent. That gives him two points (1G / 1A) in nine games with the Blues this season.
Heeter's return to the AHL suggests that Ray Emery must be feeling better and ready to resume his role as Steve Mason's backup.
Sobotka has missed the last seven games with a lower-body injury. Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock says he hopes that Sobotka will only miss four or five more games. Expect him back next week, likely Tuesday vs. Dallas or Thursday against the Oilers.
The Panthers, who acquired Pirri on Sunday, are expected to move some veterans out of town by Wednesday's trade deadline, so Pirri will likely become a permanent fixture in their top-6/9 for the remainder of the season.
Bollig will make an average of $1.25 millions US per year. Bollig has been a big part of Chicago's fourth line this year. He has dressed for all 62 games this season, scoring six goals, with six assists, a plus-2 rating and 69 PIMs. His fourth-line role has limited him to 10:05 TOI per game, but that is an effective 10 minutes that evidently the Blackhawks want to keep around through the 2016-17 season.
