Hoffman was held off of the scoresheet in three games with the Senators during his first recall, but he has lit up the AHL with 30 goals and 37 assists (67 points) in 51 games this season. His 67 points sits second in league scoring, three points behind Travis Morin (Stars prospect).
Gibbons was sent down to play with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton during the Olympic break. He has totalled four goals and five assists (nine points) in 19 games with the Penguins this season. While in the AHL he has amassed 30 points (11G / 19A) in 28 games.
The Penguins are without Paul Martin (hand) and Kris Letang (stroke) so Despres will get a great opportunity on an injury riddled Penguins blueline. Despres has four assists in 18 games with the Penguins, while he has six goals and 16 assists (22 points) in 34 games in the AHL.
Martin has been spotted wearing a cast on his hand/wrist, but the Penguins have yet to release the severity of his injury. They will already be without Kris Letang, so losing Martin further weakens their blueline. Simon Despres who was recalled on Monday has a great opportunity to showcase his ability with Martin and Letang sidelined.
Dorsett has been sidelined since January 3 with a broken fibula. The gritty forward has three goals, two assists and 103 PIMs in 37 games this year.
Zuccarello said he suffered the injury blocking a shot during Norway’s 3-1 loss to Austria Sunday in a Group B match at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Zuccarello leads the Rangers with 28 assists and 43 points in 58 games this season. “It’s tough, but it’s part of the game so you kind of have to just go with it,” Zuccarello said Friday, wearing a black brace on his left hand. “But obviously it’s nothing you wanted to happen over there. It’s a tough one.”
Stamkos underwent another set of X-rays this afternoon. The bone is reportedly healing very well but the Lightning are playing it smart. Stamkos is expected to return when the Lightning get back to Tampa Bay on March 6 vs. the Sabres.
The Predators announced that Rinne had been cleared for the next step of his recovery after meeting with doctors earlier Monday. Coach Barry Trotz said a meeting was planned for later Monday to set a weekly plan for Rinne. The goalie has been sidelined since arthroscopic surgery on his left hip Oct. 24 as a result of a bacterial infection. The infection developed in the same hip surgically repaired May 9 after last season. Rinne started practising Feb. 19 and has worked a bit more each day. Rinne is 4-4-1 in the nine games he has played this season.
Jones was sent to Manchester to play during the Olympic break. He returns to the Kings where he will resume his position as Jonathan Quick's back-up. He has had a strong season, but behind Quick he is simply a spot-start option when Darryl Sutter gives him the nod.
Kostka will join the team this week. The 28-year-old has appeared in 44 career NHL games between Toronto and Chicago, scoring two goals and 11 points. He made his NHL debut last season with the Maple Leafs after spending his first four seasons in the AHL. Kostka will be reunited with coach Jon Cooper, who coached Kostka in Norfolk in 2011-12, when the Admirals captured the Calder Cup championship.
After the brief rest, Stamkos returned to the ice last week along with the rest of his non-Olympian teammates looking as good as ever 14 weeks after suffering a broken right tibia. Though he pushed hard to be ready to return before the break and represent Canada at the Olympics, a CT scan performed on Feb. 5 revealed the bone was not quite healed enough to clear his return. "It did feel good (on Feb. 5), but it feels even better now," Stamkos said. "Maybe I wasn't as far along as I thought, knowing how much better it has felt now that I have kept working on it and taking a couple of days off. It's just going to continually get better, and that's positive knowing it's doing that.''
Weiss has been skating for several weeks but isn’t ready for the fast pace, high intensity and full contact of a game, so he did not play with the Griffins on Sunday, as was originally planned. “I practiced twice last week with the (Plymouth) Whalers and three times (this week) with the (Red Wings), so I’m starting to feel really good but it hasn’t been that much practice time,” Weiss said. Weiss didn’t rule out being cleared for the first game following the Olympic break, Wednesday at Montreal. “That’s what we’re shooting for,” Weiss said. “Obviously, that’s not going to be my decision. I might still have to play a game or two (in Grand Rapids) next week. By then I’ll be more ready to play a game.”
Franzen has missed 23 of the last 24 games with a concussion. He returned for a single game on January 26 vs. Florida, but missed the next six games with lingering concussion-like symptoms. Getting Franzen back would be huge for the Red Wings who will be without Henrik Zetterberg for the next eight weeks.
Tyutin, 30, has four goals and 20 assists with 30 penalty minutes and a plus-6 rating in 53 games with the Blue Jackets this season. Tyutin had four penalty minutes and was plus-1 in five games at this year's Olympics. Tim Erixon will likely be recalled and fill-in for Tyutin on Thursday.
Gaborik has been out since December 21 with a broken collarbone. It was his first game back after missing five weeks with a knee injury and he was injured once again. The injuries have limited him to just 18 games this season, but the Olympic break allowed him to get healthy without missing anymore time. There is no word as to where he will slot into the lineup and who will get demoted, however he will likely land on a line with Artem Anisimov as his pivot. Gabo has five goals and seven assists (12 points) in 18 games.
Johnson was suspended for slashing New York Islanders forward Frans Nielsen during the Avs contest on Saturday, February 8. The incident occurred at 12:09 of the third period. Johnson was assessed a minor penalty for slashing. The slash resulted in a broken hand for Nielsen. Ryan Wilson will slide into the lineup for Johnson.
Varalmov allowed three goals on 15 shots before being yanked in Russia's loss to Finland on Wednesday. He finished the tournament 2-1-0 while allowing five goals on 56 shots (.911 SV%). While Russia had a disappointing Olympic performance, Varly will look to continue his great NHL season on Friday. He enters play at 28-11-5 with a 2.48 GAA and .924 SV% on the season.
Giguere stopped 30 of 32 shots in a win over the Islanders in the Avs' last game before the Olympic break. He has won each of his last two starts and sits with a 9-4-0 record, 2.44 GAA and .918 SV% on the season. Wednesday will mark just his fourth home start of the season, he is 2-1-0 in his first three.
There is no timetable for Barkov's return, but with only two months left in the regular season, he is expected to miss multiple weeks, his fantasy value heading forward is extremely limited. He has been excellent posting eight goals and 16 assists (24 points) in 54 games this season. In deep keeper leagues and dynasty leagues, Barkov appears to have great value and a bright future. Nick Bjugstad, the Panthers' other impressive rookie center, appears set to fill-in for Barkov and center the line with Sean Bergenheim and Brad Boyes.
Couture confirmed that only an unexpected occurrence would keep him out of the Sharks’ next game, on Thursday against the Flyers. Couture missed the last 16 games with a right hand injury, and he still wraps it for practice. He hurt himself on December 19 in Los Angeles, played through it for nearly three weeks, and eventually had surgery on January 8. “I’m ready to go in three or four days, whatever it is. Feels good as its felt in three months,” he said. Couture has 14 goals, 21 assists (35 points) and a plus-13 rating in 43 games this season.
