Smith recorded one assist in 11 games with the Flames and will return to Abbotsford where he has played just one game this season.
Datsyuk skated on the Red Wings' top line with Johan Franzen and Todd Bertuzzi and also centred the top power-play unit. Datsyuk missed seven games, over that stretch the Red Wings went 5-2-0. There will be a lot of pressure on Datsyuk to carry the team while Henrik Zetterberg remains out.
Helm missed the last two games and it does not appear that he will play tomorrow vs. the Panthers. He will need to participate in tomorrow's morning skate in order to play. He has battled a lot of injuries as of late, but this does not appear to be too serious which is good news for the 26-year-old who has seven goals and 10 points in 15 games.
Orpik was placed on injured reserve this morning and is not eligible to return for seven days which would be next Saturday.
Bouchard has been placed on waivers presumably to clear roster space in order to recall Ryan Strome. The Islanders are in desperate need of offence and Strome was the 5th overall pick in 2011 and leads the AHL with with 33 points (9G / 24A). Bouchard has not recorded a point in the last eight games and has just four goals and five assists in 28 games. He signed one-year, $2 million contract in the offseason and could be claimed by a team in need of forward depth .
Sceviour, 24, leads the AHL with 18 goals this season and leads all Texas Stars with 30 points in 26 games. The 6-foot, 200-pound forward has played in two career NHL contests, registering one assist. Sceviour was Dallas' fourth-round selection (112th overall) in the 2007 NHL Draft.
Hedman should be considered day-to-day, his next chance to return would be Thursday vs. the Red Wings.
After participating in a full morning skate and Malkin indicating that he will play, it appears it would take a late setback for him not to play. Monitor his status prior to puck-drop.
Mason was yanked after he gave up four goals on 26 shots in a 5-1 loss to the Stars on Saturday. It was the first time that Mason allowed more than three goals since being acquired from Columbus. He will likely be in goal tonight against a Senators team who have lost four of their last five games.
Fleury allowed three goals on 21 shots in a 3-2 loss to the Bruins on Saturday. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Fleury. Tonight he gets the call against a Blue Jackets minus their three best players, so he should make for a great start tonight as he searches for his 17th W of the year.
Anderson allowed three goals on 31 shots in a shootout loss to the Maple Leafs on Saturday. It was not the best start, but his 2.40 GAA and .921 SV% in his two starts in December are a lot better than his 2-4-0, 4.00 GAA and .866 SV% he posted in November. He will face the 13-14-2 Flyers who are coming off of an ugly 5-1 loss to the Stars.
Conacher was a healthy scratch after recording just one assist in his last 10 games. After being acquired from Tampa Bay for goaltender Ben Bishop, Conacher has just four goals and six assists (10 points) in 41 games with Ottawa. Before he was traded he had 24 points in 35 games with the Lightning. He was expected to compete for a top-6 job at the start of the season, but that has not developed. He will likely skate on the fourth line with Mika Zibanejad and Matt Kassian, while Mike Hoffman takes a seat.
Anderson allowed three goals on 31 shots in a shootout loss to the Maple Leafs on Saturday. It was not the best start, but his 2.40 GAA and .921 SV% in his two starts in December are a lot better than his 2-4-0, 4.00 GAA and .866 SV% he posted in November. He would face the 13-14-2 Flyers who are coming off of an ugly 5-1 loss to the Stars.
McGinn appeared in six games with the Flyers earlier in the season totalling three goals and a plus-1 rating. While in Adirondack the 23-year-old left-winger had five goals and two assists in 18 games. He could draw into the lineup for Zac Rinaldo, who was ejected from Saturday's contest for jumping Antoine Roussel.
Lecavalier is expected to miss 3-4 weeks with a non-displaced fracture in his lower-back. Tye McGinn has been recalled from Adirondack to round out the 23-man roster.
Malkin is listed as questionable for tonight's meeting with the Blue Jackets, but it appears he is going to test out the lower-body injury in the morning skate. He has missed the last two games after being injured in the morning skate prior to Thursday's contest vs. the Sharks. His return to the lineup would be huge, as James Neal is likely going to be suspended for his actions on Saturday. Monitor Malkin's status following the morning skate.
Erixon currently leads Springfield in points with 16 (3G / 13A) in 14 games. The 6-foot-2, 200 lbs. defenseman was the 23rd overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft and has appeared in 32 games over the last two years with the Blue Jackets, tallying five assists and a plus-5 rating. With James Wisniewski out for at least a week, Erixon will battle with David Savard for playing time on Columbus' blueline.
Dumoulin was the 51st overall pick by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2009 NHL Draft. He is currently in his second year with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) after spending three years at Boston College. The 6-foot-3, 200 lbs. defenseman has one goal and five assists in 22 games this season. With Pittsburgh down three starting D-men, Dumoulin could make his NHL debut tonight.
Orpik was injured on Saturday when he was sucker punched by Bruins winger Shawn Thornton while laying prone on the ice. Orpik concussed Loui Eriksson on a hit earlier in the game and when things spiralled out of control after a James Neal knee, Thornton went right after Orpik. Thornton has been suspended indefinitely for the incident and Orpik will be out until at least next Saturday.
Phaneuf crunched Miller into the boards from behind near the end of the third period in Sunday night's Bruins-Maple Leafs game. The NHL confirmed that Phaneuf's hearing will happen on Tuesday by phone, meaning that it can be no longer than five games.
