Austin Czarnik will draw into the lineup for the Red Wings on Thursday in favour of Daniel Sprong. Sprong played only 7:41 time-on-ice in Tuesday's 7-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres and recorded an unsightly -4 plus/minus.
Chinakhov exited Tuesday's 3-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens after playing only 4:57 time-on-ice due to an upper-body injury. The 23-year-old forward has struggled lately, scoring only one point (1G / 0A) in his last eight games.
With Yegor Chinakhov out of the lineup battling an upper-body injury, Pyyhtia will make his season debut on Thursday. Pyyhtia was the fourth-round pick of the Blue Jackets in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and has 27 points (7G / 20A) in 57 games with the Cleveland Monsters (AHL) this season.
Marchenko did not play on Tuesday due to an illness but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators, providing a sizeable boost for a team already without Sean Kuraly and Yegor Chinakhov. Marchenko has four points (1G / 3A) in his last eight games while being a healthy scratch once in that stretch.
The Senators are coming off a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, snapping a seven-game losing skid, courtesy of Joonas Korpisalo, but they will switch to Forsberg between the pipes on Thursday. Forsberg has not played since March 1st, when he allowed four goals on 29 shots (.862 SV%) in a 5-3 loss to the Arizona Coyotes. That said, the Senators enter action as -120 road favourites against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Blue Jackets will return to Merzlikins between the pipes after a forgettable performance in his last outing. On Tuesday, Merzlikins allowed three goals on four shots (.250 SV%) before being pulled in the first period en route to a disappointing 3-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Before that, Merzlikins had been playing well, allowing two or fewer goals in three straight starts (2-1-0). The Blue Jackets enter action as +109 home underdogs against the Ottawa Senators.
Ersson has been the go-to guy between the pipes for the Flyers lately and will likely return to the crease on Thursday for his fifth straight start. In his last outing, Ersson saved 27 of 29 shots (.931 SV%) in a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Less than a month ago, Ersson allowed four goals on 28 shots (.857 SV%) in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Flyers enter action as +108 home underdogs against the Maple Leafs on Thursday.
Struble will watch Thursday's game against the Boston Bruins from the pressbox as Jordan Harris will draw into the lineup as his replacement. Struble played the last four games for the Canadiens, averaging nearly 15 minutes time-on-ice, and recording 13 hits.
Jayden Struble will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Harris to return to the lineup after a one-game absence. Harris has been held off the scoresheet in all but one of his last 13 games, a two-point effort (1G / 1A) on February 27th.
Colin White will draw into the lineup for the Canadiens on Thursday in favour of Pezzetta, who will be a healthy scratch. Pezzetta played the last two games, averaging under seven minutes per night while recording one shot and 11 hits.
Michael Pezzetta will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing White to re-enter the lineup. White has not played since March 2nd and has failed to record a point in 16 games this season.
The Penguins will turn to Jarry between the pipes for a third straight game as they attempt to snap a four-game losing skid in which they have been outscored 17-2. Jarry saved 37 of 39 shots (.949 SV%) in his last outing, a 2-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators. The Penguins have lost seven of their last eight (1-6-1) but have a favourable matchup on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks and are -317 home favourites.
Jeannot was activated off Injured Reserve in February and returned to the lineup on February 13th but was limited to only 5:44 time-on-ice before re-aggravating his lower-body injury. He has played in only one game since January 6th. The 26-year-old bruising winger has filled his bottom-six role well this season with 12 points (6G/6A), 52 SOG, 61 PIMs, and a -11 plus/minus in 41 games played before the injury.
Eriksson Ek exited Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes after playing 14:55 time-on-ice due to an undisclosed injury. Eriksson Ek has been tremendous for Minnesota this season and, although the severity of his injury seems minor, it creates a sizeable void down the middle in the lineup. Through 66 games this season, Eriksson Ek already has 60 points (29G / 31A), only one shy of his career-high set last season.
Czarnik spent some time with the Red Wings earlier this season, scoring one point (0G / 1A) in 18 games, but has spent most of his time in the AHL. The 31-year-old Czarnik has 26 points (9G / 17A) in 36 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) this season.
Jones will draw into lineup in place of Jonathan Drouin, who is sidelined with a lower-body injury. He will likely rotate defensive partners as the team's seventh defenseman.
Drouin was a late scratch on Wednesday, with the team not announcing his absence prior to warmups. Caleb Jones will draw into the lineup as the Avs opt to dress seven defensemen.
Georgiev will be back between the pipes for the Avalanche on Wednesday after Justus Annunen got the nod in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Flames. Georgiev's last appearance came on Friday against the Wild, when he allowed just a single goal on 30 shots as Colorado managed to pick up the overtime victory over the Wild. Georgiev owns a rather disappointing .901 SV% on the season but has still managed a 33-15-3 record thanks to some outstanding goal support. He'll have his hands full on Wednesday when he and the Avs travel to Vancouver to take on the leaders of the Western Conference.
Alexeyev will be the odd-man out on Wednesday as Martin Fehervary returns from his injury. Alexeyev has one goal and one assist in 24 games this season.
Stecher will fill in on the Oilers' blue-line for Mattias Ekholm, who is out with an undisclosed injury. Stecher has one goal and four assists in 47 games this season.
