McIlrath has not played in over three weeks and has been limited to only four games this season, but he will return to the lineup on Wednesday against the New York Rangers. The 33-year-old defenseman is averaging 11:12 time-on-ice this season.
Lindgren has only played once in the past two weeks, but will return to the crease on Wednesday against the New York Rangers. The 32-year-old Lindgren has had an inconsistent season as Washington's backup goalie, posting a 3.07 GAA and .888 SV% in 12 games (5-4-2). The Capitals enter the action on Wednesday as -138 home favorites against a Rangers team that has scored two or fewer goals in nine of their last 12 games (4-5-3).
Brendan Smith (lower body) will not play on Wednesday, allowing Mayo to enter the lineup. Mayo played one game with the Blue Jackets earlier this season, but has spent most of the season in the AHL, where he has seven points (2G / 5A) in 19 games with the Cleveland Monsters.
Smith has been a regular for the Blue Jackets since making his debut several weeks ago, but will not play on Wednesday due to a lower-body injury. The 36-year-old defenseman is averaging 11:05 time-on-ice and has two assists in 15 games. Dysin Mayo will draw into the lineup as Smith's replacement.
Fox was a full participant in the previous couple of practices for the Rangers and should return to the lineup on Wednesday against the Washington Capitals. The 27-year-old Fox has not played since the end of November. He has 26 points (3G / 23A) in 27 games this season. Scott Morrow was reassigned to Hartford (AHL) in a corresponding move.
With Adam Fox (upper body) activated from LTIR, the Rangers have reassigned Morrow to Hartford (AHL). The 23-year-old Morrow averaged 15:34 time-on-ice and had three assists in 16 games with the Rangers.
The Atlantic Division-leading Red Wings will likely enter the final game of the calendar year with Gibson tending the twine. The 32-year-old Gibson allowed four goals on 37 shots (.892 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, but he has played well lately. After a horrendous start to his tenure with the Red Wings, posting a 3.45 GAA and .869 SV% in his first 15 games (7-7-1), Gibson has flipped a switch, posting a solid 2.04 GAA and .932 SV% in his last seven (6-1-0). The Red Wings enter Wednesday's contest as slight -103 home underdogs against a struggling Winnipeg Jets team that has plummeted to last place in the NHL after losing nine of their last 10 games (1-6-3).
Ilya Sorokin (lower body) remains out of the lineup, but the Islanders have received adequate goaltending from Rittich in his absence, and he will return to the crease on Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Rittich has an excellent 2.30 GAA and .919 SV% in 15 games this season (9-4-2). The 33-year-old Czech goalie has been outstanding lately, posting a 1.65 GAA and .949 SV% in his last five games (3-1-1). The Islanders enter Tuesday's action as -133 road favorites against a Blackhawks team coming off a 7-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Woll has regularly given his team a chance to win whenever he tends the twine and will return to the crease on Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils. That said, the 27-year-old Woll is coming off one of his weaker performances of the season, allowing five goals on 31 shots (.839 SV%), but still salvaged a 7-5 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Woll has a 2.73 GAA and .913 SV% in 12 games this season (7-4-1). The Maple Leafs enter Tuesday's action as +117 home underdogs against a Devils team on a three-game losing streak (0-2-1).
The Devils will hand Markstrom his 20th start of the season when they travel to Toronto on Tuesday. Markstrom was unfortunate to be tagged with the loss in his last start, stopping 23 of the 25 shots he faced in a 2-1 loss on Long Island last Tuesday. The 36-year-old netminder brings a 9-8-1 record and .883 SV% into Tuesday night's matchup, where the Devils enter action at -130 on the money line.
The Maple Leafs are nursing several key injuries and will unfortunately add Matthews to the list of absentees on Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils. The 28-year-old Matthews, a two-time 100-point player, is having a highly publicized sluggish season, scoring 27 points (15G / 12A) through 33 games.
The Kings struggled without Kuemper, who was recovering from an upper-body injury, going 2-5-0 in his absence. The 35-year-old Kuemper was arguably the Kings' MVP before his injury, boasting a terrific 2.19 GAA and .917 SV% in 23 games (10-6-6); the backbone of a low-scoring Kings team. The team returns to action on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Darcy Kuemper (upper body) has been activated from Injured Reserve, resulting in Copley being reassigned to the Ontario Reign (AHL). The 33-year-old Copley drew into one game in his stint with the Kings, saving 25 of 28 shots (.893 SV%) in a 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken.
Mayo played one game with the Blue Jackets earlier this season, but has spent most of the season in the AHL, where he has seven points (2G / 5A) in 19 games with the Cleveland Monsters. The Blue Jackets placed Isac Lundestrom on Injured Reserve in a corresponding move.
With Pyotr Kochetkov (lower body) expected to miss the remainder of the season, the Hurricanes' goaltending duo of Brandon Bussi and Frederik Andersen will be on full display. Bussi was successful in a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers last night, and Andersen will head to the crease on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The veteran Andersen has struggled this season, limited to only two games in the last month. He has a concerning 3.27 GAA and .869 SV% in 15 games this season (5-8-2).
Tarasov returns to the crease on Tuesday for the first time since December 20th, when he allowed five goals on 31 shots (.839 SV%) in a 6-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues. The 26-year-old Tarasov has a losing 4-6-1 record but has been serviceable between the pipes, posting a 2.97 GAA and .900 SV% that mirror Florida's starting goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky. The Panthers enter Tuesday's contest as -122 home favorites against a Montreal Canadiens team that has points in five straight games (3-0-2).
Mukhamadullin is battling a lower-body injury and his status for Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Wild is uncertain. The 23-year-old defenseman is averaging 16:47 time-on-ice and has six points (2G / 4A) in 21 games this season.
Carter Hart has played poorly lately, allowing 10 goals on 50 combined shots (.800 SV%) over his last two games, leading the way for Schmid to start on Wednesday against the Nashville Predators. Schmid was solid in relief of Hart in Monday's 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild, saving all 15 shots he faced. The 25-year-old Swiss goalie has a 2.40 GAA and .900 SV% in 19 games this season (11-3-4).
Eichel has not played in over two weeks, but appears to be nearing a return after being a full participant at practice on Tuesday. The 29-year-old Eichel was having a terrific season before his injury, scoring 41 points (12G / 29A) in 31 games. He was skating on a line with Ivan Barbashev and Braeden Bowman at practice.
Vladar was between the pipes in a 4-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Sunday, allowing two goals on 18 shots (.889 SV%), and hopes to redeem himself when he returns to the crease on Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks. The 28-year-old Czech goalie has been solid for the Flyers this season, posting a 2.37 GAA and .909 SV% in 22 games (13-6-3). The Flyers enter Tuesday's contest as -127 road favorites against a Canucks team that they defeated 5-2 last week.
