Ullmark has not played since suffering a lower-body injury on October 21st, but appears to be nearing a return after practicing on Tuesday and Wednesday. His next chance to return is Saturday against the Utah Mammoth. The 33-year-old Swedish goalie had a terrific start this season before his injury, posting a dazzling 1.33 GAA and .945 SV% in eight games (7-1-0).
Kleven has become a pivotal part of Ottawa's blueline, but he is battling an illness and will miss his first game of the season on Wednesday. The 24-year-old defenseman is averaging 20:14 time on ice, recording three points (2G / 1A), 43 blocks, and 29 hits in 16 games.
Linus Ullmark (lower body) is nearing a return, but the Senators will continue rolling with Ersson on Wednesday. The 27-year-old Ersson has struggled with the Senators, but is coming off his best performance of the season, saving 22 of 23 shots (.957 SV%) in a 5-1 win over the San Jose Sharks. He has a 3.78 GAA and .866 SV% in seven appearances this season (1-3-1). The Senators enter Wednesday's game as +113 road underdogs against a Buffalo Sabres team with points in four straight games (3-0-1).
After a promising inaugural full season with the Blackhawks in 2025-26, posting a 2.82 GAA and .902 SV% in 55 games (19-25-11), Knight has had an inconsistent start to 2026-27. In his most recent game, he allowed four goals on 28 shots (.857 SV%) in a 5-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, ending a four-game streak in which he allowed three or fewer goals (1-3-0). The 25-year-old American goalie has a 3.28 GAA and .894 SV% in 12 games this season (4-8-0). The Blackhawks enter Wednesday's game as sizeable +223 road underdogs against a Florida Panthers team that is 3-1-0 in their last four games.
Roslovic is coming off a two-goal performance in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth, but was absent from practice on Wednesday. The 29-year-old Roslovic has been on fire offensively lately, recording 12 points (5G / 7A) during a seven-game point streak.
Tavares has been sidelined for two weeks with a lower-body injury and has been upgraded to day-to-day. He has not yet been cleared for contact, but his presence at practice is an encouraging sign. The 36-year-old Tavares has seven points (2G / 5A) in seven games this season.
James missed the first couple weeks of the season with an injury and has been in and out of Tampa Bay's lineup since. The 24-year-old forward is averaging 12:05 time-on-ice and has two assists in six games.
Shaw has enjoyed a hot start in Iowa, posting 10 ponits (4G / 6A) in his first 10 games of the season. The 27-year-old veteran has 20 points (8G / 12A) in 82 career NHL games with the Wild, but has not appeared in an NHL game since the 2023-24 season.
Poitras played only 3:13 of ice time in Monday's 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights and left the game with an upper-body injury. He missed practice Tuesday but returned Wednesday and could be an option for Thursday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 22-year-old has seven points (4G / 3A) in 12 games this season.
In Florida's previous game, Markstrom returned from a two-week absence due to an upper-body injury and struggled to regain his form, allowing four goals on 28 shots (.857 SV%) in a 5-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. The 36-year-old Swedish goalie has had an up-and-down start to the 2026-27 season, posting a 2.50 GAA and .890 SV% in seven appearances (3-2-1). That said, the Panthers enter Wednesday's game as significant -260 home favourites against a Chicago Blackhawks team they defeated 3-2 less than two weeks ago.
Uvis Balinskis will re-enter Florida's lineup on Wednesday, sending Gudas to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The typically hard-hitting Gudas has been less involved this season, averaging a career-low 13:40 time-on-ice. In 11 games this season, the 36-year-old defenseman has zero points, 16 blocks, and 22 hits.
Radko Gudas will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday, allowing Balinskis to re-enter the lineup. The 30-year-old Balinskis is averaging 14:22 time-on-ice and has one assists in seven games this season.
Timmins has struggled to stay healthy at the NHL level, failing to surpass 52 games played in all but one of his seven seasons. He has already missed Buffalo's first 14 games this season, but has been practicing since Monday. As of Wednesday, he has been cleared to play, but may remain on the sidelines until Friday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 28-year-old defenseman had eight assists, 29 hits, and 81 blocks in 39 games last season.
Kulich has been sidelined for over a week with a concussion, but returned to practice on Monday. He has been cleared to play as of Wednesday, but may remain on the sidelines until Friday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 22-year-old Czech forward has three points (1G / 2A) in eight games.
Korpisalo joined the Rangers in the offseason but suffered a lower-body injury before he could make his season debut and has been sidelined since. The 32-year-old Finnish goalie posted a 3.15 GAA and .894 SV% in 31 games last season with the Boston Bruins (14-9-6). Rookie Dylan Garand has led the way between the pipes for the Rangers since Igor Shesterkin's season-ending injury. That said, Korpisalo should see a decent workload when he returns to action.
Ellis has started two of the past three games for the Sabres and will return to the crease on Wednesday. The 26-year-old Ellis has been inconsistent, but has won more often than not. In his most recent game, he allowed six goals on 35 shots (.829 SV%), but managed to hold on for a 7-6 win over the Anaheim Ducks. He has a 3.11 GAA and .880 SV% in five games this season (3-1-1). The Sabres enter Wednesday's action as -126 home favourites against an Ottawa Senators team that has lost three of their last four games (1-2-1).
Barzal continues to work his way back from a knee injury that kept him out of training camp. The Islanders have yet to provide any kind of timeline on his return to the lineup, but initial reports did not suggest he would miss the entire first month of the season. That said, his presence at practice, albeit in a non-contact jersey, is an encouraging sign for the Islanders.
Heiskanen was limited to 9:41 of ice time in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Washington Capitals and left with an upper-body injury. After the game, Stars Head Coach Glen Gulutzan said Heiskanen will be re-evaluated Wednesday, but they hope it isn't as serious as they first thought. If Heiskanen misses any time, expect Thomas Harley to be the main beneficiary, with deployment on the top power-play unit.
