With Brendan Gallagher returning to the lineup, someone has to sit and much, to everyone's surprise, it looks like Kotkaniemi will get a night in the stands. Kotkaniemi remained on the ice with the injured players and other presumed scratches, so look for him to sit in Buffalo.
Despite scoring goals in back-to-back games, Jankowski will be replaced by Tobias Reider tonight in Edmonton.
Robinson was set to become a restricted free agent this summer but gets a two-year contract extension that takes him through the 2022 season. The 24-year-old has nine points (5G / 4A) in 31 games with the Blue Jackets this season.
Jankowski was a healthy scratch for the last two games but will replace Zac Rinaldo tonight in Toronto. Jankowski still has no goals and has collected just one assist in 37 games this season.
Gostisbehere was hurt late in Wednesday's game in Carolina and missed Thursday's game vs. the Capitals. The third-pairing defenseman is scheduled to undergo surgery next Tuesday and will keep him sidelined until late-January/early-February.
Gostisbehere is dealing with a knee injury and underwent an MRI earlier today. Mark Friedman was called-up from the AHL this afternoon and will make his season debut in Gostisbehere’s place and Travis Sanheim will see power-play time.
Kotkaniemi has missed the last eight games with a concussion but will play Saturday in Tampa Bay. Kotkaniemi will replace Joel Armia, who is now week-to-week with an upper-body ailment. Kotkaniemi has scored just three goals and two assists (five points) in 22 games this season.
Hall was acquired from the Devils on Monday and joined the team in San Jose this morning and will make his debut against the Sharks. The Coyotes did not run lines this morning, so there is no indication who Hall will skate with.
Chatfield was recently sent back to the Canucks but swaps spots with Guillaume Brisebois again. Chatfield has never appeared in an NHL game in his career and has just one assist in 20 AHL games this season.
Hall is a pending unrestricted free agent, so this could be a pure rental but the Coyotes are expected to pursue an extension. Hall will look to improve his numbers in Arizona to maximize his next deal and he could benefit from playing on a line with Phil Kessel. Hall's numbers so far are still decent, scoring six goals one 109 shots (5.5 SH%) with 19 assists (25 points) in 30 games.
Kotkaniemi will not play Saturday vs. the Red Wings but will travel to Western Canada with the team next week, suggesting he could play before the Christmas break. The Habs have gone 4-2-0 without Kotkaniemi.
Hall was on the ice for warmups last night but was a late-scratch in Colorado. Hall will sit out for a second straight game with New Jersey nearing a deal to trade the pending UFA. It looks like Hall has played his final game as a New Jersey Devil.
Primeau has played extremely well in his first two NHL starts, allowing just five goals on 72 shots (.931 SV%) but heads back to Laval to get more playing time. The Canadiens do not have a back-to-back before the Christmas break, so Carey Price will likely start every single game, so they want Primeau to play in Laval.
Chatfield sat-out of every game during his call-up, so he heads back to Utica to get some games in with Guillaume Brisebois coming up from Utica. Chatfield has one assist in 19 AHL games this season.
Primeau allowed three goals on 35 shots in the Canadiens' 3-2 loss to the Avalanche. Last Thursday. It was a solid NHL debut for the 20-year-old, who will make his second career start Wednesday vs. Ottawa. The Senators have surprised a lot of people this season and have played well on the road lately, winning six of their last seven while scoring 3.43 goals per game.
Kotkaniemi has missed the last two games with a concussion and there's no timetable for his return. His move to IR opens up a roster spot to call-up Ryan Poehling from Laval for Wednesday's game vs. the Senators.
Kotkaniemi suffered a concussion in an awkward collision with Nikita Zadorov on Thursday and will not play Thursday vs. the Rangers. With Kotkaniemi out, Charles Hudon is expected to draw back into the Canadiens lineup.
Robinson played just 6:50 TOI in Tuesday's loss to the Coyotes and will be replaced by Emil Bemstrom in the lineup on Thursday.
