O'Connor was a late scratch for Tuesday's game, with the team not announcing his absence prior to warmups. There is no timetable for his return, though it does not appear to be a long-term injury.
MacKinnon fell awkwardly on his face and exited Saturday's game against the Florida Panthers but will return to the lineup on Tuesday. MacKinnon is the odds-on favourite to win this year's Hart Trophy due to his 32 goals, 85 points, 240 SOG, 30 PIMs and +15 plus/minus through 53 games played this season.
Head coach Jared Bednar stated that MacKinnon "should be good to go tomorrow" after missing practice Monday due to a chin injury which caused him to leave their game vs. Florida early. The Avalanche' will hope the injury does not linger as MacKinnon is the odds-on favourite to win this year's Hart Trophy due to his 32 goals, 85 points, 240 SOG, 30 PIMs and +15 plus/minus through 53 games played this season.
Beckman did not get into a game during his most recent call-up but was recalled again with Marcus Foligno (lower-body) not travelling to Vegas. Beckman has played in 12 career NHL games but none this year. He has 20 points (10G / 10A) in 39 AHL games.
Beckman went pointless in nine games with the Wild last season and is yet to play an NHL game in the 2023-24 season. The 22-year-old winger has nine goals and ten assists in 37 AHL games this season.
Malinski will sit in favour of Jack Johnson on Thursday. Malinski has three goals and seven assists in 23 games this season.
Wedgewood takes the crease for the first time in five games as he will give Jake Oettinger a rest on the second half of a back-to-back Wednesday. The 31-year-old backup has won this season despite his mediocre counting stats with his 13-4-4 record, 2.98 GAA and .899 SV%. He heads back to his hometown to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have lost six of their last ten games but are ninth in the NHL in goals per game (3.42).
Malinski will re-enter the lineup in place of Jack Johnson, who is listed as a healthy scratch for Tuesday's game in New Jersey. Malinski will skate alongside Bowen Byram on Colorado's third pair.
Beckman went pointless in nine games with the Wild last season and is yet to play an NHL game in the 2023-24 season. The 22-year-old winger has nine goals and ten assists in 37 AHL games this season.
Malinski missed one game for the Avalanche as he was returned to the Colorado Eagles (AHL) but has been recalled again Monday. The 25-year-old was having an impressive season in his first taste of the big leagues, with three goals, 10 points, 29 SOG, and a +4 plus/minus in 22 games played.
Schwartz missed Tuesday's morning skate due to maintenance but is apparently good to go for Tuesday's game vs. San Jose. The 31-year-old has enjoyed a fine season when healthy and is on pace for his most productive season since joining Seattle in 2021-22. He has 10 goals, 11 assists, 10 PIMs, 69 SOG and a -13 plus/minus in 33 games played so far this season.
Schwartz missed Tuesday's morning skate due to maintenance and has been declared a game-time decision ahead of Seattle's tilt vs. San Jose. The 31-year-old has enjoyed a fine season when healthy and is on pace for his most productive season since joining Seattle in 2021-22. He has 10 goals, 11 assists, 10 PIMs, 69 SOG and a -13 plus/minus in 33 games played so far this season.
The Sharks' goalie starting carousel continues Tuesday as Blackwood will return to San Jose's crease vs. Seattle after backing up Kappa Kahkonen last game. The 27-year-old will look to extend a personal two-game winning streak which has drastically improved his 7-17-3 season record alongside his 3.63 GAA and .896 SV%. He takes on the struggle Seattle Kraken at home Tuesday, who has lost five of their last seven games and rank 27th in the NHL in goals per game (2.84).
Schwartz has played eight straight games, recording five points (2G / 3A), after returning from a 16-game absence due to a lower-body injury. He has been playing on a line with Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand and will be a game-time decision ahead of Friday's game.
Malinski has played in eight straight games and has scored four points (1G / 3A) in his last four, but will be a healthy scratch on Friday to allow Jack Johnson to draw back into the lineup. Malinski has been effective in limited time this season, scoring 10 points (3G / 7A) in 22 games while averaging only 14:19 time-on-ice.
Lehkonen has been a full participant at practice for the last two weeks and will return to the lineup for the first time since suffering a neck injury on November 9th. Before his injury, Lehkonen had eight points (3G / 5A) in 12 games, averaging 18:30 time-on-ice, playing predominantly alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, including a spot on the top powerplay. With Valeri Nichushkin out of the lineup for the foreseeable future, Lehkonen should benefit immediately from favourable offensive deployment.
Blackwood served as the backup last night and will tend the twine on Tuesday in the back end of a back-to-back. The Sharks are riding a rare two-game winning streak, but are sizeable +291 home underdogs against a New York Rangers team that defeated the Anaheim Ducks 5-2 in their last contest. Blackwood has saved 55 of the last 59 shots he faced (.932 SV%) over his last two games (1-0-1).
Wedgewood started Saturday and won after stopping 29 of 31 shots against (.935 SV%) and will surprisingly retake the Stars' crease Sunday for a second straight start. Tonight he will take on an Islanders team that has lost four in a row and eight of their last 10, but have a new head coach, after hiring Patrick Roy on Saturday.
