Hughes left for the locker room with only a couple of minutes remaining in the game, and it's unclear at this time whether or not the injury would have prevented him from returning to the game. His status for Saturday's game his brother Quinn and the Canucks is currently unknown.
Noesen will join Martin Necas (upper-body) on the sidelines for this one as the Hurricanes will be forced to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Noesen has ten goals and 13 assists in 38 games this season.
Zack MacEwen (illness) and Jacob Bernard-Docker (healthy scratch) are both expected to be out of the lineup on Thursday, allowing Crookshank and Jiri Smejkal to draw back into the lineup. Crookshank has spent most of the season with the Belleville Senators of the AHL, scoring 21 points (10G / 11A) in 24 games.
MacEwen played the last two games for the Senators, making his impact felt, scoring one goal, firing two shots on goal, registering five hits, and 12 penalty minutes. He will be out of the lineup due to an illness on Thursday as Angus Crookshank and Jiri Smejkal are both expected to draw back in.
Allen will start for the first time since allowing three goals on 25 shots (.880 SV%) on December 30th in a 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers. Allen will attempt to start 2024 better than he ended 2023, winning only one of his last nine contests (1-7-1), posting a subpar .887 SV%. The Canadiens are coming off an impressive 4-3 win over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday but are +128 home underdogs against the Buffalo Sabres, who have lost three of their last four (1-2-1), being outscored 15-8.
Palat was a late scratch for Wednesday's game against the Capitals, with the team only announcing his absence about 30 minutes before puck drop. Palat has five goals and nine assists in 35 games this season. His next chance to return to the lineup will be on Friday when New Jersey hosts the Blackhawks.
Daws played well and collected a win in his season debut last week, saving 25 of 27 saved (.926 SV%) in a 6-2 win over the Ottawa Senators. Daws' performance in his debut marked only the second time in the last eight games that a Devils goalie allowed fewer than three goals. Given the well-documented struggles of New Jersey's goaltending tandem of Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid, another strong performance for Daws on Wednesday could go a long way in securing him more playing time down the stretch. The Devils have lost both contests against the Washington Capitals this season (0-2-0), being outscored 10-6, but are -181 road favourites on Wednesday.
Daws played well and collected a win in his season debut last week, saving 25 of 27 saved (.926 SV%) in a 6-2 win over the Ottawa Senators. Daws' performance in his debut marked only the second time in the last eight games that a Devils goalie allowed fewer than three goals. Given the well-documented struggles of New Jersey's goaltending tandem of Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid, another strong performance for Daws on Wednesday could go a long way in securing him more playing time down the stretch. The Devils have lost both contests against the Washington Capitals this season (0-2-0), being outscored 10-6, but are -181 road favourites on Wednesday.
Markstrom will likely return the crease for his sixth straight start on Tuesday. The 33-year-old Swedish netminder is amid his best stretch of the play since returning from a fractured finger injury two weeks ago, posting an excellent .931 SV% in five games (3-2-0). The Flames are slight -112 road favourites against a Minnesota Wild team that defeated them 3-2 in a shootout on December 14th but has lost two straight games and will be without Kiril Kaprizov and starting goalie Filip Gustavsson.
Markstrom will likely return the crease for his sixth straight start on Tuesday. The 33-year-old Swedish netminder is amid his best stretch of the play since returning from a fractured finger injury two weeks ago, posting an excellent .931 SV% in five games (3-2-0). The Flames are slight -112 road favourites against a Minnesota Wild team that defeated them 3-2 in a shootout on December 14th but has lost two straight games and will be without Kiril Kaprizov and starting goalie Filip Gustavsson.
Meier will be unavailable for the Devils on Wednesday, January 3rd after he exited Saturday's contest against the Boston Bruins in the third period, playing only 12:30 time-on-ice. Before his injury, Meier had four points (4G / 0A) in four games after being held without a point in nine straight.
Meier's status for the Devil's next game on Wednesday, January 3rd is up in the air after he exited Saturday's contest against the Boston Bruins in the third period, playing only 12:30 time-on-ice. Before his injury, Meier had four points (4G / 0A) in four games after being held without a point in nine straight.
Daws will make his season debut and his first appearance since the 2021-22 season when the Devils travel to Ottawa on Friday. Daws spent the entirety of last season with Utica (AHL), registering a .904 SV% across 33 appearances. He's made three starts in Utica this season since returning from off-season hip surgery, posting a .929 SV% across those three games. He'll have his hands full in Ottawa on Friday as he takes on a Senators' team that appears to be finding their stride after a dreadful start to the season.
Kovacevic will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Jordan Harris (lower-body) to make his return to the lineup from a 15-game absence. The 26-year-old Kovacevic has been a regular in the Canadiens lineup this season, scoring five points (4G / 1A), blocking 45 shots, and taking 28 hits while averaging 17:48 time-on-ice.
Addison has missed the Sharks' previous three games due to a lower-body injury but will return to the lineup Wednesday in Los Angeles. The 23-year-old puck-moving defensemen was acquired by San Jose earlier in the season and has a goal, 10 assists, 40 SOG, 18 PIMs and a -13 plus/minus through 31games with both San Jose and Minnesota this season.
Addison has missed the Sharks' previous three games due to a lower-body injury and is expected to return to the lineup Wednesday in Los Angeles. The 23-year-old puck-moving defensemen was acquired by San Jose earlier in the season and has a goal, 10 assists, 40 SOG, 18 PIMs and a -13 plus/minus through 31games with both San Jose and Minnesota this season.
Markstrom was terrific in his first two games after returning from a fractured finger (2-0-0), saving 58 of 59 shots (.983 SV%) before allowing four goals on 33 shots (.879 SV%) in a 5-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings in his most recent outing. Markstrom will return to the crease on Wednesday against the Seattle Kraken, who they defeated 4-3 on November 30th. The Flames are -139 home favourites against the Kraken, who have points in six straight (4-0-2), outscoring their opposition 21-10.
