Mantha suffered the injury late in the first period of Monday's game against the Montreal Canadiens and was unable to return. Kevin Rooney will draw into the lineup as Mantha's replacement. The 30-year-old Mantha has seven points (4G / 3A) in 13 games this season.
Hayes is battling an upper-body injury and will not play in Thursday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 32-year-old Hayes has four points (3G / 1A) in 14 games and has been held off the scoresheet in six straight.
Novak participated fully in warmups and his absence was not announced until just minutes before puck drop. We should expect to receive an update following the completion of Wednesday's game, but it seems likely Novak suffered some sort of injury in warmups.
Luke Evangelista and Mark Jankowski will be healthy scratch on Wednesday against the Washington Capitals, allowing Philip Tomasino and Michael McCarron to re-enter the lineup. The 23-year-old Tomasino had an impressive 20 points (7G / 13A) in 41 games last season, but has been limited to zero points in four contests so far in the 2024-25 campaign.
Rust has missed four straight due to a lower-body injury but is nearing a return ahead of Pittsburgh's upcoming two-game road trip. Rust has four points (3G / 1A) and a -7 plus/minus in eight games. Before his injury, Rust was playing alongside Sidney Crosby, a spot where Rickard Rakell has thrived during Rust's absence.
Hayes is battling an upper-body injury and his status for Thursday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes is uncertain. The 32-year-old Hayes has four points (3G / 1A) in 14 games and has been held off the scoresheet in six straight.
Mantha suffered the injury late in the first period and was unable to return. We should receive an update on the injury prior to Calgary's game in Boston on Thursday.
Clifton and Dennis Gilbert were surprise additions to Buffalo's lineup on Tuesday, with their additions not being announced prior to warmups. Mattias Samuelsson and Henri Jokiharju will both be healthy scratches in their place.
Wotherspoon will be back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the last three games. Wotherspoon, who will replace Andrew Peeke on the third pair, has no points and a minus-1 rating in three games this season.
Dewar is eligible to play with the Marlies for six days and three games as he works his way back from offseason shoulder surgery. Upon returning from the Marlies, Dewar will be in the mix to play on the Maple Leafs' fourth line moving forward. Dewar had five points (1G / 4A) in 17 games after being traded to Toronto last season.
Lizotte suffered a concussion during training camping and has missed the first 11 games of the season, but is finally ready to make his debut on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks. The 28-year-old signed a two-year, $3.7 million contract in the offseason with Pittsburgh after five solid seasons in Los Angeles. In 62 games in 2023-24, Lizotte had seven goals, 15 points, 76 SOG and 20 PIMs while averaging just 11:49 TOI/GP.
Lizotte suffered a concussion during training camping and has missed the first 11 games of the season, but could make his debut on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks. The 28-year-old signed a two-year, $3.7 million contract in the offseason with Pittsburgh after five solid seasons in Los Angeles. In 62 games in 2023-24, Lizotte had seven goals, 15 points, 76 SOG and 20 PIMs while averaging just 11:49 TOI/GP.
Alexeyev was the 31st overall pick of the Capitals in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and will make his season debut on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens, replacing Jakob Chychrun (upper body). The 24-year-old Alexeyev had three points (1G / 2A) in 39 games with the Capitals last season.
Ponomarev was the 53rd overall pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2020 NHL Draft. The 22-year-old had a two-game stint with the Hurricanes in the 2022-23 season, scoring two points (1G / 1A), but has predominantly been an AHL player so far in his career.
Jones will be the odd-man out on the Kings' blue line on Wednesday as they opt to get some fresh bodies into the lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Andreas Englund will draw into the lineup in Jones' place.
Silovs has not played since October 15th, serving as the backup to Kevin Lankinen for the previous five games, but after a 4-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday, the Canucks will return to the Latvian netminder between the pipes. Silovs was the opening-night starter for the Canucks, but after posting a 4.50 GAA and .827 SV% in his only two outings (0-1-1), Lankinen was able to take control of the crease in Vancouver. The Canucks enter the action on Wednesday as -119 home favorites against a New Jersey Devils squad that snapped a four-game losing skid in that last outing, a 6-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
Silovs has not played since October 15th, serving as the backup to Kevin Lankinen for the previous five games, but after a 4-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday, the Canucks will likely return to the Latvian netminder between the pipes. Silovs was the opening-night starter for the Canucks, but after posting a 4.50 GAA and .827 SV% in his only two outings (0-1-1), Lankinen was able to take control of the crease in Vancouver. The Canucks enter the action on Wednesday as -119 home favorites against a New Jersey Devils squad that snapped a four-game losing skid in that last outing, a 6-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
Rust left Saturday's game after a hit from Nils Hollander in the third period and did not return. Rust finished the game with one goal on two SOG and a plus-1 rating. Rust's absence from the lineup is a major blow for a Penguins club that is riding a five-game losing skid. Rickard Rakell will likely be the beneficiary, moving up to the top line and top powerplay unit.
The Penguins are ranked worst in the league defensively, allowing an average of 4.3 goals per game, and are desperate to snap a five-game losing skid. Their most consistent netminder this season has been Blomqvist, and he will return to the crease on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild. Blomqvist owns an unimpressive 3.34 GAA but, given the circumstances, has a very impressive .911 SV% in five games (2-3-0). The Penguins enter action on Tuesday as +103 home underdogs against the Minnesota Wild.
