The Sharks are hopeful that Karlsson will be available next Tuesday, so this does not appear to be an injury that will sideline him long-term. Brent Burns will remain on the top PP unit with Ryan Merkley on PP2 on Saturday.
Karlsson suffered an upper-body injury in the third period of Tuesday's loss in Detroit. Ryan Merkley will draw into the lineup to replace Karlsson but Brent Burns will take over on PP1.
Karlsson appeared to get hurt in the third period of Tuesday's loss in Detroit and is questionable for Thursday's game. If Karlsson can't play, look for Marc-Edouard Vlasic to draw back into the lineup and for Brent Burns to take over on PP1.
Malkin continues to practice and is nearing his season debut but it will not be Wednesday vs. the Blues. With Jeff Carter also still out, expect Evan Rodrigues to centre the second line again.
Bemstrom suffered an injury during the preseason and has been working his way back ever since. He scored one goal in three games during his time with Cleveland (AHL) and is finally set to make his season debut on Thursday. The 22-year-old forward had three goals and two assists (five points) in 20 games with Columbus last year.
The Predators had an outbreak before the Christmas break, so on the day where they activated six skaters, they also added three new players to the protocol list, including Novak.
Chinakhov was not in the lineup for the last five games but will replace Gregory Hofmann in the lineup on Thursday. Hofmann had been skating on the top line, so Chinakhov, who has four points (1G / 3A) in 18 games, could play in the top-6.
Lizotte has missed the last five games while in COVID-19 protocol but was activated on Wednesday and is expected to play on Thursday. He has one goal and four assists (five points) in 21 games this season.
This call-up has been on the radar for quite some time and the Jets recently waived Riley Nash to create room for the 21-year-old centre. Gustafsson was a second-round pick in 2018 and has scored seven goals with nine assists (16 points) in 23 AHL games this season. He should be a fixture in the Jets' bottom-6 moving forward.
van Riemsdyk missed the last four games while in COVID-19 protocol but is set to play Wednesday in Chicago. van Riemsdyk will be back in a familiar spot on the Capitals' third pairing and comes in with seven assists in 24 games this season.
van Riemsdyk will not play Saturday after being added to the COVID-19 protocol list after the morning skate. Matt Irwin will make his season debut with van Riemsdyk out.
Malkin took part in Monday's morning skate in a non-contact jersey, the first time he's skated with the team since undergoing knee surgery in July. Malkin was expected to miss the first two months of the season, so it appears he's on track to return in the middle of December.
Rust was moved to IR on Sunday and the Penguins announced that he will miss at least a couple of weeks on Monday. Injuries have been a major issue for Rustin his career, only playing a full schedule on 2020-21. With Rust out, Evan Rodrigues will remain on the top line and top power-play unit on Monday.
