Rakell has missed the last six games but is expected to play tonight vs. the Blue Jackets. Rakell had two goals and four assists in seven games before getting hurt and will likely be back on the top line with Ryan Getzlaf on Tuesday.
Kulak has been a healthy scratch for the last two games but will replace Cale Fleury in the lineup on Tuesday. Kulak has just three assists and a minus-8 rating in 30 games this season.
Crosby is on the Penguins road trip and skated before the morning skate and also took part in the team session ahead of Tuesday's game in Vegas. It's a great sign that he was able to skate with the team again today but he will remain out of the lineup for at least one more game.
Crosby has been out since November 9th after undergoing surgery for a nagging sports hernia but it looks like he'll be back in the lineup at some point this week. The Penguins are in Vegas on Tuesday, so monitor Crosby's status if they elect to hold a morning skate.
Bemstrom has been sidelined by an upper-body injury since December 7th but has been activated from IR prior to Saturday's afternoon game. It remains to be seen if Bemstrom will play against the Sharks.
With Adam Pelech out for the rest of the season with an Achilles injury, Aho comes up from Bridgeport for the first time this season. The 23-year-old defenseman has two goals and 18 assists (20 points) in 34 games.
Heinen has been held pointless in his last five games and has just one goal and one assist in his last 12 games. David Backes will draw back into the lineup to replace Heinen.
Clifton suffered an upper-body injury early in Sunday's game vs. the Sabres and will not play against the Devils tomorrow. With Clifton and Charlie McAvoy definitely out and Torey Krug not expected to travel, look for the recently recalled Jeremy Lauzon to play with Matt Grzelcyk.
Rakell will miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury that he suffered against the Islanders last Saturday. With Rakell out, Max Jones is expected to remain in the Ducks lineup.
Mantha was body-slammed by Jake Muzzin in the Red Wings loss to the Maple Leafs and suffered an injury to his rib cage that will keep him out of a minimum of four weeks. Mantha had a terrific start to the season but injuries have completely derailed a career-year.
This leaves the Ducks without three of their top-6 forwards because both Ryan Getzlaf and Jakob Silfverberg are out with the flu. The Ducks recalled Daniel Sprong to fill one of the spots but the other will likely go to Jaccob Larsson and they will dress seven defensemen and 11 forwards.
Mantha engaged with Jake Muzzin after a hit in the third period and ended up getting body-slammed to the ice by the Leafs' defenseman. Mantha's head hit the ice and remained down for a few minutes before being helped off of the ice. Sunday is the Red Wings' final game before the Christmas break, so it's entirely possible that he could be back for next Saturday's game in Florida but that is pure speculation at this point.
Clifton has been a healthy scratch for the last three games but will replace John Moore, who is out with an illness. Clifton has two goals on 19 shots (10.5 SH%) and a plus-4 rating in 25 games this season.
Rust missed Monday's practice with an illness and is listed as a game-time decision for Tuesday's game in Calgary. The Penguins have been skipping morning skates this season, so don't expect to get an update on his status until two hours before puck-drop.
Malkin missed the last two games with an illness but was back at practice on Monday and is expected to play Tuesday in Calgary. Since Sidney Crosby got hurt, Malkin is tied for ninth in the NHL with 21 points (6G / 15A) in 14 games.
Bemstrom is expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks so he was going to end up on IR eventually. The move to IR opens up a roster spot to call-up some reinforcements after Josh Anderson, Sonny Milano and Ryan Murray all left Saturday's game with upper-body injuries.
