Rust departed the game after recording an assist in 10:06 TOI and did not return. The Penguins did not provide and update on Rust’s status so consider him questionable for Friday’s game in Carolina.
Letang has had injury issues throughout his career but has appeared in the first 37 games of 2017-18 prior to missing tonight’s game. With Letang out, Matt Hunwick will draw back into the lineup and play on the top pairing with Brian Dumoulin. Olli Maatta will slide in on the top power-play unit.
Rakell has missed the last five games with an upper-body injury but was back on the ice for Monday’s practice, a sign that he may be back in the lineup Tuesday in Vegas. The Ducks returning Kalle Kossila to San Diego (AHL) is a sign that he’ll play tomorrow.
Malkin has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury but it looks like he will return to the lineup tonight in Buffalo. Malkin has registered seven goals and 14 assists (21 points) in 22 games this season and should be active in all formats if he plays tonight.
Malkin has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury, but the Penguins called him day-to-day this afternoon and announced that he will travel with the team to Buffalo. There’s no word whether or not Malkin will actually return to the lineup, but this is positive news that the centre is close to playing.
Kulak was a healthy scratch on Saturday but he will replace Matt Bartkowski in the lineup tonight vs. Toronto. Kulak has just three assists in 14 games this season.
Acciari has been sidelined since the season opener, but will return to the lineup tonight in Toronto. Acciari has six points (2G / 4A) in 49 career NHL games.
Heinen had a nice run with the Bruins, registering three assists in three games during his call-up. With Patrice Bergeron and David Backes expected to play on Thursday, the Bruins needed to clear some roster spots. Heinen had one assist in one game with Providence before his call-up and he will likely be one of the first forwards brought back from the AHL.
Karlsson missed the first five games of the season, but took off his no-contact sweater on Monday and skated alongside Dion Phaneuf in practice. After the session Karlsson confirmed that he will make his season debut on Tuesday. The Senators have yet to lose in regulation (3-0-2) and getting their captain back will be a massive boost. Karlsson is coming off of a season in which he recorded 17 goals and 54 assists (71 points) in 77 contests.
Karlsson has missed the first five games of the season as he recovers from offseason foot surgery, but he was cleared for contact and skated as a regular in today’s practice which suggests his season debut is just around the corner. The Senators have done a really good job without their captain, starting 3-0-2 and winning all three of their contests on their recent three-game western Canada road-trip. Ottawa hosts the Canucks tomorrow and it looks like Karlsson will be ready to go.
Heinen, 22, spent most of last season with Providence, but did get eight games with the Bruins—he failed to record a point. The former fourth-round pick had 14 goals and 30 assists (44 points) in 64 AHL games a season ago and one helper in the first game of this season.
