Utah Mammoth News

Vanecek has served as the backup to Nico Daws in two of the last three games, both wins for the Devils, but will likely return to the crease on Friday evening. Before allowing five goals on 31 shots (.839 SV%) in a 5-2 loss to the Boston Bruins in his last outings, Vanecek won two straight games, saving 48 of 53 shots in the process (.906 SV%). Vanecek and the Devils are overwhelming -432 home favourites against a Chicago Blackhawks club that has lost four straight, being outscored 15-2 in their last three (0-3-0).

DeSimone will check back into the lineup on Thursday as Jordan Oesterle is the odd-man out. DeSimone has one goal and four assists in 15 games this season.

Sergachev has not played since December 19th and will miss at least four more games after being placed on long-term injured reserve, with an earliest possible return date of January 13th. Sergachev has 19 points (2G / 17A) in 33 games and has been replaced by Darren Raddysh on the second powerplay unit.

Sergachev remains day-to-day and is expected to return shortly but will miss a sixth straight game on Saturday. Sergachev has 19 points (2G / 17A) in 33 games and has been replaced by Darren Raddysh on the second powerplay unit.

The Coyotes have returned to evenly rotating their goalies as Vejmelka will return to the crease on Tuesday and start for the fourth time in their last eight games. Vejmelka's increase in playing time has been a direct result of his elevated play, saving 93 of the last 99 shots he has faced (.939 SV%) over his last four games (4-0-0). The Coyotes are +145 home underdogs against a Florida Panthers team that has won four straight, outscoring their opposition 15-9.

Sergachev remains day-to-day and is expected to return shortly but will miss a fourth straight game on Saturday. Haydn Fleury will likely remain in the Lightning lineup Saturday and Darren Raddysh will continue to operate the Lightning No.2 PP unit.

Maatta is expected to draw back into the lineup after a two-game absence due to an upper-body injury. The veteran defenseman skated alongside Shayne Gostisbehere at practice on Thursday and has six points (1G / 5A), 16 hits, and 29 blocks through 27 games this season.

Vanecek has started the last three games for the Devils (1-1-1) and will start again on Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Vanecek has allowed three goals or fewer in four of his last game games (3-1-1), his best stretch of play this season, posting a .908 SV% in the process. The Devils are significant -254 home favourites against a Blue Jackets squad that has lost three of their last four (1-2-1), including a 6-3 loss to the Devils on December 16th.

Vejmelka will start for the third time in the last five games and look to improve on his best run of play this season when he takes the crease on Wednesday. Over his last three appearances (3-0-0), Vejmelka has saved 73 of 75 shots (.973 SV%) and has demanded action with his solid play after seemingly losing the starting gig to Connor Ingram earlier this month. The Coyotes are +149 home underdogs on Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche, who has won two straight, including a 4-1 win over the Coyotes on Saturday.

Vanecek has started the last three games for the Devils (1-1-1) and will likely start again on Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Vanecek has allowed three goals or fewer in four of his last game games (3-1-1), his best stretch of play this season, posting a .908 SV% in the process. The Devils are significant -254 home favourites against a Blue Jackets squad that has lost three of their last four (1-2-1), including a 6-3 loss to the Devils on December 16th.

Sergachev remains day-to-day and is expected to play shortly after the Christmas break. Haydn Fleury will remain in the Lightning lineup Saturday in Washington and Darren Raddysh will continue to operate the Lightning No.2 PP unit.

Durzi will return to the Coyotes lineup after missing five straight and six of the last seven games recovering from a lingering lower-body injury. After a strong start to the season, scoring 12 points (5G / 7A) in 16 games, Durzi has only scored one point (0G / 1A) in his last nine.

Vejmelka entered the crease in relief of Connor Ingram on Tuesday and saved all 16 shots he faced en route to an eventual 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Vejmelka has saved 44 consecutive shots across his last two appearances (2-0-0) and will return to the crease for the Coyotes on Thursday in San Jose. The Coyotes have won three straight, outscoring their opposition 7-3 and are -146 home favourites against the Sharks, who have only scored three goals over their last three games (0-3-0), including being shut out 1-0 by the Coyotes less than a week ago.

Sergachev exited Tuesday's 6-1 win over the St. Louis Blues in the first period after playing only 4:31 time-on-ice with a lower-body injury. He was seen at the practice facility working on his stick handling but did not participate in on-ice drills as he avoided putting weight on his left foot. That said, the worst seems to have been avoided and he will only miss 1-2 games. Sergachev has taken a decreased role this year after a career-best 2022-23 campaign where he scored 64 points (10G / 54A) in 79 games, but still has 19 points (2G / 17A) and ranks second amongst all players, averaging 22:59 time-on-ice through 33 games this season.

Sergachev exited Tuesday's 6-1 win over the St. Louis Blues in the first period after playing only 4:31 time-on-ice with a lower-body injury. He was seen at the practice facility working on his stick handling but did not participate in on-ice drills as he avoided putting weight on his left foot. Sergachev has taken a decreased role this year after a career-best 2022-23 campaign where he scored 64 points (10G / 54A) in 79 games, but will still be a major loss for Tampa Bay if he is out of the lineup for a significant period. The 25-year-old defenseman has 19 points (2G / 17A) and ranks second amongst all players, averaging 22:59 time-on-ice through 33 games this season.

Akira Schmid started each of the last two games for the Devils, a back-to-back set, as Vanecek was unable to play due to an illness. That said, he was in the starter's crease at Tuesday's morning skate, indicating he will return to net against the Philadelphia Flyers. Vanecek has struggled with consistency this season but is amid his best two-game stretch (2-0-0), allowing only three goals on a combined 49 shots (.939 SV%). The Devils are coming off a disappointing 5-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks and are -159 home favourites against a Flyers team with points in eight straight contests (6-0-2).