Kesserling will join the Coyotes after being recalled from the Tuscon Roadrunners of the AHL, where he has been held without a point in six games. Kesserling played nine games with the Coyotes last season, registering three points (0G / 3A) and 12 hits while averaging 17:06 time-on-ice.
Brown has been a healthy scratch for the Bruins previous four games but will draw back into the lineup Thursday vs. the Islanders as Morgan Geekie is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. The 31-year-old forward has yet to pick up a point in five games played so far this season, but has four SOG, two PIMs and a -1 plus/minus while averaging only 8:54 TOI.
Fabbri returned to the Red Wings roster on Tuesday after being activated from the injured reserve, held without a point, playing only 12:42 time-on-ice as the team attempts to ease him in after missing 10 consecutive games. In his return, he skated on the third line alongside Joe Veleno and Daniel Sprong.
Reimer has served as the backup to Ville Husso in the Red Wings' last two games but will return to the crease on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. In four starts this season (2-2-0), Reimer has only one sub-.900 SV% outing and has been reliable between the pipes, registering a 1.52 GAA and .944 SV% along with one shutout. The Red Wings have followed up an early-season five-game winning streak by losing five of their last seven (2-4-1) but look poised for a strong performance against a Canadiens team amid a four-game losing streak (0-3-1).
Addison will get a chance to be a true power play quarterback after he was traded to San Jose from Minnesota for a 2026 fifth-round pick and Adam Raska Wednesday. The 23-year-old mobile defensemen had struggled to see the ice yet again in 2023-24 as he averaged just 16:48 TOI and had five assists, 18 SOG, six PIMs and a -3 plus/minus. He is expected to draw into the Sharks' lineup right away following the trade.
Horvat did not play on Tuesday but will travel with the team and could be an option for the Islanders' next contest on Thursday against the Boston Bruins. Horvat is averaging 19:43 time-on-ice this season and has nine points (4G / 5A) through 10 games. In Tuesday's game, Oliver Wahlstrom took his place on the top line with Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal, scoring his first goal of the season in 13:32 time-on-ice.
Bobrovsky has followed up on each of his four sub-.900 SV% appearances this season with strong performances and will look to do the same in his 10th start of the season on Wednesday. On Monday, Bobrovsky allowed four goals on 22 shots in a 5-4 overtime victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets, preceded by a 22-save shutout the previous Thursday. Bobrovsky has had an up-and-down season, but all signs point to a promising performance on Wednesday as the Panthers visit a Washington Capitals team that ranks 31st in the league offensively (1.90 GF / GP). The Panthers are -130 road favourites and will look to build on their current 4-1-1 run.
Perunovich will re-enter the Blues' lineup on Thursday as the team looks for a spark after a disappointing 5-2 loss at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday. Perunovich has been with the Blues the entire season but has only cracked the lineup twice, recording zero points while averaging 11:38 time-on-ice. The 45th overall pick of the Blues in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft has yet to make his mark in the NHL but has dominated at every other level, including 42 points (5G / 37A) in 39 career AHL games.
Forbort has been out of the lineup since October 30th with a lower-body injury but appears to be nearing a return. In eight games this season, Forbort has two points (0G / 2A), 16 hits, and 13 blocks. Forbort would be a welcome addition on Thursday to a Bruins defensive core that is without Charlie McAvoy (suspension) and Matt Grzelcyk (upper-body).
Geekie finished Monday night's contest against the Dallas Stars but suffered an upper-body injury at some point that will keep him out of the lineup on a week-to-week basis. Geekie is averaging a career-high 14:15 time-on-ice through 12 games this season, tallying three points (1G / 2A). The Bruins, who have several long-term injuries at the moment, will hope to welcome back Jakub Lauko in the near future.
Sheary played only one shift on Tuesday, 35 seconds, before exiting the game with an upper-body injury and subsequently being placed on the injured reserve. In 13 games with the Lightning this season, Sheary had three points (1G / 2A) and 14 shots on goal. Waltteri Merela, who has already played 10 games with Tampa Bay this season, was recalled from Syracuse (AHL).
Merela had zero points, 12 shots, and 10 hits through 10 games with the Lightning this year before being sent down to Syracuse (AHL) earlier this week. He has now been recalled as Conor Sheary suffered an upper-body injury on Tuesday and has been placed on the injured reserve.
Van Riemsdyk played only 1:34 time-on-ice before exiting the Capitals' Saturday night matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Van Riemsdyk did not practice on Monday but has been upgraded to a game-time decision after participating in the team's morning skate on Wednesday. Through 10 games, Van Riemsdyk is averaging 17:35 time-on-ice and has one point (0G / 1A).
Kuznetsov is battling an illness and will be a game-time decision against the Florida Panthers. If Kuznetsov is unable to go, Connor McMichael will likely move into the top-six for the Capitals, who also recalled Michael Sgarbossa from Hershey (AHL) on Wednesday. After a slow start to the season, Kuznetsov has four points (1G / 3A) in his past three games.
Kuemper will likely return to the Capitals crease on Wednesday after serving as the backup to Charlie Lindgren in the team's most recent contest, a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Kuemper has been inconsistent this season, playing well below his career average, likely a reflection of the Capitals team in front of him who, despite a respectable 5-4-1 start, ranks 31st in the league offensively (1.90 GF / GP). In his most recent game, Kuemper allowed three goals on 21 shots (.857 SV%) in a 3-0 loss to the New York Rangers. On Wednesday, the Capitals are +118 home underdogs as they welcome the Florida Panthers, who have collected points in five of their last six outings (4-1-1).
Zub has not played since October 21st due to an upper-body injury but could be an option to finally make his return on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In four games this season, Zub has scored three points (1G / 2A), eight hits, and nine blocks while averaging 17:57 time-on-ice.
It appears Woll will return to the crease for the Maple Leafs after starting the team's previous matchup backing up Ilya Samsonov but eventually entering the net in relief and making 18 of 19 saves in an eventual 6-5 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Before his strong relief effort on Tuesday, Woll allowed nine goals on 67 shots (.866 SV%) in his previous two games (0-2-0), a blemish on an otherwise impervious season thus far. The Maple Leafs are -156 home favourites against an Ottawa Senators team that has lost five of their last six (1-5-0).
Toninato has been with the Jets since October 20th but was unable to crack their lineup and is now being loaned to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. Before his initial call-up, Toninato had two points (1G / 1A) in two games with Manitoba.
Last week, Backstrom announced he would "step away from the game" indefinitely as he takes time to focus on his health and has now been placed on the LTIR. In 2022, Backstrom had hip resurfacing surgery that forced him to miss the majority of the 2022-23 season. The 35-year-old Sweedish center iceman has played 1105 career games, all with the Washington Capitals, registering 1033 points (271G / 762A), but has only scored 22 points (7G / 15A) in 47 games since his surgery, a 0.47 point-per-game pace, down significantly from the 0.96 pace he had prior.
With Nicklas Backstrom being placed on the long-term injured reserve and Evgeny Kuznetsov out due to illness, the Capitals have recalled journeyman Michael Sgarbossa from the Hershey Bears of the AHL. In 11 games with the Bears this season, Sgarbossa has 12 points (3G / 9A). Dating back to the 2012-13 season, Sgarbossa has 65 NHL games under his belt, registering 16 points (4G / 12A).
