Rousek unfortunately was the victim of a freak injury in Buffalo's practice on Tuesday as he took a stick high and is expected to be day-to-day and miss Wednesday vs. Ottawa. The 24-year-old rookie is still looking for his first goal of the 2023-24 season but has two assists, four SOG, and a +1 plus/minus through nine games this season.
de Haan will unfortunately be the odd-man out of Tampa Bay's lineup on Wednesday vs. Boston as Victor Hedman returns from a lower-body injury and one-game absence. The 32-year-old de Haan has found himself in the Lightning lineup on most nights and has performed solid with his modest three goals, eight points, 56 SOG and 20 PIMs through 57 games played.
Sheary finds himself the odd man out of Tampa Bay's lineup on Wednesday vs. Boston due to Brayden Point returning from a lower-body injury. Sheary has struggled in a reduced role in his first season in Tampa Bay, with only three goals, 13 points, 44 SOG and 12 PIMs in 52 games played in 2023-24.
Hedman missed Tampa Bay's previous game due to a lower-body injury but was a full participant in the morning skate on Wednesday and is expected to return vs. Boston. The 33-year-old towering defenseman is back to his dominant offensive ways after an off-season in 2022-23, with 12 goals and 69 points in 68 games played before his injury. Hedman will return to his spot on Tampa Bay's top defensive pairing as well as their top power play.
Point missed the Lightning's previous game due to a lower-body injury but was a full participant in practice (including powerplays) and will return on Wednesday vs. Boston. The 28-year-old was on a tear prior to his injury picking up seven points (5G/2A) in his last three games to add to his impressive 80 points (41G/39A) in 70 games played on the season.
Despite having an optional skate on Wednesday, Luukkonen was occupying the starters' crease and is expected to start his third straight game when Buffalo takes on Ottawa. The 25-year-old started the season in a trio of goalies but has torn away from the pack due to his solid 24-18-3 record, 2.48 GAA and .913 SV%. He will host the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday, who despite having won five of their last eight games are not playing for much due to their rank in the standings.
Jones was a late scratch on Tuesday, with the team not announcing his injury until warmups. His absence makes way for the return of Trevor Zegras (ankle).
Vaakanainen will be the odd-man out in Seattle on Tuesday. William Lagesson will draw into the lineup in his place.
Lagesson will play his first game for the Ducks since March 15th. Urho Vaakanainen will sit in his place.
Seattle will aim to snap an eight-game losing skid on Tuesday and will turn to Daccord in the crease. Daccord played well in relief on Sunday, saving 10 of 11 shots (.909 SV%) in a 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. In his outing before that, Daccord saved 24 of 26 shots (.923 SV%) in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes and saw his bid for a shutout end with less than two minutes to play in regulation. Seattle enters action as a -206 home favourite against the Anaheim Ducks.
Gibson will be back between the pipes for the Ducks on Tuesday after Lukas Dostal made rare back-to-back starts on Thursday and Sunday. Gibson will be eager to snap a personal four-game losing streak, with his last victory coming in the form a 6-4 win over the Sharks way back on February 29th. The Ducks' long-term goaltender is the owner of a 13-24-2 record and an .891 SV% on the season. Things won't get any easier for Gibson on Tuesday as the Ducks find themselves as +170 underdogs in Seattle.
Despite losing his last two starts, the Jets will return to Hellebuyck between the pipes on Tuesday. Hellebuyck has uncharacteristically allowed three or more goals in four of his last seven games (3-4-0), including three on 19 shots (.842 SV%) in his last outing, a 3-0 loss to the Washington Capitals on Sunday. The Jets enter action as +109 home underdogs against the Edmonton Oilers.
Carrier was a late scratch on Tuesday with the team not announcing his absence prior to warmups. Paul Cotter will play in his place.
Cotter will play on Tuesday as the Golden Knights opt to get some fresh legs into the lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. William Carrier will sit in his place.
Lauzon was initially given a week-to-week timeline but could return from his injury only seven days after his prognosis. The hard-hitting Lauzon has an absurd 321 hits, 97 blocks, and 13 points (6G / 7A) in 68 games this season.
Patera will get the nod for the tail-end of the Golden Knights' back-to-back on Tuesday after Logan Thompson secured a 2-1 win in St. Louis on Monday. Patera has made just five appearances for the Golden Knights this season, with his most recent being a 3-0 shutout loss in Colorado on January 10th. He owns a 1-3-0 record and a .901 SV% on the year. He draws a difficult matchup on Tuesday with the Golden Knights being +120 underdogs in Nashville.
Carrier was a late scratch on Tuesday, with the team not announcing his injury until the start of warmups. His absence makes way for the likely return of Jeremy Lauzon (lower-body).
The red-hot Predators, 15-0-2 in their last 17, will turn to Saros for the sixth time in the last seven games. The Predators have not allowed a goal in two straight games, including a 22-save shutout by Saros in his last outing, a 1-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings for his third shutout. The Predators enter action as -137 home favourites against a Vegas Golden Knights club that played last night and defeated the St. Louis Blues 2-1 in overtime.
Rielly is battling an undisclosed injury and his status for Tuesday's game against the New Jersey Devils was up in the air. The 30-year-old Rielly has found himself demoted to the second powerplay unit in recent games but has still managed five points (0G / 5A) in his last six games.
