Ludvig has not played since his NHL debut on October 24th when he suffered a concussion that has forced him to miss the last 11 games for the Penguins. Last season with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, Ludvig had 17 points (3G / 14A) in 54 games.
Several minor injuries tied in with the strong play of Charlie Lindgren have limited Kuemper to only one start since November 2nd, but he will return to the create on Wednesday against the Buffalo Sabres. Kuemper has struggled this season, posting an uncharacteristic 3.07 GAA and .892 SV% through eight games (3-3-2), and has historically been poor against the Sabres with a 3.69 GAA and .878 SV% in seven career meetings (3-2-1). That said, the Capitals have won four straight and are -120 home favourites against a Sabres team that will again be without Tage Thompson (upper-body).
Binnington will return to the crease on Wednesday when the St. Louis Blues face off as slight +101 road underdogs against the Arizona Coyotes. The Blues have already faced the Coyotes twice this season (1-1-0), but Wednesday will mark Binnington's first appearance against them. Binnington has a terrific 2.47 GAA and .922 SV% through 12 games (5-5-1), unquestionably his best season since the 2018-19 campaign when he emerged as a rookie and led the Blues to the Stanley Cup.
Knyzhov has been a healthy scratch for the Sharks' last three games but will draw back into the lineup Wednesday vs. Seattle. The 25-year-old undrafted defenseman has yet to score this season but has an assist, six SOG, six PIMs and a -5 plus/minus through nine games played.
LaCombe will be a healthy scratch for the first time this season on Wednesday as he heads to the press box vs. Montreal for Tristan Luneau. The 22-year-old rookie has enjoyed an up-and-down 2023-24, with three assists, 15 SOG, 12 PIMs, and a -10 plus/minus in 18 games played thus far.
Struble was Montreal's 2019 second-round pick (46th overall) and will make his NHL debut Wednesday in Anaheim. The 22-year-old defenseman had a goal, five assists, 29 PIMs, and a +4 plus/minus through 12 games with Laval (AHL) prior to his promotion to the big leagues and needed only 21 AHL games under his belt before making his NHL debut.
Binnington will likely return to the crease on Wednesday when the St. Louis Blues face off as slight +101 road underdogs against the Arizona Coyotes. The Blues have already faced the Coyotes twice this season (1-1-0), but Wednesday will mark Binnington's first appearance against them. Binnington has a terrific 2.47 GAA and .922 SV% through 12 games (5-5-1), unquestionably his best season since the 2018-19 campaign when he emerged as a rookie and led the Blues to the Stanley Cup.
Montembeault will play for the first time since November 14th when he allowed two goals on 29 shots (.931 SV%) in a 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames. Montembeault has consistently put together strong performances this season, recording quality starts in five of seven contests. Over his past three appearances (1-1-0), Montembeault has saved 75 of 80 shots (.938 SV%) and looks poised for another strong outing on Wednesday as the Canadiens take on an Anaheim Ducks team that has scored two or fewer goals in three straight games (0-3-0).
De Leo has been out since the preseason due to a knee injury and was placed on waivers Wednesday with the purpose of assigning him to San Diego (AHL). The 28-year-old has not appeared in the NHL since 2021-22 with New Jersey but had nine goals and 23 points in 22 games with Utica (AHL) last season.
Luneau was not originally set to appear in Wednesday's game vs. Montreal but due to it coming against his hometown club will draw back into the Ducks' lineup. The 19-year-old appeared in two games for the Ducks in October of this season and failed to pick up a point while collecting a SOG and a -1 plus/minus rating.
After an early-season stretch that saw the Ducks evenly splitting time between Gibson and Lukas Dostal, Gibson will start for the fifth time in the team's last six games. It's no surprise Gibson has taken control over the Ducks' crease as the 30-year-old goaltender has been tremendous this season, highlighted by allowing only 11 goals in his last six appearances (3-3-0) along with a .942 SV%. The Ducks are slight -111 home favourites against a Montreal Canadiens team that has scored two or fewer goals in three of their last four games (0-4-0).
With Philipp Grubauer sidelined due to an injury, Daccord will start Wednesday against the last-place San Jose Sharks. The 2023-24 season has been bumpy for Daccord, who has allowed at least three goals in eight of his nine starts (88.9%), going 2-2-5 with a 2.98 GAA and .901 SV% overall. That said, the Kraken are -300 home favourites against a Sharks team that averages a league-worst 1.50 goals per game.
Blais was a healthy scratch on Sunday but will return to the lineup on Wednesday in favour of Jakub Vrana. Blais has five points (1G / 4A) in 16 games this season and is averaging 3.75 hits per game. He is expected to play on the Blues fourth line alongside Nikita Alexandrov and Oskar Sundqvist.
Vrana has played 10 consecutive games for the Blues but will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday, allowing Sammy Blais to draw back into the lineup. Vrana only has three points (1G / 2A) in his last 10 games but is averaging an impressive 3.0 shots on goal during that stretch.
Kelemen will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday, allowing Jan Jenik to make his season debut for the Coyotes. Kelemen has played two games for the Coyotes this season, averaging 8:10 time-on-ice, recording two hits and zero points.
Jenik has spent a good portion of the season with the Coyotes but will finally make his season debut on Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues. In nine games with the Tuscon Roadrunners of the AHL, Jenik has five points (2G / 3A), a +5 plus/minus, and nine penalty minutes. He is expected to skate on the fourth line alongside Liam O'Brien and Travis Boyd.
The Sharks will dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen on Wednesday as Labanc will be out of the lineup with an upper-body injury. Labanc only has two points (0G / 2A) in 13 games this season along with a -8 plus/minus rating.
Kahkonen is coming off his first victory of the season, a heroic 44-save effort (.978 SV%) in a 5-1 win over the St. Louis Blues. Despite a horrendous 3.86 GAA, Kahkonen has an impressive 50% quality start rate through seven appearances this season (1-5-0). Expect another busy night for Kahkonen as the Sharks allow a league-worst 38.3 shots on goal per game and are +246 road favourites against a Seattle Kraken team that has points in four straight contests (2-0-2).
Skinner served as the backup for the first time since Jack Campbell was demoted to Bakersfield (AHL) earlier this month as Calvin Pickard started for the Oilers but was unsuccessful, allowing four goals on 31 shots in a 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers. In his last contest, Skinner allowed five goals on 23 shots (.783 SV%) in a 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning but was stellar in his three games prior (3-0-0), allowing only five goals on 86 shots (.942 SV%). The Oilers are +125 road underdogs on Wednesday against a Carolina Hurricanes team that is mid-pack in the league offensively (3.24 GF / GP) and defensively (3.18 GA / GP) and is fourth in the Metropolitan division with a 10-7-0 record.
Georgiev entered the final minute of play with a 3-2 lead over the Nashville Predators on Monday but allowed two goals in 16 seconds en route to a 4-3 regulation loss. Georgiev's 3.08 GAA and .888 SV% through 15 games (10-5-0) leaves a lot to be desired, but the Bulgarian goaltender has consistently collected victories when called upon this season. The Avalanche are -163 home favourites against a Vancouver Canucks team that leads the league offensively, averaging 4.11 goals scored per game.
