Krug missed the last three games with an upper-body injury but will be back next Brandon Carlo at even-strength and on the top power-play unit vs. the Blue Jackets. Krug has five goals and 21 assists (26 points) in 33 games this season.
Blackwood allowed two goals on 30 shots in the Devils shootout win over the Bruins on Tuesday. Blackwood has won three of his last four starts (3-0-1) with a 2.67 GAA and .911 SV% and tonight he faces an Islanders team that has lost three in a row (0-2-1) on home-ice while scoring 3.33 goals per game.
Price gave up six goals on 34 shots in the Canadiens loss in Florida on Sunday. Price has lost three of his last four starts (1-3-0) while posting a hideous 4.37 GAA and .857 SV%. Charlie Lindgren gave him the night off on Tuesday but that didn't help. Tonight he faces the Lightning for the third time--he is 0-2-0 with a 4.15 GAA and .846 SV% in the first two meetings.
Vasilevskiy struggled in his last outing, allowing four goals on 28 shots but still left Buffalo with his 17th win of the season. It's the second time in a row he's won while along four goals and the fifth time in his last six starts that he's allowed at least three goals. He has played well against the Canadiens this year though, going 2-0-0 with a 2.50 GAA and .935 SV% and tonight they'll be without Brendan Gallagher.
Columbus finally gets some good news on the injury front, with Milano returning from an eight-game absence. Milano, who has 11 points (3G / 8A) in 30 games this season, will replace Alexandre Texier (back) in the lineup in Boston.
The Canadiens confirmed that Gallagher suffered a concussion on Tuesday and will be out indefinitely. This is obviously a huge blow for Montreal, who lost part of their dominant top-line. Gallagher is second on the team in goals (15) and points (32) in 40 games this season.
Zaitsev was expected to be back in the lineup on Thursday but was not on the ice for the morning skate and still isn't 100 percent. Zaitsev said that he felt some discomfort and didn't want to risk re-aggravating the injury.
Ullmark surrendered five goals on 26 shots in the Sabres loss to the Lightning on Tuesday. Ullmark lost four consecutive games (0-4-0) while posting a 3.11 GAA and .881 SV%. Despite the rough stretch, the Sabres will start Ullmark for the sixth straight game and for the 11th time in 12 games. He is 7-4-1 with a 2.68 GAA and .914 SV% on home-ice.
Varlamov allowed three goals on 39 shots in the Islanders win in Washington on New Year's Eve. Varlamov has won two in a row and will make his fourth straight start on Thursday. He was an impressive 7-0-1 with a 2.34 GAA And .922 SV% in December and draws a nice matchup vs. a Devils team that was 3-5-0 while averaging 2.50 goals for in eight road games in December.
Balcers is fourth among Belleville skaters in points with 24 (8G / 16A) despite playing in just 19 games. The 22-year-old, who has 14 points (5G / 9A) in 36 career NHL games, is expected to make his season debut on Thursday.
Hainsey has missed the last four games but is expected to miss at least three more games. Luckily for the Senators, Nikita Zaitsev is expected to return to the lineup on Thursday.
Zaitsev missed the last seven games but was back on the ice for Wednesday's practice and is expected to play Thursday vs. the Panthers. Zaitsev has eight assists in 32 games this season.
Anderson gave up four goals on 34 shots in the Senators loss to the Devils on Sunday. Since returning from injury, Anderson has stopped 73 of the 78 shots (.936 SV%) that he has faced and will make his 17th start of the season on Thursday. He is 3-2-1 with a 2.15 GAA and .932 SV% on home-ice this season while Florida has lost four of their last five road games.
Lundqvist stopped all six shots that he faced after replacing Alexandar Georgiev in the Rangers loss in Edmonton on Tuesday. Lundqvist was 2-3-1 with a 2.81 GAA and .909 SV% in the month of December and will make his 22nd start of the season tonight in Calgary. The road has been difficult for King Henrik this season, going 1-5-2 with a 3.46 GAA and .896 SV% in 10 appearances.
Hart stopped 13 of 14 shots after replacing Brian Elliott in the Flyers loss in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Hart finished the month at 5-3-0 with a 2.36 GAA and .918 SV% in eight starts and two relief appearance. The 21-year-old has struggled on the road, like the rest of the Flyers, going 2-7-1 with a 3.71 GAA and .855 SV% away from Philadelphia.
Scott was an undrafted free agent who has been with Cleveland since 2016-17 and has six goals and eight assists (14 points) in 33 AHL games this season. The 24-year-old will likely make his NHL debut in Boston on Thursday, replacing Alexandre Texier, who was placed on IR with a back fracture.
Texier is out indefinitely with a lumbar stress fracture that he suffered in Tuesday's win over the Panthers. The Blue Jackets' injury woes continue with Texier expected to miss an extended period of time. Justin Scott was called up from Cleveland (AHL) to replace Texier.
With Brendan Gallagher getting hurt Tuesday vs. the Hurricanes, Weise has been recalled for the first time this season and will likely make his season debut on Thursday. The 31-year-old winger has seven points (3G / 4A) in 27 AHL games this season and did not have any points in nine games with Montreal last year.
Gallagher suffered an upper-body injury that is likely a concussion in the second period of Tuesday's loss to the Hurricanes. Gallagher was hit in open-ice but was hurt when Ben Chiarot inadvertently kneed him in the head on his way to the ice. Dale Weise was called up from the AHL on Wednesday, suggesting that Gallagher will not be available Thursday vs. Tampa Bay.
Marchment was an undrafted winger who has been with the Marlies since 2015-16 and has scored two goals with two assists (four points) in 11 games this season.
