Mayhew had two goals in six games with Minnesota earlier this season. With Eric Staal's status uncertain for Thursday's game, Mayhew has been called-up. The 26-year-old leads Iowa in goals (14) and points (20) in 22 games this season.
Staal suffered what looked like a long-term injury on Tuesday, so it was a great sign to see him on the ice for the morning skate. Staal will be a game-time decision vs. the Oilers but Gerald Mayhew has been recalled from Iowa (AHL) in case Staal can't play.
Binnington was pulled after he allowed four goals on 11 shots in the Blues' loss to the Maple Leafs last Saturday. Binnington has lost three of his last five starts while posting a 3.61 GAA and .901 SV% and draws a tough matchup with the Golden Knights in town. Vegas has won five of their last seven (5-1-1) while scoring 3.00 goals per game.
Larkin is not feeling well and missed the morning skate on Thursday morning. Head coach Jeff Blashill called him doubtful but the Red Wings' No.1 centre remains a game-time decision.
McIlrath was sent down yesterday but with Dylan Larkin questionable and Andreas Athanasiou still out, the Red Wings may have to dress McIlrath as the seventh defenseman on Thursday.
Kahkonen allowed two goals on 33 shots in the Wild's shootout loss to the Ducks on Tuesday. Kahkonen has been simply spectacular since coming up from the AHL, going 2-0-1 with a 1.95 GAA and .947 SV% in his first three career starts. It's never easy to face Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl but you can do worse than Kahkonen on Thursday night.
Zadina was "assigned" to Grand Rapids yesterday but it looks like it was just a paper transaction. Zadina skated in his regular spot on the Red Wings' second line and comes in with three assists in his four games.
Korpisalo allowed two goals on 39 shots in the Blue Jackets' win in Washington on Monday. It was an outstanding outing for Korpisalo, who will make his 24th start of the season on Thursday. In his first start against the Penguins, Korpisalo stopped 29 of 31 shots in a 5-2 win in late-November.
Athanasiou missed Tuesday's game in Winnipeg but was on the ice for Thursday's morning skate and called himself "iffy" for tonight's game vs. the Jets. Athanasiou skated in Dylan Larkin's spot on the Red Wings' top-line.
Vasilevskiy allowed one goal on 28 shots in Tampa Bay's win in Florida on Tuesday. Things are starting to turn for Vasilevskiy, who has won two in a row while stopping 64 of the 66 shots (.970 SV%) that he has faced. He stopped 34 of 37 shots in a 4-3 shootout win in his first start vs. the Bruins and this time he catches them in the second-half of a back-to-back.
Bobrovsky allowed two goals on 48 shots in the Panthers' 2-1 loss to the Lightning on Tuesday. After sitting out two games last week, Bobrovsky has turned things around, stopping 109 of the 113 shots (.965 SV%) that he faced in his last three starts. Tonight he faces an Islanders team that has won four of their lat six while scoring 2.83 goals per game.
Dahlin has missed the last eight games with a concussion that he suffered on November 25th but could play Thursday vs. the Predators. Dahlin skated on the top-pair and top power-play unit in Wednesday's practice but head coach Ralph Kruger would not commit to him playing tonight.
Bernier allowed four goals on 23 shots in the Red Wings' loss to the Penguins last Saturday. Bernier has lost each of his last seven starts and has allowed at least three goals in each game--he's 0-5-1 with a 3.78 GAA and .885 SV% in that span. The Red Wings could be without Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou up front tonight, so it's hard to envision Bernier giving up less than three goals and getting enough goal support to win.
Ullmark allowed two goals on 30 shots in the Sabres' win over the Blues on Tuesday. Ullmark has taken over as the Sabres' No.1 and will make his fifth start in Buffalo's last six games. He has won four of his last five starts while stopping 148 of 161 shots (.919 SV%). The 26-year-old is 5-2-1 with a 2.49 GAA and. 922 SV% on home-ice this season.
The Penguins recalled Blandisi without any explanation, so we should find out if someone is hurt a few hours prior to puck-drop. Blandisi has three points (1G / 2A) in 11 games with the Penguins this season and has added seven points (3G / 4A) in 12 AHL games.
Primeau allowed three goals on 35 shots in the Canadiens' 3-2 loss to the Avalanche. Last Thursday. It was a solid NHL debut for the 20-year-old, who will make his second career start Wednesday vs. Ottawa. The Senators have surprised a lot of people this season and have played well on the road lately, winning six of their last seven while scoring 3.43 goals per game.
McIlrath has failed to record a point in 16 games with the Red Wings this season. With McIlrath and Dennis Cholowski going back to Grand Rapids, Jonathan Ericsson and Alex Biega will play on Thursday.
Cholowski has registered just two assists in his last 12 games and his return to the AHL suggests that Jonathan Ericsson and Alex Biega will play on Thursday. Cholowski had 12 assists in 25 games with Grand Rapids a season ago.
MacEwen was recently sent back to Utica but was quickly summoned after Micheal Ferland suffered an upper-body injury on Tuesday. MacEwen has nine points (3G / 6A) in 14 AHL games and two points (1G / 1A) in seven NHL games this season.
Ferland was forced to leave Tuesday's game vs. the Maple Leafs with an undisclosed upper-body injury. Ferland was in just his second game back after missing 17 games with a concussion. There's obvious fear that Ferland could be dealing with another concussion, which would sideline him for an extended period of time. The Canucks recalled Zack MacEwan from Utica (AHL), which suggests Ferland won't play Thursday.
