Coburn returned from injury Sunday vs. the Red Wings but was a healthy scratch in Buffalo on Tuesday. With Jan Rutta dealing with an injury, Coburn will draw back into the lineup tonight and is expected to skate with Victor Hedman.
Dobson was a healthy scratch for the last three games but will play Thursday because Adam Pelech was a late scratch due to a lower-body issue. Dobson has just two assists in 11 games this season.
Pelech was a late scratch from Thursday's lineup, so Noah Dobson will replace him vs. the Devils. Pelech should be considered day-to-day as we head into the weekend.
McAvoy was officially listed as a game-time decision but was expected to play tonight vs. the Blue Jackets. McAvoy missed the previous three games but comes in with four assists in his last seven games.
Scandella suited up in 31 of 41 games this season, scoring three goals with six assists (nine points) while averaging 1.23 hits and 1.1 blocked shots per game. Scandella is in the final year of his five-year deal that carries a $4.0M AAV cap-hit. He joins the left-side of the Canadiens' blueline that includes Ben Chiarot, Brett Kulak and Victor Mete.
Sturtz was an undrafted free agent that has been with the Belleville Senators (AHL) since finishing his third year at Penn State. The 25-year-old winger has two points (1G / 1A) 14 AHL games and two points (1G / 1A) in four ECHL games this season.
The Senators blueline is extremely banged up, missing three veterans (Dylan DeMelo, Ron Hainsey and Nikita Zaitsev) so Reilly will likely get playing time over Christian Jaros or Andreas Englund. The 26-year-old has only appeared in 14 games this season, picking up four assists. His contract carries a $1.5M AAV cap-hit and expires at the end of 2021.
Jarry allowed two goals on 26 shots in the Penguins win over the Senators on Monday. Jarry is riding a six-game winning streak while posting a 1.80 GAA, .939 SV% and one shutout. Tonight he faces a Sharks team that was awful in December, going 2-9-2 while scoring just 2.08 goals per game, making Jarry a must-start on Thursday.
Gibson allowed four goals on 42 shots in the Ducks loss in Vegas on Tuesday afternoon. Gibson was 4-4-1 with a 2.94 GAA and .905 SV% in nine December starts and will make his third start of the season vs. Arizona on Thursday. He has gone 1-0-1 with a 1.92 GAA and .934 SV% in the first two meetings of the season.
Lehner allowed three goals on 44 shots in the Blackhawks win in Calgary on Tuesday. Lehner has been hot since the Christmas break, winning three in a row while stopping 110 of the 117 shots (.940 SV%) that he has faced. On the season, Lehner has gone 7-4-1 with a 2.83 GAA and .926 SV% on the road.
Nathan Beaulieu is out for at least one month so Niku returns to the NHL after picking up 14 points (3G / 11A) in 18 AHL games this season. He has five points (2G / 3A) in 32 career NHL games to-date.
Suomela played Tuesday in Detroit but will come back out of the lineup with Melker Karlsson returning from a head injury.
Karlsson missed Tuesday's game in Detroit with a head injury that he suffered after taking a shot to the head vs. the Flyers last Saturday. Karlsson needed a few stitches but escaped a more serious injury and will replace Antti Suomela in the lineup on Thursday.
Nosek is expecting the birth of his child, so Nicolas Roy will replace him on the Golden Knights' fourth-line on Thursday.
Tomas Nosek is expecting the birth of his child, so Roy will replace him on the Golden Knights' fourth-line on Thursday. It will be his first NHL game since December 2nd and the 6-foot-4, 208 lbs. centre has one goal and two assists in seven games this year.
Klingberg is dinged up from the Winter Classic and was not on the ice for Thursday's practice, making him questionable for Friday's game vs. the Red Wings. He is officially listed as day-to-day but monitor his status during tomorrow's morning skate.
Binnington stopped 25 of 26 shots in the Blues win over the Jets last Sunday. Binnington is on a six-game winning streak while posting a 2.15 GAA and .921 SV%. He is also 2-0-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .935 SV% in two starts against an Avalanche team, that has lost five of their last six (1-4-1) but they've scored 3.50 goals per game over that span.
Wideman has scored eight goals with 11 assists (19 points) in 26 AHL games this season. The 29-year-old veteran defenseman played in 25 NHL games with three different teams (OTT, EDM and FLA) in 2018-19 and has 45 points (16G / 29A) in 181 career NHL games.
Luoto has served as a healthy scratch for the last five games, so he'll head to Manitoba to get a chance to play. The 22-year-old has three assists in nine AHL games this season.
