Trenin made his season debut earlier in the year but has spent most of the season in the AHL. The former second-round pick (No.55 in 2015) leads all Admirals players with 26 points (14G / 12A) in 19 games this season.
Trotman returns to the AHL because Justin Schultz is set to return to the lineup on Friday. Trotman has no points in five NHL games but has five points (2G / 3A) in eight games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Kotkaniemi suffered a concussion in an awkward collision with Nikita Zadorov on Thursday and will not play Thursday vs. the Rangers. With Kotkaniemi out, Charles Hudon is expected to draw back into the Canadiens lineup.
Koskinen was pulled after he allowed three goals on 12 shots in the Oilers loss to the Senators on Wednesday. Despite the tough outing, the Oilers will stick with Koskinen tonight vs. the Kings. He is 4-1-2 with a 2.78 GAA, 910 SV% and one shutout on home-ice and allowed two goals on 18 shots in relief of Mike Smith in the Oilers 5-1 loss in their first game vs. Los Angeles.
Staal has missed the last 13 games after undergoing a surgical procedure for an infection in his ankle. Staal, who has one goal and one assist in 11 games, will likely replace Libor Hajek on the Rangers' third-pair.
Koskinen was pulled after he allowed three goals on 12 shots in the Oilers loss to the Senators on Wednesday. Despite the tough outing, the Oilers will stick with Koskinen tonight vs. the Kings. He is 4-1-2 with a 2.78 GAA, 910 SV% and one shutout on home-ice and allowed two goals on 18 shots in relief of Mike Smith in the Oilers 5-1 loss in their first game vs. Los Angeles.
Henrik Lundqvist was originally slated to start the second-half of the Rangers' back-to-back, but Georgiev was outstanding last night. Georgiev stopped 45 of the 47 shots that he faced in New York's win in Columbus. He has now stopped 78 of the last 80 shots (.975 SV%) that he has faced and draws a solid matchup on Friday. Montreal hast lost four of their last five road games while scoring just 2.20 goals per game.
Nieves played in Columbus last night but returns to the AHL today because Greg McKegg is set to return vs. the Canadiens. Nieves has one goal and seven assists in 20 AHL games this season.
The Red Wings had a few days off so they sent Zadina back to the Griffins so he could play on Wednesday. Zadina had no points and two shots in a 5-2 loss and returns to the Red Wings, where he has two assists in five games this season.
Koivula was a healthy scratch for the last two games and returns to the AHL, where he has two goals and three assists (five points) in 10 games this season.
Matt Tennyson landed on IR on Thursday, so Muller will play for the first time since November 22nd. Mueller has no points and a minus-7 rating in 14 games this season.
Hughes has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury but will play Friday vs the Blackhawks. Hughes has had a slow-start to his NHL career, posting just 11 points (4G / 7A) in 24 games.
Blackwood surrendered four goals on 30 shots in the Devils' loss to the Golden Knights on Tuesday. In his last six outings, Blackwood has gone 1-4-0 while posting a horrible 4.12 GAA and. 878 SV%. Tonight he takes on a Blackhawks team that played last night and come in having lost six of their last eight (2-5-1) while scoring 2.13 goals per game.
The Maple Leafs placed Andreas Johnsson on LTIR and used the cap relief to call-up Martin Marincin to be an extra defenseman on their trip to St. Louis.
Aberg has been tremendous with the Marlies this season, leading the team with 24 points (10G / 14A) in 22 games. With Andreas Johnsson going on LTIR, Aberg comes up and could make his Maple Leafs debut on Saturday night.
Every time Petan goes to the AHL, he has quickly returned to the Maple Leafs. This time it's because Andreas Johnsson was hurt on Wednesday. Petan has just three assists in 13 NHL games this season but has dominated the AHL, posting seven points (2G / 5A) in three games.
Johnsson was hurt while blocking a shot against the Avalanche and will miss at least 10 games/24 days with a leg injury. Moving Johnsson to LTIR opens up a roster spot and gives the Maple Leafs some cap flexibility that they didn't have before. They used that to call-up Nic Petan, Pontus Aberg and Martin Marincin from the Marlies (AHL).
Raanta allowed three goals on 29 shots in the Coyotes loss to the Sharks last Saturday. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for Raanta, who finished November at 3-2-1 wth a 2.46 GAA, .931 SV% and one shutout--a big improvement on his October numbers. He is still behind Darcy Kuemper on the depth chart but starts about every third game. Tonight he faces a Penguins team that has won four straight on home ice, scoring 4.5 goals per game while doing so.
Rust has missed the last three games but it looks like he'll play Friday vs. the Coyotes. Rust will be back on the top-line with Evgeni Malkin and Jake Guentzel and comes in with 17 points (9G / 8A) in 14 games this season.
Schultz has missed the last seven games with a lower-body injury but was took regular reps in Thursday's practice and appears in line to play on Friday. Schultz, who has eight points (2G / 6A) in 21 games this season, will be in the top-4 and top power-play unit in his return.
