Abdelkader missed the last 12 games with a hand injury but will play Tuesday in Winnipeg. Abdelkader has been relegated to a fourth-line role at this point in his career and has just three assists in 16 games this season.
Zykov was sent to Chicago after serving his 20 game suspension for violating the terms of the NHL Performance Enhancing Substances Program. The 24-year-old had four points (1G / 3A) in five AHL games and returns to the NHL, where he had two assists in seven games before getting suspended.
Demers will undergo a minor procedure to clean up a knee injury and is expected to miss a couple of weeks. With Demers out, Aaron Ness will likely draw back into the lineup on Tuesday.
Walker played very well in his first three games during his call-up but hasn't been as good in his last two games. On Tuesday he will be replaced by Jordan Kyrou, who was called-up from San Antonio (AHL) on Monday.
Poganski is a big winger (6-foot-2, 200 lbs.) who has recorded two goals and 11 assists (13 points) in 22 games with San Antonio (AHL) this season. He'll make his debut on the Blues' fourth-line with Jacob de la Rose and MacKenzie MacEachern.
Kyrou was recalled from San Antonio (AHL) on Monday and will play Tuesday in Buffalo. Kyrou has played very well in the AHL this season, scoring nine goals with six assists (15 points) in 16 games--giving him 58 points (25G / 31A) in 63 career AHL games. He'll be given an excellent chance to produce on Tuesday, as he'll skate with Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz. He had just three points (1G / 2A) in 16 games with St. Louis last year.
Sanford was injured Saturday against the Maple Leafs and is "just day-to-day right now, so we'll see how he is tomorrow" head coach Craig Berube told reporters. Austin Poganski was recalled from San Antonio (AHL) and will make his NHL debut in Sanford's place.
Talbot allowed three goals on 33 shots in the Flames win over the Kings on Saturday. It was Talbot's first start since mid-November but now he'll start for the second time in three games with the Flames in Arizona on the tail-end of a back-to-back. Talbot has gone 1-3-0 with a 3.29 GAA and .890 SV% on the road this season.
Raanta stopped 24 of 25 shots in the Coyotes 2-0 loss in Pittsburgh last Friday. Darcy Kuemper started three of the last four games but Raanta will face the Flames on Tuesday. He is 2-2-0 with a. 2.26 GAA, .932 SV% and one shutout in four home starts this year. Even with the Flames playing last night, they present a tough matchup, having won five straight while scoring 3.80 goals per game.
Allen allowed one goal on 16 shots after replacing Jordan Binnington in the Blues' loss to the Maple Leafs on Saturday. Allen continues to play very well. He is 4-0-2 with a 1.72 GAA, .946 SV% and one shutout in his last seven appearances and will start for the fourth time in the last eight games on Tuesday. The Sabres are 8-3-3 while scoring 3.64 goals per game in Buffalo this year.
Comrie stopped all four shots that he faced after replacing Jonathan Bernier in the Red Wings' loss to the Penguins on Saturday. Tonight he will make his first start with Detroit and it will come against the team that drafted him. Comrie is 4-0-0 with a 2.75 GAA and .900 SV% in four AHL games this season and the Jets have won eight of their last 11 (8-2-1) while scoring 3.27 goals per game.
Andersen made 26 saves on 28 shots in the Maple Leafs win in St. Louis on Saturday. The win snapped a brief two-game losing skid for Andersen, who is 5-2-0 with a 2.01 GAA, .933 SV% and one shutout since the coaching change. Tonight he faces a Canucks team that is 7-3-3 while scoring 4.15 goals per game in 13 home games this season.
Jones gave up four goals on 32 shots in the Sharks' loss in Florida on Sunday. Despite losing three straight while posting a 5.57 GAA and .829 SV%, Jones will make his third consecutive start on Tuesday. Jones has gone 1-1-0 with a 2.45 GAA and .898 SV% in his first two games against the Predators this season.
Blackwood made 28 saves on 29 shots in the Devils loss to the Blackhawks last Friday. Blackwood has lost five of his last six starts (1-4-1) while posting a 3.58 GAA and .890 SV%. He's a terrible option in Dallas, where the Stars have won nine of their last 10 (9-1-0) while scoring 3.80 goals per game.
Nilsson made 38 saves on 40 shots in the Senators' 5-2 win over the Bruins on Monday. It was a terrific outing for Nilsson, who has made a habit of stringing good outings together this season. The winning streaks are usually followed by ugly losing skids but Nilsson has showcased high-end upside at times this season. He has struggled on the road though, going 2-5-1 with a 3.85 GAA and .897 SV%.
Hart allowed three goals on 30 shots in the Flyers' win over the Senators on Saturday. Hart extended his winning streak to four, posting a 1.51 GAA and .944 SV% in the process. As terrific as Hart has been, he draws a tough matchup in Colorado. The Avalanche are on a seven-game point streak, going 6-0-1 while scoring 4.29 goals per game.
Gibson gave up three goals on 33 shots in the Ducks loss in Winnipeg on Sunday. Gibson has lost three in a row and five of his last six while posting a 2.97 GAA and .891 SV%. Tonight he faces the Wild for the second time this season--he gave up three goals on 25 shots in a 4-2 loss in the first meeting and Minnesota comes into tonight having won five of their last six while scoring 4.00 goals per game.
Bowey was placed on waivers on Monday and will go to the Griffins after clearing on Tuesday afternoon. The 24-year-old has been in-and-out of the Red Wings lineup this season, posting eight points (1G / 7A) in 22 games but has struggled defensively and that has resulted in a minus-13 rating.
Bourque has been out since November 5th but will be back on the fourth line on Tuesday. Bourque has one goal and two assists (three points) in 16 games this season.
Appleton has been on IR since mind-October but has been cleared to play, so he goes to the AHL to get some games in. Since he was last in the lineup, the Jets have added Nick Shore via waivers, bulking up their bottom-6 depth and allowing them to send Appleton to the AHL.
