Kronwall has permanent damage to his knees, so he will likely come out of the lineup every so often to rest and rehab his knees. With Kronwall expected to come out, Ryan Sproul is expected to play on Tuesday.
Bjugstad’s season debut continues to be pushed back as it looks like he won’t be able to return until Saturday at the earliest. Bjugstad’s return adds a ton of depth to the Panthers’ lineup. Monitor his status leading into the weekend.
Kulikov has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury and he will miss his third consecutive game on Tuesday. Kulikov remains day-to-day, so monitor his status prior to Thursday’s contest vs. the Lightning.
Hyman was not on the ice for Monday’s practice session, but he is expected to return to his spot on the Maple Leafs’ top line on Tuesday. Hyman has scored goals in back-to-back games.
Parise has missed the last six games with a foot injury, but he returned to practice on Monday, which suggests that he could be back in the lineup later this week. Monitor Parise’s status prior to Tuesday’s game vs. Calgary.
Faulk has missed the last three games with an upper-body injury, but he appears to be on-track to return on Friday. Head coach Bill Peters has not ruled Faulk out for Tuesday, but it doesn’t seem likely that he will play until later this week.
Vanek is eligible to return from long-term IR on Sunday and he said he is on track to play that night. The Red Wings have struggled without Vanek in the lineup, so his return will be vital for their offence.
Mrazek stopped all 12 shots that he faced after replacing Jimmy Howard in the Red Wings’ 5-0 loss in Montreal on Saturday. Tonight he will make his first start since November 4th and he comes in on a three-game losing streak. Mrazek is 3-2-0 with a 3.17 GAA and .897 SV% in five starts at Joe Louis Arena.
Cammalleri has missed the last two games due to a personal matter and will not head out on the start of the Devils’ upcoming road-trip. He could join the team on the trip, but there’s no word when he is expected to play next.
Stralman left Saturday’s game vs. the Sharks with an undisclosed injury and did not return. Stralman will not play in the Lightning’s first game of a five-game road-trip and head coach Jon Cooper would not commit to Stralman playing on the trip, and added that he will likely miss the first three games.
Mazanec is now the Predators’ third goalie, joining Pekka Rinne and Juuse Saros on the roster. Mazanec posted a 3.90 GAA and .849 SV% in two games with Milwaukee after being sent down last week. His call-up suggests that Rinne could be battling an injury.
Greer, 19, made his NHL debut on Sunday, recording two shots in 16:34 TOI. The former second round pick (39th overall in 2015) heads back to San Antonio, where he has 14 points (5G / 9A) in 13 games.
Vasilevskiy allowed one goal on 32 shots in the Lightning’s win vs. the Islanders last Thursday. Ben Bishop started on Saturday, but Vasilevskiy will face the Islanders again tonight. The 22-year-old is 3-1-1 with a 2.00 GAA and .932 SV% in five starts this season and makes for a solid option tonight. The Islanders have lost five of their last six games while averaging 2.17 goals per game.
Witkowski, 26, has picked up three assists in 11 games with Syracuse this season. His call-up is likely related to Anton Stralman’s injury and suggests that Stralman may not be available vs. the Islanders. Witkowski has no points in 20 career NHL games.
Stolarz has been recalled because Michal Neuvirth is out 4-6 weeks with a knee injury. The 22-year-old netminder has gone 6-2-0 with a 2.39 GAA and .927 SV% in eight games with the Phantoms this season. He has been called-up before, but has never made his NHL debut. Expect it happen this time around, especially considering how Steve Mason has struggled.
Neuvirth was injured in the Flyers’ win over the Wild on Saturday. The Flyers netminders have struggled this season, but the loss of Neuvirth could hurt the Flyers for at least the next month. With Neuvirth out, the Flyers have recalled Anthony Stolarz from Lehigh Valley (AHL).
Prince appeared in the last eight games, but will come out of the lineup on Monday. The Islanders will go with seven defensemen with Travis Hamonic returning tonight, so Prince will head to the press box.
Hamonic has missed the last three games with an arm injury, but he will give it a go tonight. Hamonic was expected to miss 4-6 weeks, but is just nine days removed from the injury. The Islanders will go with seven defensemen just in case Hamonic struggles with the injury. He has two goals and three assists (five points) in 12 games this season.
Halak allowed three goals on 43 shots in the Islanders’ overtime loss in Florida on Saturday. Halak has gone 1-1-3 with a 2.97 GAA and .912 SV% in five starts and one relief appearance in November and tonight he makes his second start of the season vs. Tampa Bay. In his first two appearances vs. the Lightning, Halak has allowed a combined six goals on 41 shots (.854 SV%).
Mayfield, 24, has picked up one goal and one assists (two points) in 12 games with Bridgeport this season. Mayfield has picked up one goal in 11 career NHL games and he is expected to make his season debut tonight with Dennis Seidenberg (upper-body) out.
