Hischier is day-to-day with an upper-body injury that he suffered mid-way through Monday’s game. With Hischier sidelined, rookie Jack Hughes will be promoted to the Devils’ first line between Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri.
Rask stopped all 31 of the shots that he faced in the Bruins shutout win over the Devils last Saturday. Rask and Jaroslav Halak continue to split time and both have been outstanding. Rask comes into Thursday’s game at 3-0-0 with a 1.33 GAA, .957 SV% and one shutout in three games. Tonight he faces the Lightning, who he was 1-3-0 with a 3.55 GAA and .860 SV% in four games against last season.
Kampfer made his season debut against the Ducks on Monday but Connor Clifton will draw back in to replace him on third-pair. This will likely be a common theme for Kampfer this season.
Clifton was a healthy scratch on Monday but will replace Steven Kampfer against the Lightning. Clifton has not registered a point while averaging 15:30 TOI/gm in five games this season.
Lindholm has been a healthy scratch for the last four games but will replace David Krejci (upper-body) in the lineup on Thursday. Lindholm will centre the third line with Danton Heinen and Karson Kuhlman on his wings.
Krejci was hurt in Monday’s game against the Ducks and will miss Thursday’s game with an upper-body injury. Par Lindholm will draw into the lineup to replace Krejci and Charlie Coyle will move up to the second line. Krejci is day-to-day.
Blackwood allowed three goals on 22 shots in the Devils’ 4-3 shootout loss to the Oilers last Thursday. Cory Schneider started the last two games but Blackwood will start tonight vs. the Rangers. Somehow the Rangers have only played in three games but their offence has been hot to start the season. This could be a high-scoring affair, making Blackwood a low-end starter on a nine-game slate.
Reimer allowed three goals on 35 shots in the Hurricanes loss to Columbus lat Saturday. It was Reimer’s first loss of the season and moved him to 2-1-0 with a 2.65 GAA and .933 SV% through three games. The Sharks have struggled in their first six games, but winning a road game in San Jose on the tail-end of a back-to-back is a difficult task for Reimer.
Hutchinson stopped all five shots that he faced after replacing Frederik Andersen in the Maple Leafs blowout loss to the Lightning last Thursday. In his first start, Hutchinson gave up five goals on 42 shots and draws his tough road matchup in Washington. The Capitals have started the year at 3-2-2 while averaging 3.14 GF/gm (16th in the NHL).
Krejci left Monday’s game against the Ducks after playing just 4:43 TOI and did not return. He wasn’t on the ice for Wednesday’s session but head coach Bruce Cassidy believes there’s still a chance that he suits up vs. the Lightning. Charlie Coyle will move up to the second line if Krejci is unavailable.
Thomas has been sidelined by an upper-body injury since the Blues’ season opener. After completing Wednesday’s practice session, head coach Craig Berube told reporters that Thomas could play Thursday. Thomas will likely replace Mackenzie MacEachern in the lineup if he’s available to play.
Bitetto was forced to leave Tuesday’s game vs. The Coyotes after logging 9:05 TOI. Luckily for the Jets, they had an impressive rookie in Ville Heinola sitting on the bench waiting to draw back into the lineup on Thursday.
The rookie defenseman has been a healthy scratch for the last three games but will be back in against the Islanders. Heinola is closing in on nine games played, which will force the Jets to keep him and burn the first year of his ELC or send him down and keep the ELC intact. So far, he has one goal on eight shots and two assists while playing 19:16 ATOI in five games.
Connauton did not appear in a game with the Avalanche during his call-up. With Ian Cole back from offseason hip surgery, Connauton was no longer needed as a reserve defenseman. He heads back to the Eagles, where he had no points, two PIMS and a minus-4 rating in two games.
Nilsson allowed five goals on 36 shots in the Senators' loss to the Blues last Thursday. It was not an ideal season debut and tonight he draws a terrible matchup in Vegas. Nilsson is a combined 14-20-2 on the road over the last two seasons and the Golden Knights have been one of the most dominant home teams in the league, so leave Nilsson on free agency or your bench if you’re crazy enough to roster him.
It looks like the Predators avoided disaster and Forsberg will not miss an extended period of time. Forsberg was forced to leave Tuesday’s game in the late stages and did not return. He was not on the ice for Wednesday’s optional practice and head coach Peter Laviolette said Forsberg will “probably” be a game-time decision on Thursday.
Gibson allowed four goals on 23 shots in the Ducks loss in Boston on Monday. After opening the season with three straight wins, Gibson has lost two in a row while giving up six goals on 51 shots (.882 SV%). Overall, he is 2-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .971 SV% on home-ice but could be in tough against a Sabres team that is averaging 4.00 goals per game through six games.
Hutton stopped all 25 shots that he faced in the Sabres shutout win over the Stars on Monday. After a disappointing 2018-19 campaign, Hutton is tied for the league-lead in wins (4), seventh in GAA (1.74) and tied for 10th in SV% (.931) through four starts this year. He’s playing well and the Ducks are 28th in the NHL in scoring (2.17 GF/pg) so Hutton is a solid option on Wednesday.
