Galchenyuk skated both Monday and Tuesday and was cleared for contact after Tuesday’s morning skate. There is still no timetable for Galchenyuk’s return, but this is a big step forward and a sign that he should be back before the end of the month.
Hutton allowed six goals on 30 shots in the Sabres loss to the Avalanche last Thursday. Hutton has been up-and-down to start his Sabres career, posting a 3.07 GAA and .912 SV% in his first four starts. He will be in tough against a Golden Knights team that has been great on home-ice over the last calendar year.
Lyubushkin has averaging just 12:25 TOI/GM in the first three games of his NHL career. Lyubushkin will be replaced by Jordan Oesterle on the Coyotes third pairing.
Oesterle and Ilya Lyubushkin have been swapping in and out of the Coyotes lineup to start the season. Oesterle played just 14:05 TOI in his Coyotes debut on October 4th, so don’t expect him to carry any fatansy value on the Coyotes third pair.
Kempe failed to record a point in the first four games of the season and will be replaced by Josh Archibald on Tuesday.
Archibald will draw in for Mario Kempe for Tuesday’s game in Minnesota. Archibald brings very little offence to the Coyotes table. He had just 11 points (5G / 6A) in 39 games with Arizona last year.
Fleury stopped all 26 shots that he faced in the Golden Knights shutout win in Philadelphia on Saturday. Fleury has had a tough start to the season, but was absolutely outstanding in Philly. Fleury made a number of spectacular saves to preserve the shutout and is a great option back on home-ice tonight.
Kuemper split last season between the Kings and Coyotes. During his time in Arizona, Kuemper was 2-6-2 with a 3.22 GAA and .899 SV%. The Coyotes are an improved team so far this season, allowing the fewest shots on goal per game (23.3) in the NHL through four games—8.4 fewer shots than Kuemper faced per game last season. He could be a decent spot-start option tonight vs. a Wild team averaging just 2.40 goals per game so far.
Andersen was on the ice for Tuesday’s practice but left after 20-30 minutes and isn’t sure he’ll start on Thursday. Mike Babcock was expecting Andersen to be ready on Thursday, but monitor his status as the week progresses.
Bouchard has yet to record a point while averaging just 12:59 TOI/GM in the first three games of his NHL career. Bouchard will be replaced by Matt Benning and take a look from the press box tonight.
Benning was a healthy scratch vs. the Rangers on Saturday afternoon, but will replace Evan Bouchard tonight in Winnipeg. Benning has failed to record a point with a minus-3 rating in his first two games of the season.
Patrick is “almost ready to return” Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol told reporters on Tuesday. Patrick will sit out for his second straight game, which means Jordan Weal will continue to centre the Flyers temporary second line.
Byfuglien was back on the ice for Monday’s practice but is not ready to re-join the lineup tonight. With Byfuglien out, Dmitry Kulikov will remain in the lineup and Josh Morrissey figures to run the top power-play unit like he did on Sunday.
Vesalainen has recorded just one assist while averaging just 6:50 TOI/GM in the first five games of his NHL career. Vesalainen will be replaced by Brendan Lemieux in the lineup.
Lemieux had one goal in nine games with the Jets last season. The 22-year-old winger is expected to replace Kristian Vesalainen in the lineup and showcased his offensive upside with 19 goals and 24 assists (43 points) in 51 games with the Manitoba Moose (AHL) last year.
There’s no word on when Compher suffered the injury, but the young forward is expected to miss some time. With Compher out, Tyson Jost should move into Colorado’s top-6 for the foreseeable future.
Kinkaid allowed two goals on 39 shots in the Devils win over the Sharks on Sunday. Kinkaid has enjoyed a great start to the season with Cory Schneider out—he is 3-0-0 with a 1.34 GAA, .949 SV% and one shutout in his first three starts of the season. Tonight he faces a Stars team that has started the season 3-2-0 while averaging 3.60 goals for per game, but come in on the tail-end of a back-to-back.
Nilsson gave up two goals on 26 shots in the Canucks win in Florida on Saturday. Nilsson has won back-to-back starts while stopping 57 of 60 shots (.950 SV%) and will make his third straight start tonight. Dating back to last season, Nilsson is 5-1-0 while allowing just nine goals on 165 shots (.946 SV%) in six October starts.
Andersen did not dress for Monday’s game vs. the Kings, but head coach Mike Babcock said that Andersen will start Thursday vs. Pittsburgh. Returning to the ice on Tuesday is a good sign that Babcock’s plan is still on-track.
Schwartz missed the Blues last two games with a lower-body injury, but was back on the ice for Tuesday’s practice. Schwartz skated in his regular spot on the Blues’ second line and power-play, suggesting that he will play on Wednesday. Schwartz has registered two assists and seven shots on goal in three games this season.
