The Oilers did not have an update on Talbot’s status after the practice session so his status for Thursday’s game is up in the air. Keep an eye on the netminder as the Oilers hit the ice for their morning skate tomorrow.
Condon surrendered three goals on 44 shots in the Senators loss to the Bruins last Thursday. It is hard to pinpoint this one on Condon, but the 27-year-old has now given up at least three goals in eight of his last nine outings—he is 1-7-1 with a 4.09 GAA and .885 SV% over that stretch. Condon will be in tough again tonight with the Ducks in town—Anaheim has won five of their last six.
Kinkaid turned aside 27 of 28 shots in the Devils win in Buffalo on Tuesday. It was a solid return to the crease for Kinkaid, who was shelled for three goals on seven shots in his previous outing. Overall, he was a steady 3-1-1 with a 2.33 GAA and .908 SV% in five January starts and will continue to get a run in the Devils’ crease with Cory Schneider sidelined.
Capobianco, 20, has 22 points (2G / 20A) in 35 games with the Roadrunners this season and has been recalled to take Jason Demers’ spot on the roster. With Demers on IR, Capobianco could play in his second career game on Thursday.
Demers was hurt last Thursday vs. the Blue Jackets and lands on IR so he won’t play on Thursday. Kyle Capobianco has been recalled from Tucson (AHL) to take his spot on the roster.
Prince will miss his fifth straight game with an undisclosed injury and his move to IR opens up a roster spot for Andrew Ladd to return to the Islanders lineup in Toronto.
Ladd has missed the last nine games with and upper-body injury but it looks like he’ll be back tonight in Toronto. There’s no word on where Ladd will slot back into the lineup because of the emergence of Anthony Beauvillier during his absence. Ladd has nine goals and nine assists (18 points) in 42 games this season.
Fisher’s retirement was short-lived after leaving hockey at the end of last season. Fisher had another solid season in 2016-17, picking up 18 goals and 24 assists (42 points) in 72 games with the Predators. He will need some practice time before making his season debut.
Neuvirth allowed five goals on 23 shots in the Flyers loss to the Lightning last Thursday. With Brian Elliott out, Neuvirth will start again tonight in Washington. The 29-year-old has gone 1-2-0 with a 2.14 GAA and .927 SV% on the road this season and tonight he faces a Capitals team that has surprisingly lost four of their last six (2-2-2).
Bjork left Tuesday’s game after being cross-checked in the arm/shoulder by Francois Beauchemin. Post-game head coach Bruce Cassidy said that he’ll miss some time but the Bruins were unsure of a timetable for his return. Peter Cehlarik was recalled to take Bjork’s spot on the roster.
Backes left Tuesday’s game after being hit by Nick Ritchie but was back on the ice this morning, which suggests that he’ll be ready to go on Thursday. Backes has cooled off considerably recently, picking up just two assists in his last eight games.
Vrana has not scored a goal in 16 games, picking up just three assists over that span, so he will sit as a healthy scratch on Wednesday. The Capitals are looking for more out of their young forward—he had 10 goals and four assists (14 points) in his first 32 games of the season.
Zaitsev has been sidelined since December 15th, but will be back in tonight vs. the Islanders. Zaitsev will skate with Travis Dermott on the Maple Leafs’ second pairing and comes in with 10 points (4G / 6A) in 34 games this season.
MacKinnon was hurt in Tuesday’s overtime loss in Vancouver and won’t play in Edmonton. This is a horrible loss for the Avalanche, who have been absolutely carried by MacKinnon since the Matt Duchene trade. Since then, MacKinnon leads the NHL with 49 points (21G / 28A) in 36 games. It sounds like he is more day-to-day than long-term so monitor his status heading into the weekend.
Holtby allowed two goals on 34 shots in the Capitals win in Florida last Thursday. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Holtby, who will make his 37th start of the season tonight. Holtby allowed two goals on 23 shots in a 2-1 OT loss to the Flyers 10 days ago and he will face them again tonight. Holtby is 15-5-1 with a 2.13 GAA and .932 SV% on home-ice this season.
The Bruins lost both David Backes and Anders Bjork in Tuesday’s game vs. the Ducks, so Cehlarik comes up to fill their void at forward. It sounds like Bjork will be out longer than Backes so look for Cehlarik, who has 13 points (6G / 7A) in 17 games with Providence, to replace him on Thursday.
Andersen allowed two goals on 36 shots in the Maple Leafs win in Chicago last Wednesday. Curtis McElhinney started the next night, so it has been one week since Andersen started. Tonight he faces an Islanders on the tail-end of a back-to-back—Andersen is 11-7-2 with a 2.71 GAA and .920 SV% on home-ice this year.
Price surrendered six goals on 29 shots in the Canadiens loss to the Hurricanes last Thursday. Price has lost five of his last six starts while posting a 3.64 GAA and .869 SV%. The Canadiens’ All-Star representative doesn’t need any rest as it looks like he’ll start tonight in St. Louis. He allowed four goals on 30 shots in a 4-3 loss in his first start vs. the Blues.
