Wood has not played since October 28th but appears to be nearing an imminent return the the lineup. In 10 games this season, Wood has one goal, a -2 plus/minus, and is averaging 13:40 time-on-ice. He and Jonathan Drouin (upper body) could both be options to return to the lineup on Friday.
Drouin has not played since the first game of the season, and will miss a 16th consecutive contest on Wednesday. After several forgetful seasons, the 29-year-old Drouin had a career-high 56 points (19G / 37A) in 79 games last season, and could return to the lineup on Friday against the Washington Capitals.
For the first time this season, the Capitals will stray away from their even goalie rotation and turn to Thompson between the pipes for consecutive games. The 27-year-old Thompson has been tremendous in his first season as a Capital, yet to lose a game (7-0-0), posting a solid 2.55 GAA and .910 SV%. The Capitals own a +19 goal differential through 14 games this season (10-4-0) and enter Wednesday's contest as -135 home favorites against a Toronto Maple Leafs club defeated 3-0 last night by the Ottawa Senators.
Loof was the third-round pick, 88th overall, of the St. Louis Blues in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The 22-year-old Loof has one point (0G / 1A) in 11 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL) this season.
Wilsby was the fourth-round pick, 101st overall, of the Nashville Predators in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The 24-year-old has spent the past three seasons exclusively in the AHL, including scoring three points (1G / 2A) through 11 games with the Milwaukee Admirals this season.
Goncalves made his season debut with Tampa Bay last week, scoring zero points in two games. The 23-year-old Goncalves has played four NHL games in his career but spent most of his young career in the AHL, including scoring 58 points (13G / 45A) in 69 games with Syracuse last season.
According to head coach Paul Maurice, Bennett had something "tighten up this morning and it didn't loosen up throughout the day." He added that even if Bennett doesn't play Thursday, he won't be out long-term. Jesper Boqvist moved up to the Panthers' second line with Bennett out.
With Dakota Joshua (testicular cancer) not quite ready to return to the lineup, Bains will get the chance to make his first appearance since November 2nd. Bains has one goal and zero assists in seven games this season.
Lindholm suffered the injury in the first period of Tuesday's game and was unable to join his teammates on the bench for the start of the second. We should receive an update on his status ahead of Boston's game in Dallas on Thursday.
With Michael Sgarbossa being reassigned to Hershey (AHL) and Lars Eller not expected to be ready to make his debut, Lapierre will likely re-enter the lineup on Wednesday. Lapierre is yet to score a goal but does have two assists in 11 games this season.
After being acquired from the Penguins on Tuesday night, Eller is not expected to be ready in time to make his debut on Wednesday. With Michael Sgarbossa being reassigned to Hershey (AHL), Hendrix Lapierre will likely draw back into the lineup.
Sgarbossa's reassignment makes room on the Capitals roster for the newly acquired Lars Eller. Sgarbossa has impressed in his limited time with the Caps this season, registering one goal and one assist in three games.
The Bruins will turn to Swayman between the pipes for the fourth time in the last five games. Partially a byproduct of poor team play, Swayman has struggled this season, posting a 3.13 GAA and .896 SV% in 11 outings (4-5-2), a far cry from the 2.53 GAA and .916 SV% he recorded in 44 games last season (25-10-8) to help him secure an eight-year, $66 million contract extension. That said, the Bruins enter the action on Tuesday as -168 road favorites against a St. Louis Blues club coming off a disastrous 8-1 loss to the Washington Capitals.
Samoskevich will re-enter the lineup in place of Sam Bennett, who was a late scratch due to an upper-body injury. Samoskevich has two goals and two assists in 14 games this season.
Bennett was a late scratch on Tuesday, with his absence not being announced prior to warmups. Mackie Samoskevich will likely draw into the lineup in his place.
Brodin reportedly suffered the injury during Minnesota's game in Chicago on Sunday. The team is yet to provide an update on his status, but they did recall defenceman Daemon Hunt from Iowa (AHL) on Tuesday. We should receive an update on Brodin's injury ahead of their game against the Canadiens on Thursday.
A former third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Hunt has spent the majority of his professional career in the AHL, having just 13 NHL appearances to his name. He has no goals and two assists in six games with Iowa this season. He's appeared in just one NHL game this year, registering two shots on goal and two blocked shots in just over eight minutes of ice time.
The trade may signify Pittsburgh's position as sellers and comes on the heels of a 7-1 blowout defeat at the hands of the Stars on Monday. Eller tallied 19 goals and 19 assists in 99 regular season games across two seasons in Pittsburgh. He returns to Washington where he's previously spent parts of seven seasons, registering 208 points in 488 games from 2016 to 2023.
With the Maple Leafs riding a three-game winning streak, Stolarz will return to the crease on Tuesday after having the night off in their previous game. Stolarz has been solid all season, posting a 2.00 GAA and .930 SV% in 10 games (6-2-2), but has somehow outperformed those stats in his previous three games (2-0-1), allowing only three combined goals and posting a .964 SV%. The Maple Leafs enter the action on Tuesday as -123 home favorites against an Ottawa Senators club that has scored only six goals in their past three games (1-2-0).
After giving Shesterkin the night off on Saturday, a 4-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings courtesy of a Jonathan Quick shutout, the Rangers will revert to Shesterkin on Tuesday in a battle against the league's first-place team, the Winnipeg Jets. Shesterkin has battled some adversity lately, allowing four or more goals in two of his previous four outings (2-2-0). Even so, Shesterkin has still had an impressive campaign, posting a 2.62 GAA and .920 SV% in 10 games (6-3-1). The Rangers enter the action on Tuesday as -115 home favorites over the Jets.
