Hayes is battling an illness and his status is up in the air for Thursday's game against the Nashville Predators. In his last outing, Hayes had two assists, snapping a six-game pointless skid.
The Canadiens have won four of their last five and will roll with Primeau in the crease for the third time in the last five games. Primeau has been excellent lately, allowing one or fewer goals in three of his last four (3-1-0), including saving 29 of 30 shots (.967 SV%) in his last outing, a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
After a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blue on Monday, the Oilers will turn to Pickard between the pipes on Wednesday against the Dallas Stars. Pickard has allowed two or fewer goals in three of his last four starts (3-1-0), including a 21-save performance (.955 SV%) in his last outing, a 6-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Pickard and the Oilers enter action as +108 road underdogs against a Stars team they defeated 4-3 in February.
Balinskis started the season with the Panthers due to several injuries on the blueline but has spent most of the season with the Charlotte Checkers (AHL), scoring 21 points (3G / 18A) in 37 games. He had a four-game stint with the Panthers in mid-March, last playing on March 26th.
Niederreiter received several stitches in his leg after Monday's 4-3 over the Los Angeles Kings and is expected to miss at least a few games recovering. The 31-year-old Niederreiter has struggled offensively lately, scoring zero points in his last 13 games.
The Red Wings continue their push for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference on Friday and will turn to Lyon between the pipes. Despite only recording one win in his last four (1-2-1), Lyon has played well lately, allowing two or fewer goals three times, including saving 34 of 36 shots (.944 SV%) in his most recent outing, an impressive 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
On the front end of a back-to-back, Tampa Bay will roll with Vasilevskiy between the pipes for the fourth straight game. Vasilevskiy has allowed three or fewer goals in four of his last five (3-2-0), but it was not enough in his last outing, saving 28 of 31 shots (.903 SV%) in a 4-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Tampa Bay enters action on Wednesday as a +106 road underdog against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Wilson will return to the Capitals' lineup after completing his six-game suspension for a high stick on Toronto Maple Leaf Noah Gregor. Wilson has 17 goals, 32 points, and 120 PIMs in 66 games played. His return to the lineup will result in Matthew Phillips being reassigned to the Hershey Bears (AHL).
Phillips will return to the Hershey Bears of the AHL as Tom Wilson will return to the Capitals' lineup after serving his six-game suspension. The 25-year-old Phillips has five points (1G / 4A) in 28 games with the Capitals this season.
Tanev briefly left Saturday's game against the Seattle Kraken after receiving a high hit from Adam Larsson that earned him a five-minute major and a game misconduct. The 34-year-old Tanev missed several shifts but completed the game and, after being evaluated, was a full participant at practice on Tuesday and is not expected to miss any time.
The Stars will turn to Oettinger for a third straight game as they look to set a franchise-best eight-game winning streak. Oettinger has had an up-and-down season but has been stellar lately, allowing two or fewer goals in five straight (5-0-0), including making 17 saves in his last outing, a 3-0 victory over the Seattle Kraken for his second shutout of the season. The Stars enter action as -118 home favourites against the Edmonton Oilers.
Ilya Samsonov played the last two games for the Maple Leafs but they will likely turn to Woll on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning in an attempt to win four straight. Woll has allowed three or fewer goals in three of his last four (2-2-0), including a strong performance in his last outing, saving 23 of 24 shots (.958 SV%) in a 5-1 win over the Washington Capitals. The Maple Leafs enter action as -120 home favourites.
Gustafsson has not played in over a week but could return to the ice on Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils. Gustafsson has two points (0G / 2A) in his last four games while averaging nearly 21 minutes of ice time.
Rasmussen played 14:11 time-on-ice in Monday's 4-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning but suffered an upper-body injury and did not participate in practice on Wednesday. The 24-year-old Rasmussen has a career-high 33 points (13G / 20A) in 75 games this season. He is expected to be out on Friday vs. New York and is considered day-to-day.
Crookshank was limited to only 3:37 time-on-ice in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild before exiting the game with a lower-body injury. The 24-year-old Crookshank has three points (2G / 1A) in 13 games with Ottawa this season.
Morgan Rielly appears ready to return to the lineup from a four-game absence, which will make Giordano the odd man out of the lineup. Giordano has played the last three games for the Maple Leafs, averaging over 15 minutes of time-on-ice, scoring one goal, and recording 14 penalty minutes.
After not missing a single game due to injury, Rielly has missed four straight due to an upper-body injury. The 30-year-old All-Star defenseman has enjoyed a very strong year leading the Maple Leafs' point, with seven goals, 51 points, 165 SOG, 27 PIMs and a +8 plus/minus through 65 games. Mark Giordano will likely be the odd man out of the lineup, allowing Rielly to make his return on Wednesday.
Couturier played only 3:21 before exiting Monday's 4-3 loss to the New York Islanders with an undisclosed injury. The 31-year-old Couturier has only one point in his last 15 games and is averaging only 10:11 time-on-ice in the last six games since being a healthy scratch. He is considered day-to-day with no exact timetable on his return.
The Rangers will likely turn to Shesterkin again on Wednesday after a disappointing 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday. Shesterkin has allowed three or more goals in four of his last five (3-2-0), with the weakest performance in his most recent outing, allowing three goals on only 18 shots (.833 SV%). That said, the Rangers -182 home favourites against a New Jersey Devils team they defeated 3-1 less than a month ago.
The Coyotes, sporting a 5-3-0 record in their last eight, will likely turn back to Ingram on Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks. Ingram has allowed three or more goals in three straight (1-2-0), but recorded a victory in his last outing, saving 33 of 37 shots (.892 SV%) in an 8-4 win over the Nashville Predators. The Coyotes enter action as +132 home underdogs.
