Dakota Mermis will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Bogosian to make his return from a three-game absence due to a concussion. Before his injury, Bogosian had one assist, 13 shots, 13 hits, and 19 penalty minutes in nine games.
Gustavsson will return to the crease on Thursday in a matchup against the Nashville Predators, who are six points ahead of Minnesota in the standings. Gustavsson allowed three goals on 28 shots (.893 SV%) in a 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in his last outing and only has one win in his last four (1-2-1). Minnesota enters action with even -105 odds on Thursday.
Lauko has only played two of the last eight games for the Bruins but will re-enter the lineup on Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 23-year-old Lauko has seven points (2G / 5A) and 113 hits in 41 games this season.
Khusnutdinov was the 37th overall pick of Minnesota in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old Khusnutdinov has played exclusively in Europe to this point and has 20 points (6G / 14A) in 49 games with Sochi HC of the KHL.
Gustavsson will take over Minnesota's crease for the fourth time in six games after backing up for the Wilds' win on Saturday vs. Seattle. The 25-year-old has had a season to forget in 2023-24 after breaking out last year, with his current 16-13-3 record, 3.23 GAA and .896 SV%. He will face the Carolina Hurricanes at home on Tuesday, who have lost their last two games but are still a force offensively as they rank seventh in the NHL in shots per game (32.7).
On the front end of a back-to-back, Minnesota will turn to Gustavsson for the third time in their last four games. Gustavsson has struggled to keep the puck out of his net lately, allowing three or more goals in three straight (1-0-1), posting a lacklustre .851 SV%. Minnesota enters action as a +158 road underdog against the Edmonton Oilers and their top-five offence (3.58 GF / GP).
Lauko had been unavailable the previous two games after suffering an upper-body injury in Saturday's game against the Kings. Justin Brazeau will sit in his place.
Bogosian exited Tuesday's contest against the Winnipeg Jets with an upper-body injury after playing only 7:05 time-on-ice. The veteran defenseman has zero points, four shots, and six hits in his last five games and is expected to be out of the lineup for at least one week.
Boris Katchouk will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday, allowing Johnson to re-enter the Blackhawks' lineup. Johnson has played only one of the last six games for the Blackhawks. He has three points (2G / 1A), 42 shots, and 96 hits in 34 games this season.
Bogosian suffered the injury late in the first period after blocking a shot up high and did not return. We should expect to receive an update on his injury in the coming days.
Dakota Mermis will draw into the lineup on Tuesday, making Merrill the odd man out for the first time since January 25th. Merrill recorded an assist, two shots, and one hit while playing 11:32 time-on-ice in Minnesota's thrilling 10-7 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Monday.
Fleury appeared in relief of Filip Gustavsson in Monday's insane 10-7 victory over Vancouver and will return to the crease Tuesday as he looks to pick up his second win in as many days. The 39-year-old veteran netminder is on the top of most trade charts heading into next month's deadline due to his 11-9-3 record, .900 SV% and 2.87 GAA on the season.
Gusvtasson will return to the crease on Monday afternoon in a daunting matchup against the high-scoring Vancouver Canucks. Gustavsson allowed three goals on 28 shots (.893 SV%) in his last outing, a 3-2 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres. He has allowed three goals in five of his last six games (3-2-1).
Lauko recorded an assist but played only 8:16 time-on-ice after suffering an upper-body injury. Newly signed Justin Brazeau will make his NHL debut in Lauko's absence.
