With the Devils' placing Brendan Smith (sprained knee) on the Injured Reserve Thursday, Santeria Hatakka has been recalled to the Devils' for the first time this season. The 23-year-old defensemen has appeared in 28 games for Utica (AHL) this season, and had two goals, nine points, 22 PIMs and a -4 plus/minus. He previously last appeared in nine NHL games in 2021-22 with San Jose.
Hughes is battling an illness but, despite not participating in the morning skate on Wednesday, will suit up for the Devils' contest against the Montreal Canadiens in the evening. Hughes has been held without a point in three straight games but was on a roll before that, scoring seven points (3G / 4A) in a six-game span.
Bowers played the last three games for the Devils, being held without a point while averaging under seven minutes time-on-ice. The 24-year-old Bowers will return to the Utica Comets of the AHL, where he has seven points (6G / 1A) in 29 games this season.
Dustin Wolf was recalled yesterday in correspondence to Markstrom's lower-body injury but his stay could be short-lived after Markstrom returned to practice on Wednesday. The Flames were victorious with Daniel Vladar between the pipes last night, but Markstrom has been the driving force behind the Flames' four-game winning streak, allowing only six total goals while posting an impressive .939 SV% in three of those wins.
Justin Barron will draw back into the lineup in favour of Kovacevic, who will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday. Kovacevic played 13:18 time-on-ice in Monday's 4-3 overtime victory over the Colorado Avalanche.
Meier has not played since December 30th, when he exited a game against the Boston Bruins with a mid-body injury and has missed six games since. He will re-enter the Devils' lineup on Wednesday on a line with Michael McLeod and Dawson Mercer. Before his injury, Meier had four points (4G / 0A) in four games after being held without a point in nine straight.
Hughes is battling an illness but, despite not participating in the morning skate on Wednesday, is expected to suit up for the Devils' contest against the Montreal Canadiens in the evening. Hughes has been held without a point in three straight games but was on a roll before that, scoring seven points (3G / 4A) in a six-game span.
Daws has given the Devils their first glimpse of consistent goaltending this season, and he will start for the third straight game on Wednesday. Since making his debut towards the end of December, Daws has allowed more than three goals on once in five games (3-2-0), sporting a respectable 2.63 GAA and .921 SV%, a significant improvement over the netminding the Devils received up to that point from Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid. Daws and the Devils have a favourable matchup on Wednesday and are -174 home favourites against the Montreal Canadiens, who have lost three of their last four (1-1-2).
Meier has not played since December 30th, when he exited a game against the Boston Bruins with a mid-body injury and has missed six games since. He is expected to re-enter the Devils' lineup on Wednesday on a line with Michael McLeod and Dawson Mercer. Before his injury, Meier had four points (4G / 0A) in four games after being held without a point in nine straight.
Daws has given the Devils their first glimpse of consistent goaltending this season, and he will likely start for the third straight game on Wednesday. Since making his debut towards the end of December, Daws has allowed more than three goals on once in five games (3-2-0), sporting a respectable 2.63 GAA and .921 SV%, a significant improvement over the netminding the Devils received up to that point from Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid. Daws and the Devils have a favourable matchup on Wednesday and are -174 home favourites against the Montreal Canadiens, who have lost three of their last four (1-1-2).
Markstrom is dealing with a lower-body injury which has prompted the Flames to recall Dustin Wolf from the AHL. Markstrom has been the driving force behind the Flames' three-game winning streak, allowing only six total goals while posting an impressive .939 SV%.
Daws will start for the second straight game on Monday afternoon after a heroic performance in his last outing, saving 36 of 37 shots (.973 SV%) in a 4-1 victory, snapping the Florida Panthers' nine-game winning streak.
Allen will be back between the pipes for the Habs for the first time since January 4th, as Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau split the netminding duties over Montreal's previous four games. Allen struggled his last time out, allowing five goals on 37 shots enroute to a 6-1 defeat at the hands of the Sabres. He owns a disappointing 4-8-2 record on the season along with a .900 SV% and a 3.52 GAA. He'll have his hands full again on Monday as the Canadiens host Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche.
Glass was a late scratch for Friday's game with his absence being unknown prior to warmups. Yakov Trenin will draw into the lineup in his place. Glass has one goal and one assist in 17 games this season.
Markstrom's strong performance on Tuesday, saving 30 of 33 shots (.909 SV%), helped the Flames snap a two-game losing streak and will return to the crease on Thursday. Since returning from a fractured finger injury last month, Markstrom has quietly drawn together a solid stretch of play, posting a stellar .931 SV% in eight games (5-3-0). The Flames are -122 road favourites on Thursday against the Arizona Coyotes, who snapped a three-game losing streak in their last contest with a 4-3 overtime victory over the Boston Bruins.
Hughes and the Devils avoided a much worse prognosis on Tuesday morning, but the star forward will still be out of the lineup on a week-to-week basis as he recovers from an upper-body injury. Hughes has already missed six games this season with a separate injury and provides another blow to an injury-depleted Devils club that is already without Timo Meier, Jonas Siegenthaler, Dougie Hamilton, and Ondrej Palat. Dawson Mercer has moved into the top six and onto the top powerplay unit and should be the main benefactor of offensive deployment during Hughes' absence.
