Milne was acquired as part of an AHL trade and will report to the Grand Rapids Griffins. Milne appeared in 19 games for Syracuse (AHL) this season, registering zero goals and one assist.
Mitchell was acquired as part of an AHL trade and will report to the Syracuse Crunch. Mitchell appeared in 45 games for Grand Rapids (AHL) this season, tallying four goals and 16 assists.
Minnesota acquired Brink in a trade from Philadelphia last week, but he is battling an upper-body ailment and will miss Thursday's game against his former team. The 24-year-old has played three games with Minnesota so far and scored a goal for his first point with the team in Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Utah Mammoth.
The Rangers seem to have a firm hold on last place in the Eastern Conference (26-30-8), despite the solid netminding they have received from Igor Shesterkin (20-12-6). The 30-year-old Shesterkin has given his team a chance on most nights and has continued that consistency since returning from the Olympic break, posting a 2.73 GAA and .908 SV% in five games (3-0-2). The Rangers enter Thursday's contest as +133 road underdogs against a Winnipeg Jets team coming off a 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
The Ducks will hand Dostal his 44th start of the season when they travel to Toronto on Thursday. Dostal was sharp in what admittedly amounted to very little work in his last start, stopping 12 of the 13 shots he faced in a 4-1 win in Winnipeg on Thursday. The 25-year-old netminder brings a 26-14-2 record and an .893 SV% into Thursday night's matchup, where the Ducks enter action at -105 on the money line.
Sabourin will re-enter the Lightning lineup on Thursday, slotting in for Connor Geekie. Sabourin has one goal and three assists in 17 games this season.
Geekie will take a seat on Thursday in favour of Scott Sabourin. Geekie has zero goals and two assists in 11 games this season.
Eklund was absence from practice on Wednesday and his status for Thursday's game against the Boston Bruins was up in the air. The 23-year-old Swedish forward has 38 points (11G / 27A) in 58 games this season, but has been held off the scoresheet in three straight.
The Lightning will turn to Vasilevskiy between the pipes for the 44th time this season when they host the Red Wings on Thursday. Vasilevskiy was tagged with a rare defeat in his last start, surrendering four goals on 31 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. The Vezina Trophy favourite still boasts an impressive 29-11-3 record to go along with a .912 SV% on the season. Vasilevskiy and the Lightning enter action on Thursday at -225 on the money line.
While Bussi has an absurd 25 wins in his first 30 NHL games, he has battled some adversity in recent outings. The 27-year-old rookie goalie has allowed four or more goals in three straight games (2-1-0), posting an ugly 4.38 GAA and .827 SV%. The concerning play dates back to before the Olympic break, where Bussi has a 3.15 GAA and .859 SV% in his last seven (6-1-0). That said, Bussi and the Hurricanes enter Thursday's contest as -278 home favourites against a St. Louis Blues team with points in five straight games (4-0-1).
Pearson will make his Sabres debut on Thursday, slotting in for the injured Alex Tuch (lower-body). Pearson appeared in 52 games with the Jets this season, tallying seven goals and six assists.
Tuch did not practice on Wednesday, and will be unavailable for Thursday's game against the Washington Capitals. The 29-year-old forward has 57 points (28G / 29A) in 64 games this season, including nine points (6G / 3A) during a seven-game point streak.
The Atlantic Division-leading Buffalo Sabres seem to win regardless of who is tending the twine and, as such, will keep their goalie rotation going on Thursday against the Washington Capitals, turning to Luukkonen. The 27-year-old Luukkonen is coming off one of his worst statistical outings of the season, allowing seven goals on 28 shots (.750 SV%), but the powerhouse Sabres still salvaged an 8-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Sabres have wins in six of Luukonen's last seven appearances (6-1-0), while he boasts a solid 2.77 GAA and .911 SV%. The Sabres enter Thursday's contest as -195 home favourites against a Capitals team that played last night and lost 4-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers.
With Alex Nedeljkovic already confirmed as the Sharks' starting goalie for Thursday's game against the Boston Bruins, the Sharks announce Askarov will be able to serve as his backup. It does not seem as though Askarov's injury is a long-term concern, given that he was not immediately ruled out of the game.
Vladar will be back between the pipes for the Flyers tonight after getting the night off on the front-end of their back-to-back on Wednesday. Vladar struggled in his last outing, allowing six goals on 24 shots before being pulled in a 6-2 loss to the Rangers on Monday. Thankfully, those kind of performances have been rare for the 28-year-old this season, as Vladar boasts a 20-11-6 record and .903 SV% across 39 appearances. The Flyers enter action on Thursday at +185 on the money line.
Coming off a disappointing 4-1 loss last night to the Philadelphia Flyers, Washington's fourth loss in their last five games (1-4-0), they will hope to reverse their fortunes by turning to Lindgren for just his second start since the Olympic break. That said, the 32-year-old Lindgren's play hasn't been encouraging either, losing four of his last five starts (1-3-1) while posting a dreadful 4.16 GAA and .859 SV%. Washington enters Thursday's contest as +184 road underdogs against one of the NHL's hottest teams, the Buffalo Sabres.
Sergachev has not played in over a week, but was back at practice as a full participant on Thursday, indicating that if he is not ready to play on Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks, he should be ready for Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 27-year-old Sergachev is having a terrific season with Utah, scoring 42 points (10G / 32A) in 61 games, and will reclaim his spot on the top powerplay unit when he returns.
