Letang will miss his second straight game with a lower-body injury but it doesn’t sound like he will be sidelined for an extended period of time because the Penguins expect him to join the team at some point during their brief three-game road trip.
Aho has recorded nine goals and 11 assists (20 points) in 29 games with the Sound Tigers in his first season in North America. The Swedish defenseman could make his NHL debut with Johnny Boychuk (lower-body) landing on IR on Thursday.
Rust departed the game after recording an assist in 10:06 TOI and did not return. The Penguins did not provide and update on Rust’s status so consider him questionable for Friday’s game in Carolina.
Letang has had injury issues throughout his career but has appeared in the first 37 games of 2017-18 prior to missing tonight’s game. With Letang out, Matt Hunwick will draw back into the lineup and play on the top pairing with Brian Dumoulin. Olli Maatta will slide in on the top power-play unit.
Rakell has missed the last five games with an upper-body injury but was back on the ice for Monday’s practice, a sign that he may be back in the lineup Tuesday in Vegas. The Ducks returning Kalle Kossila to San Diego (AHL) is a sign that he’ll play tomorrow.
Malkin has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury but it looks like he will return to the lineup tonight in Buffalo. Malkin has registered seven goals and 14 assists (21 points) in 22 games this season and should be active in all formats if he plays tonight.
Malkin has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury, but the Penguins called him day-to-day this afternoon and announced that he will travel with the team to Buffalo. There’s no word whether or not Malkin will actually return to the lineup, but this is positive news that the centre is close to playing.
Acciari has been sidelined since the season opener, but will return to the lineup tonight in Toronto. Acciari has six points (2G / 4A) in 49 career NHL games.
After being acquired in the Matt Duchene trade, Girard will immediately step onto a pairing with Tyson Barrie in his Avalanche debut. The former second round pick had three points (1G / 2A) in five games with the Predators this season and was a two-time 70-point defenseman in the QMJHL. Girard is also expected to see some PP1 time next to Barrie, making him an intriguing fantasy addition in deeper leagues.
Girard, 19, was a second round pick in 2016 (No.47 overall) and made his NHL debut this season, recording one goal and two assists in five games with the Predators. Girard should step right onto the Avalanche blueline and be an impact offensive-defenseman, but he will have to play well to stick with the team, because his development is more important than their success this season.
Girard has been a healthy scratch for the last four games, but will draw into the lineup tonight on a pair with Roman Josi. Girardi had one goal and two assists in three games with the Predators this season and is worthy of a punt play in daily fantasy.
Girard impressed in his three-game stint while Roman Josi was sidelined with a lower-body injury, but with the captain expected back tonight it looks like Girard will take a seat. The young offensive-minded blueliner recorded one goal and two assists in three games and looks like yet another great future Predators blueliner.
Karlsson missed the first five games of the season, but took off his no-contact sweater on Monday and skated alongside Dion Phaneuf in practice. After the session Karlsson confirmed that he will make his season debut on Tuesday. The Senators have yet to lose in regulation (3-0-2) and getting their captain back will be a massive boost. Karlsson is coming off of a season in which he recorded 17 goals and 54 assists (71 points) in 77 contests.
