Projected lineups, starting goalies for today
Latest line combinations, defense pairs, injury news from NHL.com writers
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NHL.com @NHLdotcom
BLACKHAWKS (7-12-1) at FLYERS (8-10-2)
1 p.m. ET; CHSN, NHLN, NBCSP, SN
Blackhawks projected lineup
Connor Bedard -- Jason Dickinson -- Joey Anderson
Philipp Kurashev -- Nick Foligno -- Teuvo Teravainen
Taylor Hall -- Ryan Donato -- Pat Maroon
Tyler Bertuzzi -- Lukas Reichel -- Craig Smith
Alex Vlasic -- Connor Murphy
Nolan Allan -- Alec Martinez
TJ Brodie -- Louis Crevier
Petr Mrazek
Arvid Soderblom
Scratched: Wyatt Kaiser, Ilya Mikheyev
Injured: Seth Jones (foot), Laurent Brossoit (knee)
Flyers projected lineup
Owen Tippett -- Sean Couturier -- Travis Konecny
Tyson Foerster -- Noah Cates -- Matvei Michkov
Joel Farabee -- Morgan Frost -- Bobby Brink
Scott Laughton -- Ryan Poehling -- Garnet Hathaway
Cam York -- Travis Sanheim
Nick Seeler -- Rasmus Ristolainen
Erik Johnson -- Helge Grans
Aleksei Kolosov
Ivan Fedotov
Scratched: Nicolas Deslauries, Egor Zamula
Injured: Emil Andrae (mid-body), Samuel Ersson (lower body), Jamie Drysdale (upper body)
Status report
Dickinson had a maintenance day Friday and did not practice but is expected to play. ... Kurashev could play after being scratched from a 3-1 win against the Florida Panthers on Thursday. He could replace Mikheyev, a forward. ... Crevier is expected to make his season debut. ... Konecny had a maintenance day and did not practice Friday but likely will play Saturday. Coach John Tortorella said there were questions about his lineup because of the health of several players. ... York will play after missing 13 games because of an upper-body injury. He'll replace Zamula, a defenseman. ... Drysdale practiced in a regular jersey Friday, rather than the noncontact jersey the defenseman had been wearing during recent practices. ... Frost will play after being scratched the past three games. ... The Flyers sent forward Anthony Richard to Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League on Saturday.
WILD (13-3-3) at FLAMES (11-6-3)
4 p.m. ET; SNW, FDSNNO, FDSNWI
Wild projected lineup
Kirill Kaprizov -- Joel Eriksson Ek -- Matt Boldy
Marcus Johansson -- Marco Rossi -- Ryan Hartman
Marcus Foligno -- Frederick Gaudreau -- Yakov Trenin
Jakub Lauko -- Marat Khusnutdinov -- Devin Shore
Jake Middleton -- Brock Faber
Jonas Brodin -- Jared Spurgeon
Declan Chisholm -- Zach Bogosian
Filip Gustavsson
Marc Andre-Fleury
Scratched: Ben Jones, John Merrill, Travis Boyd
Injured: Mats Zuccarello (lower body)
Flames projected lineup
Jonathan Huberdeau -- Connor Zary -- Blake Coleman
Martin Pospisil -- Nazem Kadri -- Andrei Kuzmenko
Yegor Sharangovich -- Mikael Backlund -- Matt Coronato
Ryan Lomberg -- Justin Kirkland -- Kevin Rooney
Kevin Bahl -- Rasmus Andersson
MacKenzie Weegar -- Daniil Miromanov
Jake Bean -- Brayden Pachal
Dan Vladar
Dustin Wolf
Scratched: Adam Klapka, Tyson Barrie, Joel Hanley
Injured: Anthony Mantha (ACL)
Status report
Minnesota held an optional skate Friday. ... Kaprizov, who went down following a knee-on-knee collision but did not leave a 5-3 win at the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, was one of several players receiving treatment Friday but avoided major injury, according to Wild coach John Hynes. ... Hynes also said Minnesota has a "few question marks". Boyd, a forward, was recalled from Iowa of the American Hockey League on Friday. ... Backlund, Weegar and Andersson each did not skate Friday because of maintenance but are likely to play. … Flames coach Ryan Huska said there's a "pretty good chance" Vladar will play after Wolf has started each of the past three games.
KRAKEN (10-9-1) at KINGS (10-7-3)
4 p.m. ET; FDSNW, KHN, KONG, SNP, SNO, SNE
Kraken projected lineup
Jared McCann -- Matty Beniers -- Andre Burakovsky
Jaden Schwartz -- Daniel Sprong -- Chandler Stephenson
Eeli Tolvanen -- Yanni Gourde -- Oliver Bjorkstrand
Tye Kartye -- Ben Meyers -- Brandon Tanev
Jamie Oleksiak -- Brandon Montour
Ryker Evans -- Adam Larsson
Josh Mahura -- Will Borgen
Joey Daccord
Philipp Grubauer
Scratched: Shane Wright
Injured: Vince Dunn (mid-body), Jordan Eberle (undisclosed)
Kings projected lineup
Alex Turcotte -- Anze Kopitar -- Adrian Kempe
Warren Foegele -- Quinton Byfield -- Alex Laferriere
Trevor Moore -- Phillip Danault -- Kevin Fiala
Trevor Lewis -- Samuel Helenius -- Tanner Jeannot
Mikey Anderson -- Vladislav Gavrikov
Joel Edmundson -- Brandt Clarke
Jacob Moverare -- Jordan Spence
David Rittich
Pheonix Copley
Scratched: Andreas Englund, Kyle Burroughs, Akil Thomas
Injured: Darcy Kuemper (upper body), Caleb Jones (upper body), Drew Doughty (ankle), Arthur Kaliyev (clavicle)
Status report
Wright, a center, is likely to be a healthy scratch for the third straight game. … Dunn traveled with the team as the defenseman ramps up his activity level in practice. … The Kings recalled Copley on Saturday to serve as Rittich's backup; goalie Erik Portillo was sent to Ontario of the American Hockey League.
AVALANCHE (11-9-0) at PANTHERS (12-7-1)
6 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, ALT
Avalanche projected lineup
Artturi Lehkonen -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Jonathan Drouin
Valeri Nichushkin -- Casey Mittelstadt -- Mikko Rantanen
Joel Kiviranta -- Ivan Ivan -- Logan O'Connor
Miles Wood -- Parker Kelly-- Nikolai Kovalenko
Devon Toews -- Cale Makar
Samuel Girard -- Josh Manson
Oliver Kylington -- Sam Malinski
Alexandar Georgiev
Justus Annunen
Scratched: John Ludvig, Calvin de Haan, T.J. Tynan
Injured: Ross Colton (broken foot), Gabriel Landeskog (knee), Tucker Poolman (head)
Panthers projected lineup
Evan Rodrigues -- Aleksander Barkov -- Sam Reinhart
Eetu Luostarinen -- Sam Bennett -- Matthew Tkachuk
Carter Verhaeghe -- Anton Lundell -- Mackie Samoskevich
A.J. Greer -- Jesper Boqvist -- Jonah Gadjovich
Gustav Forsling -- Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola -- Dmitry Kulikov
Adam Boqvist -- Uvis Balinskis
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight
Scratched: Nate Schmidt, Tomas Nosek
Injured: None
Status report
Colorado coach Jared Bednar said after the morning skate he was “talking about some things” in regard to the lineup, but that it would “look similar to last game,” a 2-1 win at the Washington Capitals on Thursday. … The Avalanche sent goalie Kevin Mandolese to Colorado of the American Hockey League on Friday. … The Panthers are making some changes after losing four of their past five games. Luostarinen and Verhaeghe will switch places; Nosek, a forward, will be a healthy scratch, and Adam Boqvist returns after being scratched for 10 games. … Schmidt, a defenseman, will miss his first game since the opener on Oct. 8.
JETS (17-3-0) at PREDATORS (6-11-3)
7 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, SNW, SN360
Jets projected lineup
Kyle Connor -- Mark Scheifele -- Gabriel Vilardi
Cole Perfetti -- Vladislav Namestnikov -- Nikolaj Ehlers
Nino Niederreiter -- Adam Lowry -- Mason Appleton
Morgan Barron -- Rasmus Kupari -- Alex Iafallo
Josh Morrissey -- Dylan DeMelo
Dylan Samberg -- Neal Pionk
Haydn Fleury -- Colin Miller
Eric Comrie
Connor Hellebuyck
Scratched: Dylan Coghlan
Injured: David Gustafsson (lower body), Logan Stanley (knee)
Predators projected lineup
Filip Forsberg -- Ryan O’Reilly -- Gustav Nyquist
Steven Stamkos -- Fedor Svechkov -- Luke Evangelista
Jonathan Marchessault -- Tommy Novak -- Colton Sissons
Zachary L’Heureux -- Michael McCarron -- Cole Smith
Brady Skjei -- Roman Josi
Jeremy Lauzon -- Alexandre Carrier
Marc Del Gaizo -- Luke Schenn
Juuse Saros
Scott Wedgewood
Scratched: Juuso Parssinen, Philip Tomasino, Mark Jankowski
Injured: None
Status report
Comrie is expected to start after Hellebuyck made 17 saves in a 4-1 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday. … Svechkov will make his NHL debut after being recalled from Milwaukee of the American Hockey League on Saturday.
DEVILS (13-7-2) at CAPITALS (13-5-1)
7 p.m. ET; MNMT, MSGSN2
Devils projected lineup
Ondrej Palat -- Jack Hughes -- Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier -- Nico Hischier -- Stefan Noesen
Nolan Foote -- Erik Haula -- Dawson Mercer
Paul Cotter -- Justin Dowling -- Tomas Tatar
Brenden Dillon -- Dougie Hamilton
Jonas Siegenthaler -- Johnathan Kovacevic
Luke Hughes -- Brett Pesce
Jake Allen
Jacob Markstrom
Scratched: Nick DeSimone, Kurtis MacDermid, Shane Bowers
Injured: Nathan Bastian (jaw), Curtis Lazar (knee)
Capitals projected lineup
Aliaksei Protas -- Dylan Strome -- Ivan Miroshnichenko
Connor McMichael -- Pierre-Luc Dubois -- Tom Wilson
Hendrix Lapierre -- Lars Eller -- Andrew Mangiapane
Brandon Duhaime -- Nic Dowd -- Taylor Raddysh
Jakob Chychrun -- John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin -- Matt Roy
Martin Fehervary -- Trevor van Riemsdyk
Charlie Lindgren
Logan Thompson
Scratched: Dylan McIlrath, Alexander Alexeyev, Jakub Vrana
Injured: Alex Ovechkin (lower body), Sonny Milano (upper body)
Status report
The Devils did not hold a morning skate; the Capitals held an optional skate. … Miroshnichenko will make his season debut. … Mangiapane moves from the first line back to the third, replacing Vrana, a forward.
UTAH (7-9-3) at PENGUINS (7-11-4)
7 p.m. ET; Utah16, SN-PIT
Utah Hockey Club projected lineup
Clayton Keller -- Barrett Hayton -- Nick Schmaltz
Matias Maccelli -- Nick Bjugstad -- Lawson Crouse
Jack McBain -- Logan Cooley -- Dylan Guenther
Alexander Kerfoot -- Kevin Stenlund -- Michael Carcone
Mikhail Sergachev -- Olli Maatta
Ian Cole -- Maveric Lamoureux
Michael Kesselring -- Robert Bortuzzo
Karel Vejmelka
Jaxson Stauber
Scratched: Liam O'Brien, Vladislav Kolyachonok, Juuso Valimaki
Injured: Connor Ingram (upper body), John Marino (lower body), Sean Durzi (shoulder)
Penguins projected lineup
Anthony Beauvillier -- Sidney Crosby -- Rickard Rakell
Michael Bunting -- Evgeni Malkin -- Bryan Rust
Jesse Puljujarvi -- Drew O’Connor -- Sam Poulin
Matt Nieto -- Kevin Hayes -- Noel Acciari
Matt Grzelcyk -- Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson -- Erik Karlsson
Owen Pickering -- Ryan Shea
Alex Nedeljkovic
Tristan Jarry
Scratched: Ryan Graves, Valtteri Puustinen, Jack St. Ivany
Injured: Cody Glass (concussion), Blake Lizotte (concussion)
Status report
Utah adjusted its lines at the morning skate after a 1-0 loss at the Boston Bruins on Thursday. Hayton moved from the third line to first-line center, dropping Bjugstad to the second. Schmaltz also elevated to the first line from the third. Cooley, center on the second line against the Bruins, will be third-line center. ... The Penguins did not hold a morning skate. ... Nedeljkovic will likely start after Jarry made 26 saves in a 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Friday. ... Hayes (upper body) was activated off injured reserve Saturday and will be a game-time decision; he's missed eight games. ... Pittsburgh sent forward Vasily Ponomarev to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.
HURRICANES (14-5-0) at BLUE JACKETS (8-9-2)
7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, FDSNSO
Hurricanes projected lineup
Andrei Svechnikov -- Sebastian Aho -- Jack Roslovic
Eric Robinson -- Jesperi Kotkaniemi -- Martin Necas
William Carrier -- Jordan Staal -- Jordan Martinook
Tyson Jost -- Jack Drury -- Jackson Blake
Jaccob Slavin -- Brent Burns
Dmitry Orlov -- Jalen Chatfield
Shayne Gostisbehere -- Sean Walker
Pyotr Kochetkov
Spencer Martin
Scratched: Ty Smith
Injured: Seth Jarvis (upper body), Frederik Andersen (knee)
Blue Jackets projected lineup
Dmitri Voronkov -- Sean Monahan -- Kirill Marchenko
Kevin Labanc -- Adam Fantilli --Kent Johnson
Yegor Chinakhov -- Cole Sillinger -- Mathieu Olivier
Zachary Aston-Reese -- Sean Kuraly -- Justin Danforth
Zach Werenski -- Dante Fabbro
Jake Christiansen -- Ivan Provorov
Jack Johnson -- Damon Severson
Elvis Merzlikins
Daniil Tarasov
Scratched: Jordan Harris, James van Riemsdyk
Injured: Boone Jenner (shoulder), Erik Gudbranson (shoulder)
Status report
Svechnikov and Martinook switched lines at the Hurricanes’ morning skate. … Labanc will replace van Riemsdyk at forward. … Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said several defensemen have nagging injuries and will be game-time decisions.
BRUINS (9-9-3) at RED WINGS (8-9-2)
7 p.m. ET; FDSNDETX, NESN
Bruins projected lineup
Morgan Geekie -- Pavel Zacha -- David Pastrnak
Brad Marchand -- Elias Lindholm -- Justin Brazeau
Tyler Johnson -- Charlie Coyle -- Trent Frederic
John Beecher -- Mark Kastelic -- Cole Koepke
Mason Lohrei -- Charlie McAvoy
Parker Wotherspoon -- Brandon Carlo
Nikita Zadorov -- Andrew Peeke
Jeremy Swayman
Joonas Korpisalo
Scratched: Marc McLaughlin, Jordan Oesterle
Injured: Hampus Lindholm (lower body)
Red Wings projected lineup
Vladimir Tarasenko -- Dylan Larkin -- Lucas Raymond
Patrick Kane -- Marco Kasper -- Alex DeBrincat
Michael Rasmussen -- Andrew Copp -- Christian Fischer
Tyler Motte -- J.T. Compher -- Jonatan Berggren
Simon Edvinsson -- Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot -- Jeff Petry
Erik Gustafsson – Justin Holl
Cam Talbot
Alex Lyon
Scratched: Joe Veleno, Albert Johansson
Injured: None
Status report
The Bruins recalled McLaughlin and sent forward Georgii Merkulov to Providence of the American Hockey League. … Holl will re-enter the lineup for the Red Wings, replacing Johansson, a defenseman.
GOLDEN KNIGHTS (12-6-2) at CANADIENS (7-10-2)
7 p.m. ET; TVAS, CITY, SNE, SNO, NHLN, SCRIPPS
Golden Knights projected lineup
Ivan Barbashev -- Jack Eichel -- Alexander Holtz
Tomas Hertl -- Nicolas Roy -- Keegan Kolesar
Brett Howden -- William Karlsson -- Pavel Dorofeyev
Tanner Pearson -- Callahan Burke -- Cole Schwindt
Noah Hanifin -- Zach Whitecloud
Shea Theodore -- Brayden McNabb
Nicolas Hague -- Kaeden Korczak
Adin Hill
Ilya Samsonov
Scratched: Mason Morelli, Robert Hagg
Injured: Alex Pietrangelo (upper body), Mark Stone (lower body), Victor Olofsson (lower body), Ben Hutton (upper body)
Canadiens projected lineup
Juraj Slafkovsky -- Nick Suzuki -- Kirby Dach
Cole Caufield -- Jake Evans -- Alex Newhook
Josh Anderson -- Christian Dvorak -- Brendan Gallagher
Emil Heineman -- Lucas Condotta -- Joel Armia
Kaiden Guhle -- Mike Matheson
Lane Hutson -- David Savard
Arber Xhekaj -- Jayden Struble
Sam Montembeault
Cayden Primeau
Scratched: Justin Barron, Michael Pezzetta
Injured: Patrik Laine (knee)
Status report
Pietrangelo, a defenseman, will miss his second straight game. He is day to day but it is unclear when he will return for the Golden Knights, who visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday and conclude their five-game trip at the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday. “He’s doing better today, so that’s good, but I don’t know if he’ll rejoin us or not,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said after the morning skate. … Hague will be a game-time decision and could play after missing the past eight games because of an undisclosed injury. Hagg will play if Hague doesn’t; the defenseman played 8:59 in his season debut Thursday after he was recalled from Henderson of the American Hockey League. … The Canadiens will use the same lineup that won 3-0 against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday. … Laine, a forward, took part in the optional morning skate. It was the fourth straight day he practiced with the team, but no timeline has been set for his return.
CANUCKS (9-6-3) at SENATORS (8-10-1)
7 p.m. ET; CBC, SNP, SN1, TVAS2
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Kiefer Sherwood
Dakota Joshua -- Pius Suter -- Conor Garland
Danton Heinen -- Teddy Blueger -- Nils Hoglander
Max Sasson -- Arshdeep Bains -- Aatu Raty
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Carson Soucy -- Tyler Myers
Erik Brannstrom -- Vincent Desharnais
Kevin Lankinen
Arturs Silovs
Scratched: J.T. Miller (personal leave), Noah Juulsen
Injured: Brock Boeser (upper body), Derek Forbort (lower body), Thatcher Demko (lower body)
Senators projected lineup
Brady Tkachuk -- Shane Pinto -- Ridly Greig
Claude Giroux -- Tim Stutzle -- Drake Batherson
Michael Amadio -- Josh Norris -- David Perron
Nick Cousins -- Adam Gaudette -- Zack MacEwen
Jake Sanderson -- Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot -- Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven -- Travis Hamonic
Linus Ullmark
Anton Forsberg
Scratched: Jacob Bernard-Docker
Injured: Noah Gregor (undisclosed)
Status report
Sasson will make his NHL debut after being recalled from Abbotsford of the American Hockey League on Thursday. … Desharnais could make his return from an undisclosed injury; he missed three games. … Boeser, a forward who will miss his seventh consecutive game, is on the road trip but skated Saturday. … Demko, a goalie who hasn’t played this season, took reps in practice Saturday. … Bernard-Docker, a defenseman, will be a healthy scratch; Hamonic will take his spot on the third pairing. … Senators coach Travis Green moved Pinto to the first line and Norris to the third line at the morning skate.
STARS (12-6-0) at LIGHTNING (10-6-2)
7 p.m. ET; FDSNSUN, Victory+
Stars projected lineup
Jason Robertson -- Roope Hintz -- Evgenii Dadonov
Mason Marchment -- Matt Duchene -- Tyler Seguin
Jamie Benn -- Wyatt Johnston -- Logan Stankoven
Oskar Back -- Sam Steel -- Mavrik Bourque
Miro Heiskanen -- Esa Lindell
Thomas Harley -- Ilya Lyubushkin
Brendan Smith -- Mathew Dumba
Jake Oettinger
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Colin Blackwell
Injured: Nils Lundkvist (lower body)
Lightning projected lineup
Jake Guentzel -- Brayden Point -- Nikita Kucherov
Brandon Hagel -- Anthony Cirelli -- Cam Atkinson
Gage Goncalves -- Conor Geekie -- Mitchell Chaffee
Zemgus Girgensons -- Luke Glendening -- Michael Eyssimont
Victor Hedman -- J.J. Moser
Ryan McDonagh -- Erik Cernak
Emil Lilleberg -- Nick Perbix
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Jonas Johansson
Scratched: Darren Raddysh
Injured: Nick Paul (lower body)
Status report
Paul, a forward was injured Tuesday in a 3-2 overtime win against the Pittsburgh Penguins and is out indefinitely. ... Lundkvist, a defenseman, skated on his own Saturday and is day to day.
BLUES (9-11-1) AT ISLANDERS (7-8-5)
7:30 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, MSGSN
Blues projected lineup
Pavel Buchnevich -- Robert Thomas -- Jordan Kyrou
Brandon Saad -- Brayden Schenn -- Jake Neighbours
Zack Bolduc -- Dylan Holloway -- Mathieu Joseph
Alexey Toropchenko – Oskar Sundqvist -- Nathan Walker
Ryan Suter -- Colton Parayko
Pierre-Olivier Joseph -- Justin Faulk
Scott Perunovich -- Matthew Kessel
Jordan Binnington
Joel Hofer
Scratched: Radek Faksa, Alexandre Texier, Corey Schueneman
Injured: Nick Leddy (lower body), Philip Broberg (knee)
Islanders projected lineup
Anders Lee -- Bo Horvat -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Maxim Tsyplakov -- Brock Nelson -- Kyle Palmieri
Pierre Engvall -- Casey Cizikas -- Simon Holmstrom
Matt Martin -- Kyle MacLean -- Oliver Wahlstrom
Alexander Romanov -- Noah Dobson
Isaiah George -- Ryan Pulock
Dennis Cholowski -- Scott Mayfield
Ilya Sorokin
Semyon Varlamov
Scratched: Hudson Fasching, Grant Hutton
Injuries: Anthony Duclair (lower body), Mathew Barzal (lower body), Adam Pelech (upper body), Mike Reilly (heart surgery)
Status report
Thomas is expected to play after not practicing Friday (maintenance). He was activated from injured reserve Nov. 19 (ankle) and has played the past two games. … The Islanders are expected to use the same lineup as their 2-1 loss at the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.
SABRES (10-9-1) at SHARKS (6-11-5)
8 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, MSG-B
Sabres projected lineup
JJ Peterka -- Ryan McLeod -- Alex Touch
Zach Benson -- Dylan Cozens -- Sam Lafferty
Jason Zucker -- Jiri Kulich -- Jack Quinn
Beck Malenstyn -- Peyton Krebs -- Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Rasmus Dahlin -- Bowen Byram
Owen Power -- Henri Jokiharju
Jacob Bryson -- Connor Clifton
James Reimer
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Scratched: Isak Rosen, Dennis Gilbert
Injured: Tage Thompson (lower body), Mattias Samuelsson (lower body), Jordan Greenway (undisclosed)
Sharks projected lineup
William Eklund -- Mikael Granlund -- Fabian Zetterlund
Barclay Goodrow -- Macklin Celebrini -- Will Smith
Luke Kunin -- Alexander Wennberg -- Tyler Toffoli
Klim Kostin -- Ty Dellandrea -- Carl Grundstrom
Cody Ceci -- Jake Walman
Mario Ferraro -- Timothy Liljegren
Jack Thompson -- Jan Rutta
Mackenzie Blackwood
Vitek Vanecek
Scratched: Givani Smith, Henry Thrun, Yaroslav Askarov
Injured: Logan Couture (groin), Marc-Edouard Vlasic (upper body), Nico Sturm (upper body)
Status report
Neither team held a morning skate. … Tage Thompson, a forward, could miss his fifth straight game but hasn't been ruled out by the Sabres. ... Vanecek will serve as the backup to Blackwood after being unavailable for two games because of an upper-body injury. … Eklund is a game-time decision, according to Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky.
RANGERS (12-5-1) at OILERS (10-9-2)
10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, CITY, MSG
Rangers projected lineup
Chris Kreider -- Mika Zibanejad -- Reilly Smith
Artemi Panarin -- Vincent Trochek -- Alexis Lafreniere
Will Cuylle -- Jonny Brodzinski -- Kaapo Kakko
Adam Edstrom -- Sam Carrick -- Jimmy Vesey
K’Andre Miller -- Adam Fox
Ryan Lindgren -- Jacob Trouba
Braden Schneider -- Victor Mancini
Jonathan Quick
Igor Shesterkin
Scratched: Chad Ruhwedel
Injured: Filip Chytil (upper body), Zac Jones (upper body)
Oilers projected lineup
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Connor McDavid -- Kasperi Kapanen
Vasily Podkolzin -- Leon Draisaitl -- Connor Brown
Jeff Skinner -- Adam Henrique -- Mattias Janmark
Drake Caggiula -- Derek Ryan -- Corey Perry
Mattias Ekholm -- Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse -- Troy Stecher
Brett Kulak -- Ty Emberson
Stuart Skinner
Calvin Pickard
Scratched: Josh Brown, Travis Dermott
Injured: Zach Hyman (undisclosed), Viktor Arvidsson (undisclosed)
Status report
Shesterkin briefly left the ice after taking a shot up high during the morning skate but was able to return. He will back up Quick as planned. … Mancini was recalled from Hartford of the American Hockey League and will play in place of the injured Jones, and Schneider will move from the right side to the left ... Nurse is expected to return after missing three games with a head injury. ... Bouchard sat out the morning skate with an undisclosed ailment and will be a game-time decision. “Evan is 50-50. We’ll see how he’s doing before the game,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We’re optimistic that he can play.” ... Kapanen will move to the top line with Hyman, a forward, unavailable.
