After a relatively quiet Monday night in the NHL, the league is back with nine games on tap tonight including a few huge matchups. The Tampa Bay Lightning try to tighten their grip on the Atlantic Division against the red hot Florida Panthers, while the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators battle in what could be a first-round matchup. As they prepare for these contests later tonight, we’ll keep track of all the minor movement around the league.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets will be without Sergei Bobrovsky tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights, meaning Jeff Zatkoff is on his way up to the NHL. Bobrovsky is just dealing with a minor illness, which likely means Joonas Korpisalo will be in net when the Blue Jackets try to keep their playoff hopes alive.
- The Dallas Stars have recalled Roope Hintz and goaltender Mike McKenna from the minor leagues, both under emergency conditions. That may be confusing as Hintz was also recalled yesterday, but after the Stars’ game against the St. Louis Blues he was returned to Texas—at least for a few hours. McKenna is on his way up because Ben Bishop is out with a minor injury, giving Kari Lehtonen the starting role for the time being.
- The Buffalo Sabres announced that Kyle Criscuolo is out four to six weeks with an upper-body injury, meaning he’s likely headed for injured reserve through the end of the season. The 25-year old forward made his NHL debut this season, and would have been a welcome addition to the Rochester Americans’ playoff run.