Hughes missed the Devils morning skate but was on the ice for warmups before being a late-scratch. The Devils announced that his absence from the lineup is precautionary, so consider him day-to-day. Dennis Cholowski will draw back into the Devils lineup to replace Hughes.

Svechnikov missed the last seven games with an upper-body injury, but will play Friday vs. the Canadiens. Svechnikov will draw back into the lineup on the fourth line.

Guhle will return to the Canadiens lineup after missing the last 21 games. Guhle re-enters the lineup with four goals, 10 assists and a plus-2 rating in 44 games this season.

Draisaitl was originally ruled out for Edmonton's game against Calgary on Saturday but will test out his injury during the team's morning skate and re-determine his availability. The 29-year-old Draisaitl has 101 points and leads the league with 49 goals through 68 games this season.

Hertl did not play in Vegas' previous game and will miss at least the next two as he continues recovering from an undisclosed ailment. The 31-year-old Hertl is averaging 17:07 time-on-ice and has 59 points (31G / 28A) in 70 games this season.

Pietrangelo did not play in Vegas' previous game due to a lower-body injury and will miss at least the next two games on their road trip. The 35-year-old Pietrangelo is averaging 22:29 time-on-ice and has 32 points (4G / 28A) in 67 games this season.

Buchnevich has missed four straight games but will return to the lineup on Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche. The 29-year-old Buchnevich is averaging 18:55 time-on-ice and has 47 points (14G / 33A) in 68 games this season.

Stephenson has missed Seattle's previous three games but appears to be nearing a return after practicing on Friday. The 30-year-old Stephenson is averaging 19:30 time-on-ice and has 48 points (11G / 37A) in 69 games this season.

Since being acquired in a trade by Minnesota, Jiricek has spent most of his time in the AHL, and will now be sidelined for the remainder of the season. The highly skilled 21-year-old defenseman played six games with Minnesota, scoring two points (1G / 1A). He scored seven points (0G / 7A) in 27 games with the Iowa Wild (AHL) this season.

Kupari returned from a concussion in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Washington Capitals, playing only 5:44 time-on-ice, and will be sidelined again after having a setback. The 25-year-old Kupari is averaging 10:16 time-on-ice and has eight points (5G / 3A) in 59 games this season.

Blueger is battling an illness and his status for Friday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets is up in the air. The 30-year-old Blueger is averaging 14:20 time-on-ice and has 23 points (8G / 15A) in 72 games this season.

Svechnikov has missed seven straight games due to a lower-body injury but will return to the lineup on Friday against the Montreal Canadiens. The 24-year-old Svechnikov is averaging 17:29 time-on-ice and has 43 points (18G / 25A) in 63 games this season.

Zary played only 12:56 time-on-ice, exiting Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Dallas Stars after an awkward collision with Mikko Rantenen. The 23-year-old Zary recorded an assist before leaving the game, giving him three points (1G / 2A) in his last five games. He will be reevaluated on Friday.

Marchand has not played since suffering an upper-body injury with the Bruins on March 1st, and will make his Panthers' debut on Friday against the Utah Hockey Club. The 36-year-old Marchand averaged 18:26 time-on-ice and scored 47 points (21G / 26A) in 61 games with the Bruins this season. He is expected to play on a line with Mackie Samoskevich and Sam Bennett.

Klingberg will make his first appearance since March 4th when the Oilers travel to Seattle on Thursday. He will slot in for Mattias Ekholm, who was a late scratch due to an undisclosed injury.