Colton blocked a shot in the third period and exited the game after playing only 11:16 time-on-ice with an undisclosed injury. Before leaving the game, Colton recorded four hits and extended his point streak to two games with an assist. His status for Friday's game against the St. Louis Blues remains up in the air.
Wedgewood will start for the fifth straight game on Wednesday as he continues to be a mainstay between the pipes for the Stars with Jake Oettinger still week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Wedgewood has been unspectacular this season but reliable in nearly every appearance, posting a 9-1-2 record with a 3.08 GAA and .903 SV%. Specifically since taking over for Oettinger, Wedgewood has been solid, posting a .900 SV% in five appearances (4-0-1). The Stars are -170 road favourites against a St. Louis Blues team that defeated Wedgewood and the Stars 4-3 in overtime less than two weeks ago.
Magnus Chrona was recalled Wednesday from the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) which implies Mackenzie Blackwood will be out vs. Los Angeles after it was announced he was under the weather Wednesday. The 27-year-old netminder is not expected to be out long as he did travel with the team. He has struggled in his first season in San Jose, with his 4-14-2 record, 3.92 GAA and .889 SV%.
MacDonald scored a goal in his last game but exited with a lower-body injury after playing only 7:03 time-on-ice. In 17 games this season, MacDonald has seven points (6G / 1A) and 14 hits while averaging 11:54 time-on-ice.
Wedgewood will likely start for the fifth straight game on Wednesday as he continues to be a mainstay between the pipes for the Stars with Jake Oettinger still week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Wedgewood has been unspectacular this season but reliable in nearly every appearance, posting a 9-1-2 record with a 3.08 GAA and .903 SV%. Specifically since taking over for Oettinger, Wedgewood has been solid, posting a .900 SV% in five appearances (4-0-1). The Stars are -170 road favourites against a St. Louis Blues team that defeated Wedgewood and the Stars 4-3 in overtime less than two weeks ago.
Smith is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He has one goal and two assists in 26 games this season.
Phillips be the odd-man out for Saturday's game against the Lightning as Connor McMichael (illness) is set to return to the lineup. Phillips has one goal and four assists in 22 games this season.
Cogliano hasn't played since December 17th, missing Colorado's last two games due to the undisclosed injury. He has three goals and six assists in 27 games this season.
Lehkonen has not yet been cleared for contact, but his presence, skating at practice, is a promising sign for a team without him for 21 games. Before his injury, Lehkonen had eight points (3G / 5A) in 12 games, averaging 18:30 time-on-ice, playing predominantly alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, including top powerplay deployment. Valeri Nischushkin has been the main benefactor, occupying Lehkonen's offensive deployment, scoring 24 points (13G / 11A) in 19 games since.
Smith will get a chance to play on the Sharks' fourth line on Thursday alongside Justin Bailey and Jack Studnicka. Smith has one goal and two assists in 25 games this season.
Makar has struggled to stay in the lineup lately, playing only four of the last nine games for Colorado, and was a game-time decision after being a full participant at practice on Thursday. Makar is among the league leaders for defensemen, scoring 37 points (8G / 29A) in 27 games this season.
Parssinen will take a seat on Thursday as the Predators are opting to dress seven defensemen in Philadelphia. He has six goals and three assists in 31 games this season.
Blackwood was the undisputed starter for the Sharks earlier this season but as the quality of his play has tapered off, he has found himself in an equal timeshare with Kaapo Kahkonen. Blackwood has allowed four or more goals in three of his last four games (1-2-0), posting an uncharacteristically low .868 SV%, considering he was sporting a .903 SV% in the 17 games leading up to that. The Sharks are +135 home underdogs on Thursday against an Arizona Coyotes team riding a three-game winning streak, outscoring their opposition 7-3.
Makar has struggled to stay in the lineup lately, playing only four of the last nine games for Colorado, but will be a game-time decision after being a full participant at practice on Thursday. Makar is among the league leaders for defensemen, scoring 37 points (8G / 29A) in 27 games this season.
Girard returned to practice, skating as an extra, for the first time after entering the players' assistance program nearly one month ago. Girard has played 15 games this season, scoring one point (0G / 1A) in his first 13 before tripling that with three points (2G / 1A) in his last two games. During Girard's absence, Josh Manson has seen a significant uptick in usage and production.
With Jake Oettinger still out of the lineup on a week-to-week basis, as he tends to a lower-body injury, Wedgewood will start for the third consecutive game. Wedgewood has been extremely serviceable when called upon this season, albeit unspectacular, posting a 7-1-2 record along with a 3.21 GAA and .906 SV%. Wedgewood and the Stars have a tough task ahead on Thursday, but they are still -148 home favourites against a Vancouver Canucks team that defeated the Stars 2-0 in their only other matchup this season and has points in seven straight (6-0-1).
