




Koekkoek has been steady on the Oilers' blueline this season, so he'll be a bit of a surprise scratch on Tuesday. With Koekkoek sitting, Caleb Jones will draw back into the lineup for the first time since January 16th.

Perry is expected to make his Canadiens' debut on Saturday with Joel Armia sidelined with a concussion. Perry will skate on the third line with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Tyler Tofofli. He had five goals and 16 assists (21 points) in 57 games with the Stars a season ago.


The Stars are finally ready to make their season debuts on Friday but they may do so without Klingberg. The All-Star defenseman was missing from practice on Thursday for what head coach Rick Bowness simply called "medical reasons." If Klingberg isn't available, Thomas Harley should suit up in his place and Miro Heiskanen would be on the top power-play unit.

Kapanen missed the first three games of the season due to immigration issues and quarantine but is set to make his Penguins debut on Tuesday. Kapanen is expected to jump right onto the Penguins' top line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel vs. Washington.



Smith was scheduled to start on Thursday but was scratched due to injury and it’s obviously serious enough to land him on LTIR, which will cost him a minimum of 24 days. With Smith out, Mikko Koskinen is the only NHL-calibre goalie on their roster and could force the Oilers to make a move after losing Anton Forsberg on waivers last week.

Delia has appeared in 18 NHL games over the last three seasons but spent all of 2020 in the AHL, where he was 16-13-1 with a 2.66 GAA and .912 SV%. With no clear No.1 option in Chicago this season, Delia will battle with Malcolm Subban for playing time in the Blackhawks crease. Subban had his moments on Wednesday but still lost decisively, Delia could be in for the same fate tonight.

Kapanen remains in quarantine so he will not be available Friday in Philadelphia but barring any setbacks, head coach Mike Sullivan expects to have him back "fairly soon." Evan Rodrigues will remain on the Penguins' top line with Kapanen still out.

Arvidsson missed Wednesday's practice but head coach John Hynes expects him to be available for Thursday's game vs. the Blue Jackets. Arvidsson will look to bounce back after a down 2020 season, where he had just 15 goals and 13 assists (28 points) in 57 games.

Kapanen is in Finland as he works through immigration issues that have been complicated by COVID-19. HE is not slated to have a visa meeting until later this week and the hopes are that he will be on a plane to Pittsburgh shortly after. However, once he arrives, he would need to quarantine for seven days, which will force him to miss training camp and likely the first game of the regular season.


Koekkoek played well in his first full season with the Blackhawks, particularly after he was paired up with Olli Maatta. The duo put up some terrific underlying numbers and Koekkoek set a new career-high with 10 points (1G / 9A) in just 42 games. In Edmonton, he'll provide some depth on the blueline and will likely serve as a reserve most of the time. However, he should be the first man in whenever there is an injury.


