With his grasp on the Devils' starting job slowly slipping away from him, Vanecek will get a shot at redemption on Friday as he will be back between the pipes for the Devils when they travel to Columbus. Nico Daws got the nod in goal in each of New Jersey's previous three games, but head coach Lindy Ruff is opting to go back to Vanecek after suffering back-to-back defeats. We last saw Vanecek on January 11th when he surrendered four goals on just 20 shots as the Devils suffered a 4-3 overtime defeat at the hands of the Lightning. Vanecek has managed to scrape together a 14-7-2 record on the season despite an .882 SV%. He's in an ideal spot to get back in the win column on Friday with the Devils being -150 favourites in Columbus.

Sturm has been out since December 12th due to an abdomen injury but will draw back into the Sharks' lineup for the first time in a month Saturday vs. Anaheim. The 28-year-old role playing centre has struggled to produce so far in 2023-24, with his two goals, four points, 30 SOG, 10 PIMs and a -10 plus/minus through 26 games played prior to the injury.

The positive news for the Panthers is that Barkov will not miss extended time, but he will not be available for Friday's contest against the Minnesota Wild, missing a second straight game due to a lower-body injury. Before his injury, Barkov was producing at a torrid pace, scoring 16 points, all assists, in his last 11 games. Anton Lundell is expected to skate on the top line alongside Sam Reinhart in his absence.

The Panthers have lost three straight after seeing their nine-game winning streak end last week and will turn to Bobrovsky between the pipes on Thursday to get back into the win column. Bobrovsky has allowed three or more goals in three of his last four games (2-2-0), posting a subpar .890 SV% in the process. The Panthers will be facing a Minnesota Wild club that has been shut out in two of their last five games (1-3-1) but is coming off an impressive 5-0 victory over the New York Islanders.

After spending the last two seasons exclusively in the NHL, splitting time between the Buffalo Sabres and Nashville Predators, Asplund could get his first crack at an NHL game this season after being recalled by the Panthers. In 33 games with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, Asplund has 19 points (4G / 15A) and 12 penalty minutes.

Josh Mahura will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday, allowing Kulikov to return from a one-game absence due to an undisclosed injury. In his last contest, Kulikov played only 13:49 time-on-ice, registering two hits and a -2 plus/minus.

After seeing a season-best nine-game winning streak end last week, the Panthers have lost two straight and will hope to return to the win column on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings. Despite being outscored 9-5 in their last two games (0-1-1), the Panthers are sizeable -205 home favourites against a Red Wings club that has won two straight but will be without offensive threat Patrick Kane. Bobrovsky, who has allowed three or fewer goals in seven of his last eight games (7-1-0) while posting a respectable .917 SV%, will likely tend the twine for the Panthers.

The positive news for the Panthers is that Barkov will not miss extended time, but he will not be available for Wednesday's contest against the Detroit Red Wings due to a lower-body injury. Before his injury, Barkov was producing at a torrid pace, scoring 16 points, all assists, in his last 11 games. Anton Lundell is expected to skate on the top line alongside Sam Reinhart in his absence.

After seeing a season-best nine-game winning streak end last week, the Panthers have lost two straight and will hope to return to the win column on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings. Despite being outscored 9-5 in their last two games (0-1-1), the Panthers are sizeable -205 home favourites against a Red Wings club that has won two straight but will be without offensive threat Patrick Kane. Bobrovsky, who has allowed three or fewer goals in seven of his last eight games (7-1-0) while posting a respectable .917 SV%, will likely tend the twine for the Panthers.

Josh Mahura will re-enter the lineup for the Panthers and Kulikov is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. On Saturday, Kulikov played only 13:49 time-on-ice, registering two hits and a -2 plus/minus.

Kahkonen hasn't played since allowing four goals on 20 shots (.800 SV%) in a 7-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs last week, his only start in the last five for the Sharks. He will return to the crease on Monday afternoon as the Sharks are +228 road underdogs against a Buffalo Sabres team that was shutout 1-0 against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.

Jones has not played since December 10th due to a shoulder injury but looks like he could return Saturday vs. Dallas after participating in full Friday at practice. The 29-year-old has struggled offensively this season with little help around him in Chicago, as he is yet to score a goal but has 11 assists, 60 SOG, 14 PIMs and a -5 plus/minus through 27 games prior to the injury. He'll lineup up on first power play and the Blackhawks' top defensive pairing when he does return.

Vanecek will start for only the third time in the last six games for the Devils when they face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. Vanecek was great in his last contest, albeit against a low-scoring Chicago Blackhawks team, saving 23 of 25 shots (.920 SV%) in a 4-2 victory. Vanecek has tallied consecutive quality starts only once this season and will be hard-pressed to do so on Thursday as the Devils are +136 road underdogs.

Bobrovsky had the night off on Tuesday, but it was no issue for the Panthers as they won their eighth straight game in a convincing 5-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues. The red-hot Panthers have excelled regardless of who is between the pipes lately, but Bobrovsky has been especially impressive, allowing fewer than three goals in four of his last six games (6-0-0), posting a .920 SV%. The Panthers are -136 home favourites against a struggling Los Angeles Kings team riding a six-game losing streak (0-4-2).