Spence has not played the last four games and has been reassigned to the Ontario Reign of the AHL. Despite seeing limited action, Spence has been quietly productive when called upon, tallying three points (0G / 3A) in his last five outings.

Spence will be the odd-man out on Thursday as Brandt Clarke draws back into the Kings' lineup. Spence has no goals and 16 assists in 44 games this season.

Clarke will take the place of Jordan Spence, who is listed as a scratch on Thursday. Clarke is expected to skate alongside Andreas Englund on the team's third defensive pair.

Despite being pulled after giving up five goals on just 17 shots in Tuesday's 7-0 thrashing at the hands of the Sabres, Rittich will be back between the pipes for the Kings on Thursday. This might be the strongest indication that it really is Rittich's starting job at this point, though to be fair, Cam Talbot didn't fare much better on Tuesday. Rittich owns a 6-2-3 record on the season to go along with a .919 SV% and a 2.23 GAA. He and the Kings have even odds to pick up the win in New Jersey on Thursday.

Jeannot was activated off Injured Reserve earlier this week and made his return to the lineup on Tuesday, but was limited to only 5:44 time-on-ice before re-aggravating his lower-body injury. The 26-year-old bruising winger has filled in his bottom-six role well this season with 12 points (6G/6A), 52 SOG, 61 PIMs, and a -11 plus/minus in 41 games played before the injury.

Rittich will continue his reign over the Kings' crease and start his fourth straight game on Tuesday evening. The Czech netminder is riding a two-game winning streak and is coming off a tremendous performance in his last outing, saving all 26 shots he faced in a 4-0 shutout victory over the typically high-scoring Edmonton Oilers. The Kings are -131 road favourites against a Buffalo Sabres club that has scored only two goals in their last two games (0-2-0).

Rittich will continue his reign over the Kings' crease and start his fourth straight game on Tuesday evening. The Czech netminder is riding a two-game winning streak and is coming off a tremendous performance in his last outing, saving all 26 shots he faced in a 4-0 shutout victory over the typically high-scoring Edmonton Oilers. The Kings are -131 road favourites against a Buffalo Sabres club that has scored only two goals in their last two games (0-2-0).

Jeannot has been out since January 6th due to a lower-body injury but was activated off Injured Reserve on Tuesday and will rejoin Tampa Bay's lineup. The 26-year-old bruising winger has filled in his bottom-six role well this season with 12 points (6G/6A), 52 SOG, 61 PIMs, and a -11 plus/minus in 41 games played prior to the injury.

Turcotte was reassigned to the Ontario Reign of the AHL in correspondence with the All-Star and, after being recalled on Thursday, will likely draw back into the lineup in the Kings' first game back. In his last outing, Turcotte scored two points (1G / 1A) while playing 10:02 time-on-ice.

Clarke played three games in a row towards the end of January, his longest stretch of the season, but has been out of the lineup since January 26th. In six games this season, Clarke has one point (0G / 1A) while averaging 16:15 time-on-ice.

Charlie Lindgren started in the Capitals' return from the All-Star break on Tuesday but did not finish the contest. Kuemper entered the game in relief of Lindgren, saving 15 of 17 shots (.882 SV%) in an eventual 5-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Kuemper has been wildly inconsistent this season, highlighted by his performances in his last two starts, in which he allowed five goals in one contest and recorded a shutout in the other. As such, the Capitals are sizeable +237 road underdogs heading into action against the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.

Jeannot has not played since January 6th, missing nine games with an upper-body injury, but returned to practice on Monday. The 26-year-old Jeannot had been held off the scoresheet in eight straight games while recording only seven shots on goal before his injury.

Kuzmenko is on his way to Calgary as the key piece to the trade for Elias Lindholm after struggling to live up to the 39-goal season he posted as a rookie. Kuzmenko reportedly had to waive a no-trade clause in order to facilitate the deal, as the Flames were said to be on his 12-team no-trade list. The 27-year-old should be in line for a bigger role in Calgary after struggling to secure minutes in Vancouver's top-six this season. Kuzmenko scored eight goals and added 13 assists in 43 games for the Canucks this season while playing less than 15 minutes a night.

Lewis recorded an assist, snapping a 15-game pointless streak, on Sunday while playing 11:36 time-on-ice. Lewis will skate with Alex Turcotte and Carl Grundstrom on the Kings' fourth line after being a game-time decision on Wednesday against the Nashville Predators.