Elliott turned aside 44 of 46 shots in the Blues 3-2 win over the Blackhawks in game three. Elliott has had an excellent start to the series, going 2-1 with a 1.28 GAA, .963 SV% and one shutout. Elliott has been the star through the first three games and tonight he gets the nod in Chicago, where he will try and give the Blues a 3-1 series lead.

McDonagh missed the final three games of the regular season and game one. He will sit out at least one more game with a small fracture in his right hand. The Rangers could be playing an important game two without their top defenseman and goaltender.

McDonagh missed the final three games of the regular season and will definitely miss the start of the Rangers’ playoff series with the Penguins. With McDonagh out, Dylan McIlrath will remain in the Rangers’ lineup.

The Red Wings utilized Glendening in a shutdown role vs. the Lightning last year. He will be called upon to do the same this year, so his availability for Wednesday’s game will be important to the Red Wings’ success. He averaged 14:35 TOI in the regular season and averaged 15:31 TOI in the seven game series last year.

Kucherov missed the season finale on Saturday, but said he will play on Wednesday despite being sore. Kucherov set career-highs in goals (30) and points (66) in 77 games this season. He scored 10 goals in the playoffs last year, but had no goals and four assists in the seven game series vs. Detroit.

Hedman missed the final three games of the regular season, but he likely sat out the final game as a precaution. Hedman’s return is huge for a Lightning team that will be without at least Anton Stralman on the blueline and Steven Stamkos up front. Hedman had 10 goals and 37 assists (47 points) in78 games this season and had three assists in the Lightning’s seven-game series vs. the Red Wings last year.

Elliott closed out the regular season on a low-note, allowing four goals on 26 shots in the Blues loss to the Capitals on Saturday. Despite the loss, he won six of his final eight starts with a 1.76 GAA, .933 SV% and three shutouts. With Jake Allen still nurturing an injury, so Elliott gets the call to start the Blues playoff series with Chicago. Elliott was 1-1-0 with a 3.03 GAA and .892 SV% in three starts against the Blackhawks this season.

Kucherov missed the morning skate and will be held out of the lineup in the Lightning’s season finale. Head coach Jon Cooper said he is not worried about Kucherov, so expect him to be ready for game 1.

Hedman took part in the Lightning’s morning skate and could play tonight, but the Lightning won’t risk it and make sure he is ready for game 1 of the playoffs.

Vasilevskiy allowed three goals on 28 shots in the Lightning’s loss in New York on Tuesday. The 21-year-old has gone 11-9-0 with a 2.70 GAA and .913 SV% on the year. Tonight he will face a Canadiens team that has lost six of their last 10 games coming into tonight’s game vs.the Lighting.

Elliott allowed one goal on 25 shots in the Blues win in Chicago on Thursday. Since retuning to the Blues’ crease, Elliott has won six of seven starts while posting a 1.34 GAA , .924 and three shutouts. Tonight he faces the Capitals on home ice, where he is 11-3-3 with a 2.20 GAA and .927 SV% at Scottrade Center this season.

Elliott allowed two goals on 27 shots in the Blues win over the Coyotes on Monday. Elliott has won five of his last six starts while posting an impressive 1.41 GAA, .944 SV% and three shutouts. Elliott has had an excellent season, but he has struggled against the Blackhawks. The 30-year-old is 0-1-0 with a 4.80 GAA and .850 SV% in two starts vs. Chicago.

Hedman will miss his second straight game with an upper-body, but he is listed as day-to-day and could potentially return Saturday vs. the Canadiens. Matt Taormina will take Hedman’s spot tonight.