It’s a busy Thursday night in the NHL with nine games on tap, and plenty will be focused on a prime Eastern Conference matchup between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins. Unfortunately both teams may be without key components as Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sidney Crosby are both dealing with injuries. As teams prepare for the weekend, we’ll be right here to keep track of all the minor moves.
- The Edmonton Oilers have recalled Patrick Russell from the minor leagues, giving the Danish forward his first chance at NHL action. Russell has nine points in his first 11 games for the Bakerfield Condors this season, after really finding his footing at the professional level in 2017-18. The former St. Cloud State standout could give the Oilers another option up front, though it’s not clear yet whether he’ll be inserted right away.
- Gavin Bayreuther is getting a chance with the Dallas Stars after plenty of solid work in the minor leagues, and could be part of a solution for the missing John Klingberg. Bayreuther has five points in seven games for the Texas Stars, and proved last season that he can be an effective puck-mover at the AHL level. Marc Methot has also been moved to injured reserve for the Stars, though that move is likely retroactive to Methot’s last game on November 1st.
- The St. Louis Blues have placed Brayden Schenn on injured reserve and recalled Sammy Blais in his place. Blais started the season with the Blues, but went scoreless in eight games. The 22-year old forward has been fairly snake-bitten at the minor league level as well, registering just two points in nine games. Schenn’s IR stint is retroactive to November 3rd, meaning he can be activated at any time.
- With the flu making its way through the Columbus Blue Jackets dressing room, the team has recalled Zac Dalpe and Jean-Francois Berube under emergency conditions. Artemi Panarin, Riley Nash and Sergei Bobrovsky are not expected to play tonight, while Gabriel Carlsson has been reassigned to the Cleveland Monsters. Dalpe has been excellent this season for the Monsters, scoring 12 goals and 19 points in just 14 games.
- The Arizona Coyotes have a new face in the dressing room as Dakota Mermis has been recalled before tonight’s game against the Nashville Predators. The Coyotes moved Alex Goligoski to injured reserve to make room for Mermis, who was recently named captain of the Tucson Roadrunners.