Skinner will start for the fourth straight game on Saturday against the Seattle Kraken, who are coming off a 2-0 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins. After a two-game losing skid in which he allowed 11 combined goals, Skinner has won two straight, including a 32-save performance (.941 SV%) in a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday.
Harvey-Pinard has not played since February 10th due to a lower-body injury but appears to be nearing a return to the Canadiens lineup. The 25-year-old has seven points (1G / 6A), 20 hits, and 27 blocks in 24 games this season.
Rust did not play on Tuesday and will be out on a week-to-week basis as he recovers from an upper-body injury. He was starting to heat up before his injury, scoring four points (3G / 1A) in two games before his injury. Pittsburgh has recalled Jonathan Gruden as a lineup replacement in the interim.
Skinner will return to the crease for the third straight game when the Oilers host the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday evening. Skinner showcased his best performance since the All-Star break on Monday, saving 38 of 40 shots (.950 SV%) in a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings, snapping a three-game losing skid for the Oilers. The Oilers enter action as sizeable -260 home favourites on Wednesday night against a Blues club that defeated them 6-3 two weeks ago.
Mantha was a game-time decision on Monday due to the lower-body injury, but he appears to be good to go. While playing predominantly on a line with Aliaksei and Connor McMichael, Mantha has been productive lately, scoring five points (2G / 3A) in his last five games.
The Oilers will attempt to snap a three-game losing skid on Monday night with Skinner between the pipes. Skinner has struggled to keep the puck out of his net lately, allowing three or more goals in each of his last six games (2-3-1), including allowing five on 30 shots (.833 SV%) in his last outing, a 6-3 loss to the Calgary Flames. That said, the Oilers are -155 home favourites on Monday against a Los Angeles Kings club that defeated them 4-0 earlier this month.
While playing predominantly on a line with Aliaksei and Connor McMichael, Matha has been productive lately, scoring five points (2G / 3A) in his last five games. If he is unable to play, he will join T.J. Oshie and Nic Dowd as injured regulars from the Capitals forward core.
Brazeau impressed in his first two NHL games, scoring a goal and registering eight shots on goal, but he will be the odd-man out on Thursday. Jakub Lauko (upper-body) draws back into the lineup in Brazeau's place.
A fourth-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Bemstrom scored 31 goals and 38 assists in 204 games across parts of five seasons in Columbus, playing predominantly in the team's bottom-six. It's unclear where the Penguins plan to deploy the 24-year-old Swede in their lineup.
Acciari exited the Penguins' 3-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets on February 6th after he suffered a concussion from a Brendan Dillon hit and has not played since. Acciari had played 11 of the past 12 games for the Penguins before his injury but failed to register a point in that time while averaging 12:58 time-on-ice.
Lizotte has been out of the lineup since January 15th with a lower-body injury but is set to return on Thursday night against the Nashville Predators. The 26-year-old Lizotte had been held without a point in 11 straight games before his injury.
