Ice Chips: Samsonov to start for Leafs against Flyers
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Keep updated on all the injury news and roster updates from around the NHL with daily Ice Chips.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs will start goaltender Ilya Samsonov in net against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed after Wednesday's practice.
Per TSN's Mark Masters, this is the first time the Leafs will start the same goalie in consecutive games since Joseph Woll returned on February 29.
Samsonov has wins in 12 of his last 14 games, allowing two or fewer goals in seven of those starts.
Additionally, Mitch Marner is still not expected to play in this game after missing yesterday's practice.
The Leafs return to action for the first time tonight since defeating the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Saturday.
Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens will make some lineup changes for their game against the Boston Bruins.
Arpon Basu of The Athletic reports that Colin White, who has been out since March 2 with an upper-body injury, will return to the lineup. The 27-year-old centre has played in 16 games this season, with zero points.
Jayden Struble, Michael Pezzetta and Jesse Ylonen will not be in the lineup, and Sam Montembeault will get the start in net.
Winnipeg Jets
TSN's John Lu reports that Mark Scheifele and Gabe Vilardi were both not partaking in Winnipeg Jets practice on Thursday.
Vilardi, 24, is currently day-to-day with an upper-body injury he sustained on Feb. 29 against the Dallas Stars. The injury has caused him to miss the past seven games.
Vilardi has 16 goals and 30 points in 38 games this season.
Scheifele was a late scratch for the Jets' loss to the Nashville Predators on Wednesday, as he is dealing with an illness. Forward Vladislav Namestnikov was also absent from practice, as he's nursing foot soreness after blocking a shot on Wednesday. Head coach Rick Bowness expects both Scheifele and Namestnikov to play on Friday against the Anaheim Ducks.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers skated the following lines in practice on Thursday ahead of their game against the Maple Leafs:
Ryan Poehling was not on the ice, but assistant coach Bryan Shaw indicated that Poehling is expected to play. The 25-year-old has eight goals and 21 points in 61 games this season.
Per reports, Cam Atkinson and Nicolas Deslauriers were the last off the ice at practice and are likely to be healthy scratches tonight. Sam Ersson is slated to start in net.
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild will be without top forward Joel Eriksson Ek, who is expected to miss time with an undisclosed injury.
The Athletic's Michael Russo reports that Marat Khusnutdinov will make his NHL debut on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks, and that the team skated the following lines in practice for that game:
Per Russo, Eriksson Ek should only miss a "few" games. The 27-year-old has 29 goals and 60 points in 66 games for Minnesota this year.
Detroit Red Wings
Per The Athletic's Max Bultman, Austin Czarnik will start for the Detroit Red Wings tonight in place of Daniel Sprong.
Czarnik has one point in 18 games for the Red Wings this season. Sprong will miss his first game of the season, in his first season with the Red Wings. He has 16 goals and 39 points in 65 games so far.
The Red Wings have lost six straight, and look to stop the bleeding on Thursday as they host the lowly Arizona Coyotes.