Forward Steven Stamkos and defenseman Victor Hedman will not play for the Lightning. Stamkos has a lower-body injury, and the hope is that he will be ready before the round-robin portion of the Qualifiers. Hedman remained in Tampa to deal with a personal matter and is expected to join the Lightning by Friday. For Florida, top defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who missed the final two practices of training camp, skated Monday but won't play. Coach Joel Quenneville said Mon that Ekblad will be ready for the Qualifiers. Forwards Aleksi Saarela has been a revelation for the Panthers Toronto Blue Jays custom stickers cheap during teaching camp.

All eyes will be on the status of Colorado forward Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman BMW t shirt logo transfers Cale Makar. Each was unable to practice toward the end of schooling camp but returned Saturday for the ultimate session before heading to Edmonton. MacKinnon, who scored 93 points (35 goals, 68 assists) in 69 games, is a finalist for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, and Makar, who scored 50 factors (12 goals, 38 assists), is usually a finalist for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year. For the Wild, who will play in goal is their biggest question. Trainer Dean Evason says each of the four goalies on the roster includes a chance, but the battle is likely between Alex Stalock (20-11-4, 2.67 GAA, .910 save percentage) and Devan Dubnyk (12-15-2, 2.96 GAA, .890 conserve percentage).

A matchup between teams that faced off in the Eastern Conference First Round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when the Hurricanes upset the Capitals in seven video games, this game should bring some instant emotion. There are also questions to be answered. Who will be the backup goalie for the Capitals behind Braden Holtby now that Ilya Samsonov has been ruled out for the postseason? Will it be Pheonix Copley or Vitek Vanecek ? Each played the entire season with Hershey in the AHL. Also, will we get extended looks at ahead Connor McMichael and defenseman Alexander Alexeyev ? Each is definitely a recent first-round sportswear letter and number pick who was included on the 31-man roster. Carolina needs to sort out its plan in case defenseman Dougie Hamilton isn't ready for the Qualifiers. Trade-acquisition defensemen Sami Vatanen and Brady Skjei each should get a long look in this game.