Jimmy Howard is set to make his return to the Detroit Red Wings' crease and another familiar face will also be back in the lineup Monday when they face the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena.

Darren Helm, who hasn't played since Dec. 4 due to a shoulder injury, practiced on a line with Tomas Jurco and Justin Abdelkader at the morning skate and coach Mike Babcock said he will play, according to a report from Ansar Khan of MLive.com. Helm has seven goals and three assists in 15 games this season.

Howard will start against the Predators in the Red Wings' final tune-up for the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium. A sprained MCL has kept Howard out since Dec. 10. Howard is 6-8-7 with a 2.65 goals-against average and .910 save percentage in 21 appearances.

Johan Franzen also skated for the Red Wings for the first time since suffering a concussion on Dec. 15. However, he said he's not symptom-free and won't be ready to play by the Winter Classic.

Germany captain Leon Draisaitl was suspended by the IIHF for one game for a hit from behind on the United States’ Andrew Copp during the teams’ game Sunday.

Draisaitl sat out Germany’s game Monday against the Czech Republic.

Copp was pursuing a puck in the Germany end 10 seconds into the second period when Draisaitl hit him from behind, driving him head-first into the boards. Draisaitl was assessed a major penalty for checking from behind and a game misconduct.

Draisaitl, a top prospect for the 2014 NHL Draft who plays for the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League, had two assists in Germany’s first three games.

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Mike Komisarek will finally receive an opportunity to play against his former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, on Sunday at Air Canada Centre.

Hurricanes coach Kirk Muller kept Komisarek out of the lineup Oct. 17 in Toronto, the first game between the teams this season, telling reporters Sunday he didn't think it was the ideal time to play him there so soon.

"We just said, 'Hey, we want to go step by step with you this year and regain your confidence and grow as a player,'" Muller said. "He's been a great pro and handled all the sitting out and healthy scratches well."

Boston Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg will miss the rest of season with torn ligaments in his right knee, the team annouced Saturday.

Seidenberg injured his ACL and MCL in the third period Friday against the Ottawa Senators in an awkward fall.

The three-day Christmas break has passed and NHL Live with E.J. Hradek and Butch Goring, at 5 p.m. ET on NHL Network, will get fans set for the return of hockey with a 10-game Friday night ahead.

The Central Division-leading Chicago Blackhawks play host to the Colorado Avalanche and we'll go live to our Arena Cam at United Center to welcome in Blackhawks analyst Ed Olczyk.

Cam Talbot gets the start once again for the New York Rangers against the Washington Capitals, and Rangers color commentator Joe Micheletti joins us from D.C. to talk about the move.

Also, NHL Network analyst Barry Melrose will give out his "Barry's Best" awards for the first half.

It was a mixed bag for the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, as defenseman Brooks Orpik and forward Tanner Glass were activated off injured reserve and appear set to play Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena.

However, forward Pascal Dupuis, who left the Penguins' game against the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 23 after just two shifts, needs surgery to repair an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. The injury could sideline him for the remainder of the season.

"Pascal Dupuis will be going for ACL knee surgery in a couple of weeks and is out indefinitely," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. "The timetable is likely that he'll be out for the remainder of the season but we'll see after the surgery in a couple weeks."

Dupuis had seven goals and 20 points while playing in all 39 games this season. He scored 20 goals in 48 games last season and has shown the ability to play anywhere from a top-line role with Sidney Crosby to more of a checking-line assignment.

"There's a lot that he brings," Bylsma said of Dupuis. "He's also a big part of that dressing room. That is part of what we'll miss from Pascal."

Carolina Hurricanes forward Jiri Tlusty underwent an emergency appendectomy on Tuesday and is expected to miss 2-3 weeks.

Tlusty has six goals and 10 points in 37 games this season.

To replace him on the roster the Hurricanes recalled forward Zach Boychuk from Charlotte of the American Hockey League.

The 2014 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship has started, and NHL Live with Bill Pidto and E.J. Hradek will have complete coverage of the opening games at 5 p.m. ET on NHL Network. We'll feature highlights from Canada against Germany and the United States against the Czech Republic, along with a postgame wrap-up of USA-Czech Republic from Steve Mears and Dave Starman.

Western Michigan coach Andy Murray will join the College Hockey Report to discuss his team's participation in the Great Lakes Invitational at Comerica Park.

In addition, we'll look at several players enjoying a career year, evaluate the success of backup goalies around the game, recap various offseason trades and signings, and discuss NHL.com's Olympic roster projections for the U.S. and Canada.

Nashville Predators rookie defenseman Seth Jones expects to be in the lineup Monday when his team faces the visiting Boston Bruins.

Jones sustained a cut near his left eye when he was hit in the face by a deflected puck during the Predators’ game Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens.

“I am pretty lucky,” Jones told the Tennessean. “The doctor said it was probably the best spot cut-wise for it to happen. When it happened I was feeling around it. I knew it wasn’t around [the eye], so it got a little scary that it was right on the eye.”

The Tampa Bay Lightning will look for their third straight win when they play their cross-state rival, the Florida Panthers, on Monday.

They'll have to do it without defenseman Eric Brewer, who is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Brewer has seven assists and a plus-3 rating while averaging 16:59 of ice time per game.

In his absence Lightning coach Jon Cooper changed two of his defense pairings during the team's morning skate, pairing Sami Salo with Mark Barberio and Victor Hedman with Andrej Sustr. The only pairing to remain the same was Matthew Carle with Radko Gudas.

Ben Bishop was the first goalie off the ice following the Lightning’s morning skate, which likely means he’ll be the starter in goal Monday.

In the Panthers net will be Scott Clemmensen, according to the Miami Herald. Clemmensen, Jacob Markstrom and Tim Thomas all were on the ice during the morning skate, with Thomas and Clemmensen taking the bulk of the work. However, Thomas remains on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.