NEW YORK -- Artem Anisimov, who took a hit Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins that was so hard he said he couldn't feel his arm afterward, is back in the New York Rangers' lineup Wednesday night after missing two games with an injured right shoulder.

Anisimov will replace Ruslan Fedotenko, who was injured and played just 8:13 against the New Jersey Devils on Monday night.

Meanwhile, the Red Wings will start Ty Conklin in net after the veteran goaltender cleared re-entry waivers. Rookie Jordan Pearce will serve as his backup, with starter Jimmy Howard (groin) and regular backup Joey MacDonald (back) out of commission.

Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom skated at Madison Square Garden this morning, but he will not play against the Rangers. Also out of the lineup for the banged-up Red Wings: center Darren Helm (knee), right wing Johan Franzen (back), defenseman Jonathan Ericsson (wrist) and defenseman Jakub Kindl (upper body).

Henrik Lundqvist will make his third straight start in net for the Rangers.

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ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau is all too familiar with Blues goalie Jaroslav Halak, who beat Boudreau's Washington team in the first round of the 2010 playoffs when Halak was in Montreal.

Asked if he has seen a better performance than that, Boudreau playfully replied, "Nope, and I’m still pissed at him for that.

"He got in that zone and he was incredible. Even the last game in St. Louis, I thought he was incredible. His leg save on (Saku) Koivu in the first period -- he kept it 0-0 -- had our guys shaking their heads."

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Ducks defenseman Toni Lydman will be a game-time decision because of an upper-body injury that has kept him out of the past two games, said Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau.

Lydman fought through the end of last season with a shoulder injury that needed surgery. He said, "I wasn't feeling that great" from the surgery at the beginning of the season, and now it appears he will have to work through an injury again to finish this season.

"Everything kind of piles up during the year," Lydman said. "I want it to be a little better. It's nothing new."

If Lydman can't play, Nate Guenin likely will take his spot.

Boudreau said there was a "good chance" that veterans Jason Blake and Niklas Hagman will return to the lineup. He scratched both Monday, citing their fatigue in back-to-back games this season.

At the morning skate Blake, 38, played on a line with Saku Koivu, 37, and 41-year-old Teemu Selanne, in perhaps the oldest line in the NHL.

Another Ducks line will feature rookie Devante Smith-Pelly playing on the top line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. 

It's a vote of confidence from Boudreau to give Smith-Pelly, 19, a look there after he has played mostly on the third line since being returning from an injury suffered at the 2012 World Junior Championship in December. It's also an adjustment playing the left side given that Smith-Pelly played right wing his whole junior career.

"I felt Bruce has been pretty confident in me since I came over," Smith-Pelly said. "My role is slowly increasing and I'm happy about it. I think I've been playing pretty well since I came back from injury. I'm just happy the coaching staff has confidence in me."

Here's the rest of the lineup the Ducks likely will use Wednesday:

Devante Smith-Pelly - Ryan-Getzlaf - Corey Perry
Jason Blake - Saku Koivu - Teemu Selanne
Bobby Ryan - Nick Bonino - Kyle Palmieri
Matt Beleskey - Andrew Cogliano - Niklas Hagman

Francois Beauchemin - Cam Fowler
Lubomir Visnovsky - Nate Guenin
Luca Sbisa - Sheldon Brookbank

Jonas Hiller will be in goal, with Jeff Deslauriers the backup.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- A healthy and rested St. Louis Blues team probably is not what the Anaheim Ducks want to face, but that's exactly what they’ll get Wednesday.

Jason Arnott will return from an undisclosed injury. David Backes did not skate Wednesday but appears to be fine after he took a shot in the foot last Saturday. Defenseman Kris Russell (concussion) did not skate Wednesday but coach Ken Hitchcock said he is getting closer.

This is a precarious time for Hitchcock, who must balance keeping his foot on the gas pedal while allowing his players to get some rest. He's opting for the former.

"I've said this before: Whatever you are in March … if you think you can dial it up in April when it counts, you're wrong, because you got holes in March and you got holes in April," Hitchcock said. 

"I think we're a little bit afraid that if we stop this cycle, can we get it started again? … We've played good defensive hockey all year by managing the game, managing the puck properly. I think we've gotten away from managing the puck properly and played too much east-west, and that's hurt us. I think the last couple of games we got back playing the right way and it's really helped our game again. That's our focus: Just playing the game the right way."

Here's the lineup the Blues likely will put on the ice Wednesday:

David Perron - David Backes - T.J. Oshie
Jaden Schwartz - Patrik Berglund - Jamie Langenbrunner
Vladimir Sobotka - Jason Arnott - Chris Stewart
B.J. Crombeen - Scott Nichol - Chris Porter

Carlo Colaiacovo - Alex Pietrangelo
Barret Jackman - Kevin Shattenkirk
Kent Huskins - Roman Polak

Jaroslav Halak will start in goal, with Brian Elliott the backup.

NEW YORK -- Jordan Pearce took shots Wednesday morning at Madison Square Garden from the Red Wings' injured defensemen, including Nicklas Lidstrom. He still didn't know if he was going to be making his NHL debut against the Rangers, or backing up Ty Conklin.

"I prepare the same either way," Pearce said. "If you've been around this game long enough you know crazy things happen and you have to be ready to go in at a moment's notice. It's better to just prepare like you're playing and go from there."

Pearce learned about an hour after addressing the media that he will in fact be the backup Wednesday night. Conklin cleared re-entry waivers at noon ET and will start at the Garden against the Rangers, but Pearce didn't make it sound like he would let that bother him one bit.

"It's very exciting just to be up here," Pearce said. "Being around these professional athletes it's amazing to watch them play. Some of the best players in the world are in this locker room. It's a great experience to be here."

It's an experience Pearce said he never dreamed about.

He grew up in Anchorage, Alaska watching the University of Alaska's men's team and dreaming of one day playing college hockey. That dream came true in 2005 when he went to Notre Dame. He was the starter for the Irish his last two seasons before signing a two-year entry level contract with the Red Wings.

Pearce has played mostly in the ECHL and the past two seasons with Grand Rapids in the AHL. He is 3-7-1 with a 3.53 goals-against average and .874 save percentage for the Griffins this season.

"This is all just gravy," Pearce said. "Being up here and pursuing professional hockey was beyond my dreams."

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Alexander Semin did not practice Wednesday for the Washington Capitals, but coach Dale Hunter told reporters that he is expected to play Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers.

A team spokesman deemed Semin's absence a "maintenance day." Washington did not practice Tuesday, so Semin has not skated for two days.

Hunter did not name a goaltender for the team's contest Thursday at Wells Fargo Center. Tomas Vokoun has not dressed for the past two games because of a nagging lower-body injury and did not skate Wednesday. Michal Neuvirth started in a 5-2 loss to Chicago on Sunday, while Braden Holtby earned the nod in a 5-3 victory Monday against Detroit.

Top center Nicklas Backstrom also skated before practice, according to reports, as he continues his recovery from a concussion that has kept him out of the team's past 35 games.

The Capitals hold a two-point lead on Buffalo and a four-point advantage on Winnipeg for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. A win Thursday against the Flyers would move Washington within two points of seventh-place Ottawa with eight games to play.

The New York Islanders announced Wednesday that goaltender Evgeni Nabokov has signed a one-year contract extension to remain with the team for the 2012-13 season.

Terms of the deal were not revealed, but TSN is reporting Nabokov will make $2.75 million next season, and the deal does not include a no trade or no movement clause.

"Evgeni has proven that he can still play at an elite level in the NHL," said Islanders General Manager Garth Snow. "He's given us a chance to win every night and we're excited to have him back for another season."

Nabokov is 17-18-3 with a 2.56 goals-against average and .912 save percentage in 40 games.

Nabokov started last season playing in the KHL, but singed a deal in January 2011 with the Detroit Red Wings. He had to clear waivers, where the Islanders claimed him. Nabokov refused to play for the Isles and was suspended for the remainder of the season. He arrived at training camp in September, however, and now will remain with the club for at least one more season.

In 603 NHL games spanning 11 seasons, including 10 with the San Jose Sharks, Nabokov has 312 wins, a 2.40 GAA, .912 save percentage and 52 shutouts.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- After travelling from Philadelphia following their 2-1 win against the Flyers, the Panthers opted not to practice today.

For the Hurricanes, they'll get defenseman Joni Pitkanen back in the lineup after a 44-game absence. He suffered a concussion in early December and then had knee surgery in January. He has 3 goals and 9 assists in 21 games for Carolina this season.

Here are the lineups the teams could use when they take the ice here at PNC Arena:

PANTHERS
Tomas Fleischmann - Stephen Weiss - Kris Versteeg
Sean Bergenheim - Marcel Goc - Mikael Samuelsson
Tomas Kopecky - Shawn Matthias - Wojtek Wolski
Krystofer Barch - John Madden - Marco Sturm
 
Brian Campbell - Jason Garrison
Mike Weaver - Dmitri Kulikov
Erik Gudbranson - Ed Jovanovski

Jose Theodore will start in goal, with Scott Clemmensen the backup.
 
HURRICANES
Jiri Tlusty - Eric Staal - Chad LaRose
Jeff Skinner - Jussi Jokinen - Tuomo Ruutu
Drayson Bowman - Brandon Sutter - Patrick Dwyer
Derek Joslin - Tim Brent - Anthony Stewart
 
Tim Gleason - Bryan Allen
Jay Harrison - Justin Faulk
Joni Pitkanen - Jamie McBain
 
Cam Ward will start in goal, with Brian Boucher the backup.

The Chicago Blackhawks don't really care about the recent struggles of the Vancouver Canucks, who were in Chicago on Tuesday awaiting a game on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, TSN) at the United Center.

The Canucks likely still will win the Northwest Division, but they've dropped five of their last seven games and appear to be staggering to the finish line of the regular season. However, after going through their own trying period following the All-Star break, when they went winless for nine straight games and plummeted to sixth in the Western Conference, the Hawks know first-hand how dangerous a struggling-but-talented team can be.

"We've gone through a lot this year," said Hawks defenseman Duncan Keith, who had 4 assists in a 5-1 rout of the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday. "There's been a lot of ups and downs and we've learned how we need to play. At the same time, we're not going to take anything for granted, knowing that we can't deviate from our system and play our team game. That's how we win games."

It's pretty similar to how Vancouver eventually shook off its early-season "hangover" and how the Canucks probably will get themselves back on track after this malaise ends. First they'll have to deal with the Hawks, who are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and are 9-4-1 in the last 14 games played without injured star captain Jonathan Toews (upper body).

Neither team held a full morning skate at United Center on Wednesday, but both know there's a little more than just two points at stake. Bragging rights always are a bonus in this feud, but this time it's about both teams measuring up late in the season.

Chicago has discovered a formula that seems to work even without Toews, and lately it's all keyed by having quick starts that turn into comfortable wins. Now it's time to see if the Hawks can zoom out to a quick lead against the Canucks, who are expected to start Roberto Luongo in goal. Luongo hasn't played in two games and is 0-3-0 with a 5.30 goals-against average in his last four starts.

Luongo's struggles, however, are irrelevant to the Hawks. They're too focused on the numbers that determine the conference standings -- which find them just two points behind fourth-place Nashville in the West.

"They obviously have a great team and they're right at the top of the conference," Keith said of the second-place Canucks. "We know it's going to be a tough game. It always is against them. We've seen a lot of them. It's another big game ... another big two points that are on the line."

There's also that little rivalry between the two, which just never seems to burn out. But even that's being downplayed -- at least by the Hawks.

"There's a little bit more chippiness and that sort of stuff," said Chicago goalie Corey Crawford, who is expected to start after winning four straight games. "I don't know what it's going to be like. We just want to get the two points and I think that's our main focus."

The Blackhawks may be without defenseman Nick Leddy, who was injured early in the third period of Tuesday's game.

Here's a look at how the Canucks and Blackhawks might line up Wednesday:

CANUCKS
Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Alexandre Burrows
David Booth - Ryan Kesler - Chris Higgins
Manny Malhotra - Samuel Pahlsson - Jannik Hansen
Zack Kassian - Maxim Lapierre - Dale Wiese

Alexander Edler - Marc-Andre Gragnani
Dan Hamhuis - Kevin Bieksa
Aaron Rome - Chris Tanev

Roberto Luongo likely will be in net, with Cory Schneider the backup.

BLACKHAWKS
Andrew Brunette - Patrick Kane - Marian Hossa
Patrick Sharp - Marcus Kruger - Viktor Stalberg
Bryan Bickell - Dave Bolland - Andrew Shaw
Brandon Bollig - Jamal Mayers - Michael Frolik

Duncan Keith - Brent Seabrook
Johnny Oduya - Niklas Hjalmarsson
Sean O'Donnell - Dylan Olsen

Corey Crawford likely will be in net, with Ray Emery the backup.

Jimmy Hayes could replace Frolik on the right side of the fourth line.

TORONTO -- Less than 24 hours after an 8-0 loss at Boston completed the Bruins' sweep of the six-game season series against Toronto, the Maple Leafs have the opportunity to sweep a series of their own tonight against the New York Islanders.

"Just from last night, I think it's huge to get a bounce back here," defenseman Carl Gunnarsson said. "It's always good to get back home after being on the road for 10 days. In all ways for everyone, I think it's good to be back home again."

The Maple Leafs finished their five-game road trip with 2-3-0 record.

Despite the fact that they have beaten the Islanders on three occasions this season by a combined score of 12-6 and can go a perfect 4-0 on the season against a conference foe, Gunnarsson and his mates are still focusing on the bigger picture.

"Looking at the standings, it doesn't matter what team we play, what we've done before against that team, we just want to win every game," he said. "If we sweep the Islanders and not make the playoffs, it doesn't mean anything."

The Maple Leafs are eight points out of eighth spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race with nine games remaining. Despite the almost insurmountable task, defenseman John Michael-Liles feels that the only way for the club to look is forward.

"Unfortunately games like that are going to happen and you move on from it. (We have to )go into every game and try and get two points, that's all we can focus on is going out and try and win every game and giving ourselves the best opportunity to get two points each and every night."

Liles and Gunnarsson ended up with a combined minus-5 rating in Boston. They were hardly alone in that department -- only three Leafs finished without a minus rating. Jay Rosehill and Colby Armstrong both ended up even at TD Garden, as did Matthew Lombardi who will play in his 500th career game tonight.