The Carolina Hurricanes will have one of their top players back in the lineup tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights as blueliner and PP1 quarterback Shayne Gostisbehere is expected to draw back in.

Gostisbehere, 31, missed the Hurricanes' last three games with a lower-body injury after starting the season on a four-game, seven-point streak.

Without the veteran defender, the Canes have been forced to play a couple of rookie blueliners, so just having a dependable NHLer back will be a big boost.

"Number one is that we're getting a veteran guy back in the lineup who was playing as good as anybody on our team," Brind'Amour said. "That should at least be a bonus just for that presence alone. Then obviously he can hopefully get back to doing what he does, which is putting up points and helping the offensive guys do their thing. He was playing as good as I've seen him before he got hurt."

While the Hurricanes are at least getting one player back, they still have five regulars who will remain out of the lineup.

Here's the current status for those players per coach Brind'Amour:

Pyotr Kochetkov (LBI [IR])

"I think he looked good on Monday. I would anticipate if it's not [Tuesday], then very, very soon that he'll be able to get back in there."

Jaccob Slavin (LBI [IR])

"Slavo's still a ways away."

K'Andre Miller (LBI)

"I think Miller, for sure, [is close to getting back in]. I don't expect him to play [Tuesday], but I think he's around the corner."

William Carrier (LBI) and Eric Robinson (UBI [IR])

"I don't think either of them will need [surgery]. When I say a while, for me, a while is a week. If you're missing four games or whatever, that's a lot. And it'll be more than that unfortunately. I don't think either one of them is in need of anything major."

Recent Articles

Five Rookies Make Appearance On Road Trip As Hurricanes Deal With Deluge Of Injuries

How Bad Has The Carolina Hurricanes' Power Play Been?

Logan Stankoven Returns To Dallas For First Time Since Trade

'He's Ready To Make That Jump': Brandon Bussi To Make First NHL Start In San Jose

Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.