Cody Ceci will be a healthy scratch on Friday against the Arizona Coyotes, allowing Stecher the re-enter the lineup. The 30-year-old Stecher has six points (1G / 5A), 64 hits, and 76 blocks in 51 games this season.
Troy Stecher will draw back into the Oilers lineup on Friday, making Ceci a healthy scratch. The 30-year-old Ceci has 24 points (4G / 20A) in 76 games this season.
The Predators have clinched a playoff spot and will give Saros the night off on Friday. Kevin Lankinen will start in between the pipes with Troy Grosenick, recalled from the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL), serving as his backup.
With Juuse Saros (roster management) not suiting up on Friday night, the Predators have recalled Grosenick from the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL). Grosenick has a 2.56 GAA and .907 SV% in 28 games this season (17-7-1) with Milwaukee. He will back up Kevin Lankinen against the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Oilers, winners of three straight, will continue their goalie rotation on Friday against the Arizona Coyotes with Pickard poised for his fourth start in the last seven games. Pickard has allowed two or fewer goals in two of his last three contests (2-1-0), including a stellar effort in his most recent outing, saving 33 of 35 shots (.943 SV%) in a 4-2 win over the Calgary Flames.
McDavid skated on Wednesday after being absent from practice on Tuesday and could miss a second straight game on Friday against the Arizona Coyotes. McDavid has likely fallen out of contention for the Art Ross Trophy, nine points behind the scoring leader Nikita Kucherov, but is amid another terrific season with 130 points (31G / 99A) in 74 games. He announced Friday that he "probably won't go tonight".
Chytil suffered a setback in his initial attempt to return from an upper-body injury in late January after going down at practice and was ruled out for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. There is no confirmation whether this initial prognosis has adjusted. Chytil was a major component of the Rangers offence, scoring 22 goals and 45 points as a 23-year-old in 2022-23.
The Blues are desperately trying to stay in contention for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference and will turn to Binnington in the crease on Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Binnington has allowed four or more goals in three of his last six but has salvaged a 4-1-1 record and recorded a 6-5 victory in his most recent outing despite allowing five goals on 33 shots (.868 SV%). The Blues enter action as +190 road underdogs.
Wotherspoon has played the last three games but will be a healthy scratch on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 26-year-old Wotherspoon has eight points (0G / 8A) in 39 games this season.
Pat Maroon is making his return, and Bruins debut, from back surgery on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, making van Riemsdyk the odd man out of the lineup. The 34-year-old van Riemsdyk has struggled offensively lately with zero points in his last 12 games.
Maroon has not played since January 27th after undergoing back surgery but will debut with the Bruins on Saturday. The 35-year-old Maroon has 12 points (4G / 12A), 54 shots, 71 hits, and 60 penalty minutes in 49 games this season. Jame van Riemsdyk is expected to be a healthy scratch.
Torey Krug is battling an upper-body injury and will likely be replaced in the Blues' lineup by Scandella. The 34-year-old Scandella has eight points (2G / 6A), 64 hits, and 45 blocks in 62 games this season.
Marco Scandella is expected to draw into the lineup for the injured Krug. The 33-year-old Krug has 39 points (4G / 35A) in 77 games this season while averaging 21:58 time-on-ice. He is considered day-to-day for the time being.
Brisson played the last three games for the Golden Knights, recording one point (0G / 1A), but will return to the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL). The 22-year-old Brisson has collected eight points (2G / 6A) in 15 games with Vegas this season.
The Blues are desperately trying to stay in contention for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference and will turn to Binnington in the crease on Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Binnington has allowed four or more goals in three of his last six but has salvaged a 4-1-1 record and recorded a 6-5 victory in his most recent outing despite allowing five goals on 33 shots (.868 SV%). The Blues enter action as +190 road underdogs.
Motte played only 6:04 time-on-ice in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators before exiting the contest with a lower-body injury. The 29-year-old Motte has nine points (6G / 3A) in 69 games this season.
The Blackhawks will likely turn to Soderblom between the pipes for the second time in the last three games. Soderblom entered Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues in relief of Petr Mrazek and saved 21 of 23 shots (.913 SV%) in the losing effort. He has won three of his last six starts. The Blackhawks enter the action on Friday as +218 home underdogs against the Nashville Predators.
Okuliar is a 24-year-old undrafted forward from Slovakia. He has spent the last two seasons playing with Hradec Kralove (Czech) and scored 45 points (24G / 21A) in 52 games in the 2023-24 campaign.
The Coyotes will likely continue their goalie rotation and turn to Vejmelka in the crease on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers. The Coyotes have won three of their last four (3-1-0), but Vejmelka has allowed four or more goals in his last three starts (1-2-0), including five on 25 shots (.800 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 5-0 blowout loss to the Seattle Kraken. Arizona enters action a +251 road underdog.
Okhotiuk had an assist in 16:45 TOI in San Jose on Tuesday but will come back out of the lineup in Los Angeles with Oliver Kylington returning to the lineup. Okhotiuk has one assist in seven games since being traded to Calgary.
