McTavish has missed the last seven games for the Ducks but will return to action on Thursday against the Calgary Flames. Before his injury, McTavish was held without a point in four straight games, recording a -7 plus/minus and six shots on goal.
Drysdale has not played since October 15th due to a lower-body injury but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Calgary Flames. Drysdale has struggled to stay healthy during his young NHL career, but the 21-year-old has 42 points (7G / 35A) in 115 career games and has the offensive pedigree that could make him a staple on the powerplay for the Ducks.
Jones will take a seat on Thursday as Cale Makar is set to return from an upper-body injury. Jones has no goals and three assists in 15 games this season.
Korpisalo will start for the second time in as many games under interim head coach Jacques Martin when the Senators travel to Colorado on Thursday. Korpisalo was on the losing end of Tuesday's game in Arizona, allowing four goals on 38 shots in the 4-3 defeat. He owns an underwhelming .892 SV% and a 3.54 GAA to go along with his 6-10-0 record on the season. Things won't get any easier for Korpisalo on Thursday, with the Senators being +140 underdogs in Denver.
Georgiev allowed three goals on 22 shots (.864 SV%) in a 3-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday but will return to the crease for his third straight start on Thursday. Georgiev has a below-.500 rating over his last seven outings (2-3-1), posting an unimpressive .889 SV%. The 27-year-old netminder's quality of play has significantly worsened from his stellar 2022-23 campaign when he finished the season with a 2.53 GAA and .918 SV% in 62 games (40-16-6). That said, the Avalanche are sizeable -160 home favourites against the Ottawa Senators, who are losers of five straight.
Makar has struggled to stay in the lineup lately, playing only four of the last nine games for Colorado, and was a game-time decision after being a full participant at practice on Thursday. Makar is among the league leaders for defensemen, scoring 37 points (8G / 29A) in 27 games this season.
Lucchini was a late addition to Thursday's lineup after Ryan Hartman was deemed unable to go due to an upper-body injury. Lucchini had nine goals, 20 points, six PIMs and a -6 plus/minus in 24 games with Iowa (AHL) and was recalled to Minnesota for the first time this season on Thursday on emergency conditions. The 28-year-old left-winger last appeared in the NHL for his one and only season in 2022-23 and had a goal, 14 SOG, and a -2 plus/minus in 11 games played.
Hunt will sit in favour of Dakota Mermis on Thursday after playing in each of the Wild's last three games. Hunt has no goals and one assist in eight games this season.
Mermis will play for the first time since last Thursday as he takes the place of Daemon Hunt on the Wild blue-line. Mermis has two goals and three assists in 15 games this season.
Hartman was a late scratch for Thursday's game, with the Wild only announcing his absence 30 minutes before puck drop. Hartman has nine goals and six assists in 27 games this season.
Schmid has started three of the last five games for the Devils and will start again on Thursday after spending the first portion of the season as the clear backup to Vitek Vanecek. Since taking on a larger role in late November, Schmid has a 4-4-0 record while posting a .905 SV%, a vast improvement over the .885 SV% he sported in the six games leading up to it (1-3-1). The Devils have a challenging matchup on Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers but are still -111 home favourites despite losing to them 4-1 less than two weeks ago.
Fabbro will play for the first time since December 12th on Thursday as the Predators are opting to dress seven defensemen. He has two goals and five assists in 24 games this season.
Sherwood will get his first chance to play on Thursday since December 12th. Sherwood originally missed time due to an upper-body injury, but was left out of the lineup on Tuesday despite being medically cleared to play. He has five goals and six assists in 29 games this season.
Robinson will be the odd-man out on Thursday as Jordan Greenway and Jeff Skinner are both set to return from their respective injuries. Robinson has a goal and two assists in seven games on the season.
Parssinen will take a seat on Thursday as the Predators are opting to dress seven defensemen in Philadelphia. He has six goals and three assists in 31 games this season.
Glass will take a seat on Thursday as the Predators are opting to dress seven defensemen in Philadelphia. Glass has registered just two points in 14 games this season.
With both Logan Thompson and Adin Hill unavailable due to injury, it will be Jiri Patera who gets the call for the Golden Knights on Thursday. Patera made his second appearance of the season in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes, stopping all ten shots he faced after Thompson left early in the third period with an upper-body injury. Patera picked up the win in his lone start of the season, allowing four goals on 39 shots enroute to a 5-4 shootout victory over the Sharks on December 10th. The second-year netminder owns a .924 SV% across four career appearances.
Hart was originally reported to be starting Tuesday but ultimately remained out for a fourth-straight game due to illness. The 25-year-old returned to practice Monday but was deemed not fit to return on Tuesday even though he was a full participant. When he does return between the pipes, he will look to build off his 9-6-1 record, 2.42 GAA and .919 SV%.
Saros will get an immediate chance at redemption after a disappointing outing on Tuesday as he is set to make his league-leading 26th start of the season. Saros saw his personal six-game winning streak come to a crashing halt against the Canucks last time out, allowing five goals on just 24 shots. The uncharacteristic outing resulted in Saros' SV% dropping to .908 on the season to go along with his 14-11-0 record. He draws a decent matchup tonight on the road against the Flyers.
Jokiharju will sit on Thursday as the Sabres will opt to dress Ryan Johnson in his place. Jokiharju has two goals and seven assists in 30 games this season.
