With Kris Letang battling an illness, St. Ivany will return to the lineup on Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 25-year-old St. Ivany is averaging 16:02 time-on-ice and has one point (0G / 1A) in 14 games this season.
After seemingly taking over the crease for Colorado, playing six of eight games, Annunen has returned to the backup role after a strong four-game stretch by Alexandar Georgiev (3-1-0). That said, Annunen will likely return to the crease on Friday against the Washington Capitals and look to improve his 2.64 GAA and .894 SV% through eight games (5-2-0). The Avalanche enter Friday's contest as -169 home favorites against a Capitals club that has lost two of their previous three (1-1-1).
Letang is battling an illness and will be sidelined for the first time this season. The 37-year-old veteran Letang is averaging 23:12 time-on-ice in his 19th NHL season and has six points (2G / 4A), 20 blocks, and 35 hits in 18 games.
Lizotte missed the first 11 games of the season with a concussion and was struck in the face by a shot in the first period of Wednesday's game, forcing him to leave the game. Matt Nieto will draw into the lineup as Lizotte's replacement.
For the first time since October 16th, the fifth game of the season, the Penguins will turn to Jarry between the pipes on Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. After a forgettable start to the season, posting an abysmal 5.47 GAA and .836 SV% in three outings (1-1-0), Jarry was sent down to the Wilke-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) for a conditioning stint. In five AHL games (4-1-0), Jarry posted a solid 2.16 GAA and .926 SV%. The Penguins enter the action on Friday as -127 road favorites against a Blue Jackets club riding a six-game losing skid.
Wolf has faced adversity in the early goings of his NHL career, especially behind a middle-of-the-pack Flames club. The 23-year-old Wolf is sporting a solid 2.84 GAA and .913 SV% through eight games this season (5-2-1), significantly outdueling his counterpart Dan Vladar's 3-4-2 record. The Flames enter the action on Friday as +105 home underdogs against a Nashville Predators club defeated 3-2 in overtime by the Edmonton Oilers last night.
Originally expected to be a minor injury, Hurricanes' head coach Rod Brind'Amour revealed on Friday that Andersen will be out of the lineup for the foreseeable future. Adding insult to injury for the Hurricanes, Pyotr Kochetkov (undisclosed) suffered an injury on Wednesday and might be unable to suit up on Saturday. Expect Spencer Martin to control the Hurricanes' crease during this uncertain time between the pipes for the Hurricanes.
Kochetkov left Wednesday's game against Utah HC, leaving the contest after allowing three goals on 18 shots (.833 SV%), due to an undisclosed injury. If Kochetkov is unable to play on Saturday, expect the Hurricanes to recall a goalie to serve as the backup to Spencer Martin.
For the first time since October 16th, the fifth game of the season, the Penguins will likely turn to Jarry between the pipes on Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. After a forgettable start to the season, posting an abysmal 5.47 GAA and .836 SV% in three outings (1-1-0), Jarry was sent down to the Wilke-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) for a conditioning stint. In five AHL games (4-1-0), Jarry posted a solid 2.16 GAA and .926 SV%. The Penguins enter the action on Friday as -127 road favorites against a Blue Jackets club riding a six-game losing skid.
Perron has not played since the fifth game of the season, missing 11 straight due to persona reasons, but could return to the lineup on Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 36-year-old Perron was having trouble establishing himself in the early part of the season, scoring zero points and recording a -4 plus/minus through five games of playing predominantly on the third line.
Flyers' captain Couturier is battling a lower-body injury, did not play on Thursday, and is questionable for Saturday's game against the Buffalo Sabres. Morgan Frost drew into the lineup on Thursdays as Couturier's replacement. Couturier has eight points (3G / 5A) in 16 games this season but has been held off the scoresheet in 13.
Ersson was beginning to come to form lately, allowing only seven combined goals in his last five outings (3-0-1), posting a stellar .940 SV%. Expect Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov to both see a fair share of the crease over the next 1-2 weeks while Ersson is sidelined.
Loof was the third-round pick, 88th overall, of the St. Louis Blues in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The 22-year-old Loof has one point (0G / 1A) in 11 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL) this season. In a corresponding move, the Blues recalled Corey Schueneman from the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL).
Schueneman is an undrafted 29-year-old defenseman with 31 games of NHL experience but has not played since a seven-game stint with the Montreal Canadiens in the 2022-23 season. Predominantly an AHL player, Schueneman has five points (1G / 4A) in 13 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL) this season. In a corresponding move, the Blues have reassigned Leo Loof to Springfield.
The Blue Jackets have lost six straight, with Merzlikins on the hook for four of them, but will roll with the Latvian goalie on Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 30-year-old Merzlikins has shown flashes of strong play this season but has been inconsistent, including allowing four or more goals in three of his previous four outings (0-3-1), posting an ugly .872 SV%. The Blue Jackets enter Friday's contest as +115 home underdogs against a Penguins club riding a two-game losing skid (0-1-1).
Jordan Harris will draw back into the Blue Jackets lineup on Friday, resulting in Johnson being a healthy scratch. Before Friday, Johnson had played all but one of 15 games for the Blue Jackets this season, averaging 14:58 time-on-ice, recording one assist and a -3 plus/minus.
Jack Johnson will be a healthy scratch on Friday, allowing Harris to suit up for only the second time in six games. The 24-year-old Harris is averaging 13:10 time-on-ice and has zero points in eight games this season.
The Blue Jackets have lost six straight, with Merzlikins on the hook for four of them, but will roll with the Latvian goalie on Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 30-year-old Merzlikins has shown flashes of strong play this season but has been inconsistent, including allowing four or more goals in three of his previous four outings (0-3-1), posting an ugly .872 SV%. The Blue Jackets enter Friday's contest as +115 home underdogs against a Penguins club riding a two-game losing skid (0-1-1).
Pickering was the first-round pick, 21st overall, of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 20-year-old defenseman has yet to play an NHL game and has one point (1G / 0A) in 12 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) this season.
Martinez has not played since the fourth game of the season, missing 12 straight. The veteran 37-year-old defenseman is averaging 21:02 time-on-ice through four games this season and has tallied one assist, 15 blocks, and one hit.
