NHL Hockey Player News

Mermis is an undrafted 30-year-old defenseman with 74 games of NHL experience. Mermis played a career-high 47 games with the Minnesota Wild last season, recording eight points (3G / 5A).

Nikkanen was a fourth-round pick, 113th overall, of the Winnipeg Jets in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. The 23-year-old has never played an NHL game and has four points (1G / 3A) in 13 games with the Manitoba Moose (AHL) this season.

Miller returned to practice on Tuesday and will return from an 11-game absence on Thursday against the Florida Panthers. Before his absence, the 31-year-old Miller had been centering the top line and top powerplay unit in Vancouver and scored 16 points (6G / 10A) in 17 games, leading all forwards on the team.

Tampa Bay will roll with Vasilevskiy between the pipes for a fifth straight game on Thursday against the Calgary Flames. The 30-year-old Vasilevskiy has a solid 2.38 GAA and .910 SV% in 22 games this season (12-9-1) and has allowed two or fewer goals in three straight (2-1-0), posting a .930 SV%. Tampa Bay enters Thursday's contest as -146 road favorites against a Calgary club coming off a 4-3 victory against the Nashville Predators.

Vejmelka struggled in his previous outing, allowing four goals on 38 shots (.895 SV%) in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild. Despite the minor blip on Tuesday, the 28-year-old Czech netminder has been stellar between the pipes this season, posting a 2.45 GAA and .915 SV% in 15 appearances (4-7-2). Utah HC enters Thursday's contest as +156 road underdogs against a Colorado Avalanche club that defeated them 5-1 in their only other meeting this season.

Faksa narrowly avoided a dangerous injury on Tuesday but could be back in the lineup as soon as Saturday against the Dallas Stars. In his first season with the Blues, Faksa has seven points (2G / 5A) in 29 games. Mathieu Joseph will draw into the lineup as Faksa's replacement.

Radek Faksa will not play on Thursday due to a lower-body injury, allowing Joseph to re-enter the lineup. The 27-year-old Joseph is averaging 12:25 time-on-ice and has four points (2G / 2A) in 17 games this season. He has been held off the scoresheet in eight straight.

A former first-round pick in 2020, Mukhamadullin is yet to play an NHL game this season. The 22-year-old defenceman has zero goals and six assists in 14 AHL games this season.

Ceci is battling an illness and could be at risk of missing his first game of the season. The 30-year-old Ceci is averaging 22:07 time-on-ice, recording 56 blocks, 33 hits, and seven points (1G / 6A) in 31 games this season.

Thatcher Demko (lower body) made his long-awaited season debut in a 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, but the Canucks will revert to Lankinen between the pipes on Thursday against the Florida Panthers. Lankinen has been solid tending the twice for the Canucks this season, posting a 2.65 GAA and .908 SV% in 20 games (13-4-3), and will likely continue seeing a reasonable workload as Demko acclimates pack to game speed. The Canucks enter Thursday's contest as +153 home underdogs against a Panthers club riding a three-game winning streak.

With Yanni Gourde battling an undisclosed injury, Sprong will likely draw back into Seattle's lineup on Thursday against the Boston Bruins. The 27-year-old Sprong is averaging 12:50 time-on-ice and has one point (1G / 0A) in six games with Seattle.

Gourde was limited to only 11:32 time on ice in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers, exiting after suffering a lower-body injury. The 32-year-old Gourde has 14 points (5G / 9A) in 29 games this season and has been playing well lately, scoring 10 points (5G / 5A) in his last 12 contests.

Pelletier was the 26th overall pick of the Flames in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. The 23-year-old has played 41 career NHL games, including scoring two points (1G / 1A) in four games this season. He has spent most of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL, scoring 19 points (3G / 16A) in 20 games with the Calgary Wranglers.

Friedman made his Vancouver season debut on Tuesday vs. St. Louis and played 14:49 TOI. He has four points (1G/3A) and five PIMs in eight games with the Abbotsford Canucks (AHL) this season.

Pickard has started roughly one of every three games for the Oilers this season, a trend that will continue on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. The 32-year-old Pickard has been serviceable between the pipes when called upon, posting a 2.56 GAA and .892 SV% in 10 appearances (6-3-0). The Oilers have won three straight, outscoring their opposition 12-6, and enter Thursday's contest as -144 road favorites against a Wild team with a +22 goal differential through 28 games (19-5-4), fourth-best in the NHL.

The Blues have won five of their last seven and will turn to Binnington between the pipes on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. The 31-year-old Binnington has a 2.93 GAA and .897 SV% in 21 appearances this season (8-10-2) and has allowed three or fewer goals in seven of his last eight (5-4-1), posting a solid .914 SV%. The Blues enter Thursday's contest as +170 road favorites against a Sharks club they defeated 3-2 on November 21st.

Lomberg has not played the last two games due to personal reasons but will likely draw back into the lineup on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 30-year-old Lomberg is averaging 9:07 time-on-ice, recording three points (0G / 3A), 22 penalty minutes, and 49 hits in 27 games this season.

Mackenzie Blackwood was skating with Colorado at their morning skate on Thursday but is not ready to debut yet, leaving the crease to Wedgewood. The 32-year-old Wedgewood has been tremendous since joining Colorado, posting a supreme 1.59 GAA and .944 SV% in four appearances (3-1-0). Colorado enters Thursday's contest as a -173 home favorite against a Utah team that has scored four or more goals in four of their last five (3-1-1).

Carrier exited Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators due to an upper-body injury in the third period after playing 15:39 time-on-ice. The 28-year-old Carrier is averaging 20:08 time-on-ice through 28 games, recording seven points (1G / 6A), 49 blocks, 31 hits, and a career-worst -14 plus/minus. He will be out of the lineup on a week-to-week basis.