A healthy scratch on Tuesday's opening night game against the Lightning, Fabbro will draw back into the lineup on Thursday in place of Luke Schenn (lower-body). Fabbro is expected to skate alongside Roman Josi on the Preds' top pair at 5v5. The 25-year-old defenseman tallied just two goals and nine assists in 79 games with the Predators last season.
Saros will be looking to rebound against Seattle on Thursday after a difficult opening-night matchup against the Lightning. The 28-year-old workhorse surrendered four goals on 33 shots enroute to a 5-3 defeat. Saros remains one of the best goaltenders in the NHL despite the poor start to the season he endured on Tuesday, and he’s got a great chance of notching his first win of the campaign at home against the Kraken on Thursday.
Binnington is the likely starting goalie in the Blues' season opener against the Dallas Stars. His stats have declined each year since leading the Blues to the Stanley Cup and reached career-worsts in 2022-23, where he posted a 3.31 GAA and .894 SV% in 61 games (27-27-6). Binnington, who has an annual cap hit of $6 million, will presumably receive the lionshare of time in the crease but any mistep could prompt rookie Joel Hofer to get a more thorough look between the pipes. Binnington lost both contests against the Stars last season (0-2-0) despite a strong 2.04 GAA and .930 SV%. That said, the Blues are +186 road underdogs against the Stars.
Schenn presumably picked up the injury at some point during Tuesday night's opening affair with the Lightning, though there was no mention or report of an injury prior to warmups for Thursday's game against the Blues. The 33-year-old blue-liner rarely contributes offensively, but his absence will be felt in fantasy formats that reward blocked shots and hits. Dante Fabbro will slide into the lineup in place of Schenn.
Levi appears likely to enter the season as the starting goalie for the Buffalo Sabres after a seven-game stint (5-2-0) with the team at the end of the 2022-23 campaign that saw him post a 2.94 GAA and .905 SV%. Expectations are high in Buffalo for the rookie goaltender as the team around him has solidified an equally impressive core of young forwards and defensemen. The Sabres are +117 home underdogs tonight against a New York Rangers team that ranked 12th offensively last season, scoring an average of 3.33 goals per game. Working in his favour, Levi has already suited up twice against the Rangers in his young career, posting a dazzling 1.89 GAA and .934 SV% in those contests (2-0-0).
Shesterkin’s performance in the 2022-23 season may not have lived up the otherworldly campaign he enjoyed the previous year, but don’t let that trick you into overlooking one of the best goaltenders in the world. The .916 SV% and 2.48 GAA he put up last season are still elite compared to his peers, and it earned him a 37-13-8 record across 58 appearances. He is expected to command a heavy workload for the Rangers again this season and should continue to be a rock in goal for your fantasy teams, though he doesn’t draw the easiest matchup in Thursday’s season-opening clash with the Sabres.
Arvidsson entered Wednesday questionable to play in the Kings' season opener, and now he's expected to miss an extended period of time after being placed on the long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury. The veteran winger has struggled with injuries in recent years, missing 13.5 percent of the games since 2020. With Arvidsson unavailable, look for Alex Laferriere to remain with the club moving forward.
Lebanc had 15 goals, 18 assists, 129 SOG, 36 PIMs and a -17 plus/minus through 72 games with San Jose in 2022-23 but will be a healthy scratch for their season opener Thursday vs. Seattle. The 27-year-old right-winger is entering his eighth NHL season and has 216 points in 432 career games with the Sharks. Fabian Zetterlund will take his spot on the Sharks' forth line ahead of San Jose's opener.
Grubauer will get his second start of the season after allowing three goals on 27 shots in a 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. Last season, Grubauer posted a 2.85 GAA and .895 SV% in 39 games (17-14-4) but was considerably better on the road where he had a 2.59 GAA and .904 SV% in 17 games (9-5-2). The Kraken are slight -102 road underdogs against a Predators team that was also defeated on opening night, 5-3 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. In his only game against the Predators last season, Grubauer saved 14 of 16 shots in a 7-2 victory.
Tanev was the recipricantt of a high Brett Howden crosscheck which resulted in a two-game suspension and caused the grinding winger to leave after only 10:07 TOI and will now be out for Seattle's game Thursday vs. Nashville. The 31-year-old's absence creates a glaring hole in the Krakens lineup as Tanev had 16 goals, 35 points and a +21 in 82 games played in 2022-23. Rookie Ty Kartye will be making his NHL debut in place of Tanev.
Vancouver played their opening night victory vs. Edmonton with only 17 skaters and have been granted the right to recall Jack Studnicka on an emergency basis from Abbotsford (AHL) without it effecting the teams' salary cap. The 24-year-old centre had four goals, four assists, 65 SOG, 16 PIMs and a -12 plus/minus in 48 games with Vancouver and Boston in 2022-23 and will be looking to stick with the team longer than his original emergency call up.
Lundell missed the Panthers' practice Wednesday for precautionary reasons but took part in Thursday's morning skate ahead of their game vs. Minnesota and is still. game-time decision for the affiar. The 22-year-old is entering his third full NHL season with Florida and had 12 goals, 21 assists, 152 SOG, 43 PIMs, and a +1 plus/minus in his sophomore campaign in 2022-23. The Panthers should provide an injury update closer to warmups Thursday.
After having a productive postseason for the Kraken, in which he scored five points (3G / 2A) in 10 games, Kartye is expected to make his regular-season debut against the Predators. The undrafted winger will likely suit up on the fourth line alongside Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Kailer Yamamoto.
Bennett will not be ready for the Panthers' opening game of the season as he did not travel with the team as he recovers from a lower-body injury. Last season, Bennett scored 40 points (16G / 24A) in 63 games for the Panthers while predominantly playing in a second-line role. Eetu Luostarinen, who recorded 43 points (17G / 26A) in 82 games last season, is expected to handle some extra responsibility on the second line and second powerplay unit during Bennett's absence.
Binnington is the likely starting goalie in the Blues' season opener against the Dallas Stars. His stats have declined each year since leading the Blues to the Stanley Cup and reached career-worsts in 2022-23, where he posted a 3.31 GAA and .894 SV% in 61 games (27-27-6). Binnington, who has an annual cap hit of $6 million, will presumably receive the lionshare of time in the crease but any mistep could prompt rookie Joel Hofer to get a more thorough look between the pipes. Binnington lost both contests against the Stars last season (0-2-0) despite a strong 2.04 GAA and .930 SV%. That said, the Blues are +186 road underdogs against the Stars.
Rondbjerg was recalled from the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL) Thursday ahead of Vegas' game vs. San Jose due to the two game suspension to Brett Howden and the injury to William Carrier (upper body). The 24-year-old forward appeared in 13 games in 2022-23 for Vegas and failed to pick up a goal while collecting an assist, four PIMs and a -5 plus/minus. He is expected to line up on the Golden Knights' fourth line alongside Keegan Kolesar and Nicholas Roy.
Benoit was recalled from Toronto (AHL) ahead of the Maple Leafs' season opener Wednesday vs. Montreal but was a healthy scratch and has been loaned back to Marlies on Thursday. The 25-year-old defensemen signed a one-year contract worth $775,000 during the offseason with the Maple Leafs after three goals, 10 points and 60 PIMs in 78 games played with Anaheim in 2022-23.
Hintz was originally a game-time decision but with five days between games, the Stars coaching staff has opted to give him the extra rest instead of rushing him into the season opener. Hintz tallied 75 points last season (37G / 38A) while primarily centring Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski on one of the top lines in the NHL. Tyler Seguin is expected to slot into the first-line center role in Hintz's absence.
Maatta appeared in 78 games for the Red Wings in 2022-23 picking up six goals, 17 assists and a -9 plus/minus but will be a healthy scratch for their season opener Thursday vs. New Jersey. The 29-year-old signed a two-year, $6 million contract extension in February but was the odd man out for newly signed Justin Holl Thursday. He should find himself in Detroits' lineup more often than not.
After originally being listed as a game-time decision, Ristolainen has officially been ruled out for the Flyers' season opener. In 74 games last season, Ristolainen tallied 20 points (3G / 17A) and 162 hits. Egor Zamula is expected to slot onto the third defensive pairing in his absence.
