Pesce was a late scratch for Thursday's game against Colorado, with the Hurricanes not announcing his absence until the start of warmups. Tony DeAngelo will likely draw into the lineup in his place.
Ullmark will return to the crease for the first time post-All-Star break in a showdown between the Eastern and Western Conference leaders. The Bruins are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday but are -132 home favourites against a Vancouver Canucks squad with points in 12 straight (10-0-2). Ullmark last played on January 27th, saving 35 of 37 shots (.946 SV%) in a 6-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
After getting the night off on the back end of a back-to-back on Tuesday, Georgiev will return to the crease for the sixth time in the last seven games. Georgiev has been excellent lately, posting a .938 SV% across his last three games (2-0-1) while allowing two or fewer goals in each contest, his first stretch of that calibre since the opening week of the season. That said, the Avalanche are +122 road underdogs on Thursday against a Carolina Hurricanes club that saw their three-game winning streak end with a 3-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.
Vanecek will start for the third straight game on Thursday night when the Devils host the Calgary Flames. Vanecek was terrific in his last outing, snapping a two-game losing skid by limiting the high-scoring Colorado Avalanche to only three goals on 38 shots (.921 SV%) in a 5-3 victory. The Devils enter action as -137 home favourites despite the Flames carrying momentum from a 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday.
Forsberg has been out since January 11th due to a groin injury but is expected to rejoin the Senators' lineup on Saturday vs. Toronto as a backup to Joonas Korpisalo. The 31-year-old has had a season to forget in 2023-24, with his 7-8-0 record, 3.35 GAA and .889 SV%.
Hamonic has been out since January 21st due to an upper-body injury and is healthy and ready to go Saturday vs. Toronto. The 33-year-old veteran defenseman has done little to contribute offensively this season, with two goals, five points, 38 PIMs, and 39 SOG through 40 games before his injury.
Even though Anton Forsberg is returning from injury Saturday, Joonas Korpisalo will man the crease for a second straight start after winning his previous contest in a 23-save (.920 SV%) effort. The 29-year-old has struggled in his inaugural season in the Nation's Capital, with his 12-16-2 record, 3.38 GAA and .889 SV%. He will take on Toronto in the battle of Ontario on Saturday, who have won four of their last five contests and are sixth in the NHL in goals per game (3.45).
The Oilers' franchise-best 16-game winning streak ended on Tuesday with a 3-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, but they will attempt to get back into the win column with Pickard between the pipes on Friday. Pickard has been reliable when called upon between the pipes this season, including a 27-save shutout in his last outing, a 3-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Pickard and the Oilers have another favourable matchup on Friday as -266 road favourites against the Anaheim Ducks, fourth-worst in the league offensively (2.56 GF / GP).
Faulk had missed the Blues' previous four games due to a lower-body injury and has officially been placed on the Injured Reserve Thursday with expectations that he will be out week-to-week. The 31-year-old had struggled through the first half of the season with two goals, 19 points, 90 SOG, 10 PIMs and a -5 plus/minus through 40 games played.
Perunovich appeared in 16:14 TOI in the Blues game on January 28th vs. Los Angeles but has been announced out week-to-week with a lower-body injury after not participating in practice Thursday and missing the Blues' previous game. The 25-year-old rookie appeared in his 50th career game last contest and has no goals, 12 assists, 23 SOG, six PIMs and a -4 plus/minus through 31 games before his injury this season.
Svechnikov appeared almost ready to return Thursday as he was originally a game-time decision with his upper-body injury but has officially been ruled out. The 23-year-old last appeared fro the Hurricanes on January 19th and has an impressive 30 points (11G/19A) in 29 games played so far in 2023-24.
Kochetkov returned from a nearly month-long absence in a 16-save (.842 SV%) loss to Vancouver in his previous start and will take the crease again Thursday in a tough showdown vs. Colorado. The 24-year-old has struggled since being called upon full-time in Frederik Anderson's absence, with his 11-8-3 record, 2.60 GAA and .898 SV%. He takes on the Colorado Avalanche Thursday, who lost both of their back-to-back matchups in their return from the All-Star break but are still 2nd in the NHL in goals per game (3.76).
Sergachev left Tampa Bay's game Wednesday vs. New York after a glaringly bad lower-body injury in his first game back from injury since December 19th and will now be out indefinitely after undergoing successful tibia and fibula surgery in his left leg. The 25-year-old will return to Tampa Bay to begin his rehab next week and possibly ends his 2023-24 season with only 19 points (2G/17A) in 34 games played.
Sanderson left the Senators' previous contest vs. Detroit on January 31st after just 4:49 TOI due to a lower-body injury and will be out Saturday as Ottawa plays Toronto. The 21-year-old sophomore has taken a step forward across all aspects of his game in his second season and has seven goals, 24 points, 99 SOG, 19 PIMs and a +5 plus/minus in 47 games prior to his injury.
Boqvist missed the Blue Jackets' previous three games due to an upper-body after taking a puck high but is likely to return Saturday as Columbus takes on Tampa Bay. The 23-year-old has fought injuries all season which has led to an uninspiring no goals, seven assists, 23 SOG, and a -3 plus/minus in 20 games this season.
Ullmark will return to the crease for the first time post-All-Star break in a showdown between the Eastern and Western Conference leaders. The Bruins are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday but are -132 home favourites against a Vancouver Canucks squad with points in 12 straight (10-0-2). Ullmark last played on January 27th, saving 35 of 37 shots (.946 SV%) in a 6-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Chiarot has not played since January 19th, missing five games with an upper-body injury, but could return to the lineup as soon as Saturday. Chiarot has 12 points (3G / 9A), 84 hits, and 93 blocks in 45 games this season and will likely replace Justin Holl when he is ready to return.
Richard played 13 games with the Montreal Canadiens last season but has spent the majority of his career playing in the AHL. In 41 games with the Providence Bruins this season, the 27-year-old Richard has 37 points (18G / 19A).
Gawanke has spent the entirety of the season with the San Jose Baracuda of the AHL, tallying 27 points (8G / 19A) in 38 games. The 24-year-old was the fifth-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. He will return to Germany and will play for Adler Mannheim.
