Copp did not practice Wednesday due to a lower-body injury and was a game-time decision Thursday vs. Los Angeles. The 29-year-old has struggled to live up to his decently sized contract as he only has five goals, 17 points, 68 SOG, 18 PIMs and a -4 plus/minus in 38 games played in 2023-24.
Hellebuyck will return to the crease on Thursday and attempt to continue his reign as the top goaltender in the NHL over the last month and a half. Over his last 16 games, Hellebuyck has been nearly impenetrable, allowing fewer than three goals 14 times and posting a stellar .938 SV%. The Jets, who have skyrocketed the standings and are in a battle for the top seed in the Central Division, are sizeable -279 road favourites against a Sharks team amid a nine-game losing streak for the second time this season.
Cam Talbot has lost his last three outings, so the Kings will turn to Rittich, who will attempt to capture his third victory in as many games with the team this season. In two games (2-0-0), Rittich has saved 39 of 41 shots (.951 SV%). Despite their recent struggles, Rittich and the Kings are -174 home favourites against a Detroit Red Wings squad that has lost three of their last five contests (2-3-0).
Daccord was outstanding against the Vegas Golden Knights in the Winter Classic on Monday, saving all 35 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season. The 27-year-old Daccord has been among the league's top goaltenders since taking the reigns as the starting goalie for the Kraken when Philipp Grubauer went down, posting an otherworldly .946 SV% along with two shutouts through 11 games (6-2-3). Seattle is a -124 home favourite on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators, who have lost two of their last three games (1-2-0).
Korpisalo will be back between the pipes on Thursday after Anton Forsberg's disappointing display in Tuesday's 6-3 defeat to the Canucks. Korpisalo enjoyed one of his best starts of the season his last time out, stopping 45 of the 46 shots he faced enroute to a 5-1 victory over the Sabres on Sunday. He'll be hoping to keep things rolling on Thursday in Seattle as he looks to improve upon his disappointing .889 SV% and 7-12-0 record on the season.
Vlasic will replace the injured Kyle Burroughs (lower-body). Vlasic has no goals and just one assist in 18 games this season.
Burroughs is considered day-to-day with the injury. Marc-Edouard Vlasic will draw into the lineup in his place. Burroughs has no goals and four assists in 36 games this season.
Blackwood will return to the Sharks' crease on Thursday for the first time since December 23rd. Blackwood was sidelined for two games with an illness, though he was healthy enough to serve as Kaapo Kahkonen's backup for each of the last two games. Blackwood had a start to forget his last time out, surrendering six goals on 25 shots as the Sharks fell to the Canucks by a score of 7-4. His record now sits at 4-14-12 on the season to go along with an .889 SV% and a 3.92 GAA. Things won't get any easier for him on Thursday with the Sharks currently being heavy home underdogs at +225 to the Jets.
Carlile will get his first taste of NHL action on Thursday after spending each of the last three seasons with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL). The 23-year-old defenseman has three goals and six assists in 31 AHL games this season.
Fleury will start the third straight game with Filip Gustavsson sidelined for the foreseeable future with a lower-body injury. Fleury has played well over the last several weeks, allowing three or fewer goals in six of his last seven appearances (3-3-0), posting an impressive .922 SV%. Minnesota is a +107 home underdog on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have lost three of their last four games (1-3-0), outscored 15-9.
Vasilevskiy will be hoping to snap a personal three-game losing streak when he tends the twine for the Lightning on Thursday. The 2018-19 Vezina Trophy winner has endured a rocky season since returning from injury, posting a .900 SV% and a 2.94 GAA across 16 appearances. He's been particularly poor of late, allowing 11 goals on just 79 shots (.861 SV%) across that three-game slide. Despite his struggles, he's a decent bet to get back into the win column on Thursday with the Lightning being -125 favourites in Minnesota.
Johansen was not present at practice on Wednesday as he battles an illness and was a game-time decision against the Dallas Stars on Thursday. In Tuesday's 5-4 victory over the New York Islanders, Johansen was held off the scoresheet and recorded a -1 plus/minus rating in 14:11 time-on-ice. He has three points (1G / 2A) in his last three games.
DeSimone will check back into the lineup on Thursday as Jordan Oesterle is the odd-man out. DeSimone has one goal and four assists in 15 games this season.
Oesterle will be the odd-man out on Thursday as Nick DeSimone draws back into the lineup. Oesterle has no goals and two assists in 12 games this season.
It's the fifth time this season the Canucks have made Kuzmenko a healthy scratch, who has fallen a long way from his 39-goal season a year ago. He has eight goals and 11 assists in 32 games this season.
Wedgewood will get the nod in goal for the Stars for the eighth consecutive game on Thursday. Wedgewood has started every game since Jake Oettinger went down with a lower-body injury on December 15th, and the Stars couldn't have asked for anything more from their backup netminder. Despite a a couple of rocky appearances, Wedgewood has been solid enough to deliver a 5-2-1 record in Oettinger's absence, and appears to have the full confidence of head coach Peter DeBoer as the interim starting goalie. He'll have his hands full on Thursday as the Stars welcome the Avalanche to town.
Georgiev will start for the Avalanche in a matchup against their division rivals, the Dallas Stars. The Avalanche are +113 road underdogs against a Stars team they defeated 6-3 in mid-November when Georgiev allowed three goals on 28 shots (.893 SV%). The 27-year-old netminder allowed four goals on 22 shots (.818 SV%) in his last outing, a 5-4 overtime win over the New York Islanders, but, despite winning five of his last six (5-0-1), owns an unimpressive .899 SV% during that stretch.
Saros will return to the crease on Thursday after recording his second shutout of the season in his previous outing. Saros saved all 21 shots he faced in a 3-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, snapping his three-game losing streak (0-2-1) that saw him allow 13 goals and post an uncharacteristically low .829 SV%. The Predators will search for their third straight victory as -114 home favourites against a Calgary Flames club that has won two straight.
Vladar will get the surprise nod in Nashville on Thursday, making his first appearance since Jacob Markstrom returned from a finger injury on December 18th. Vladar was solid his last time out, stopping 31 of the 33 shots he faced enroute to a 4-2 victory over the Lightning. This presumably sets Vladar up to start a pair of games this weekend as the Flames are set to play a back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday. He draws a difficult matchup on Thursday with the Flames being slight underdogs at +105 in Nashville.
Lauko will be the odd-man out on Thursday as John Beecher re-enters the lineup in his place. Lauko has no goals and three assists in 27 games this season.
