Cernak suffered an upper-body injury after taking a hit from Nathan Bastian late in the first period of Thursday's game against the New Jersey Devils. Cernak has five points (0G / 5A), 90 hits, and 62 blocks in 39 games this season.
Kupari played one game with the Manitoba Moose as part of a conditioning stint after being activated from IR earlier this week and could serve as a roster replacement for Mark Scheifele, who exited Thursday's game with a lower-body injury. Kupari was averaging 9:35 time-on-ice in the 14 games before his injury, tallying one point (0G / 1A) and a -3 plus/minus.
Tarasov will start for the fourth straight game on Saturday in the Blue Jackets' return to the ice in their first game since Tuesday. Tarasov has been underwhelming for the Blue Jackets this season, allowing four or more goals in five of his seven appearances (2-3-2), posting an ugly .883 SV%. The Blue Jackets have lost two straight (0-1-1) and will be hard-pressed to get back into the win column against a Seattle Kraken squad riding an eight-game winning streak.
After being recalled from Henderson (AHL) on Thursday, Saville backed up Logan Thompson. Jiri Patera took the night off after starting their previous game in Colorado and will likely return to backup duties in their next game unless Adin Hill is cleared to play. Saville has a .914 SV% and a 4-3-1 record with the Henderson Silver Knights this season.
Brink will be a healthy scratch on Friday, exiting the lineup for the first time in over a month, allowing Nicolas Deslauries to draw back into the lineup. Brink has been held off the scoresheet in five straight games and has seen his ice-time dip to 12:07 after averaging 14:44 and scoring seven points (3G / 4A) in his previous 10.
Deslauries was a scratch in the last game after playing in three straight games for the Flyers but will return to the lineup on Friday. In his last outing, he played 7:43 time-on-ice, recorded three hits, and two shots on goal while playing on a line with Garnet Hathaway and Ryan Poehling.
Hart did not play in Philadelphia's 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday but will return to the crease on Friday for the third time in the last four games. Hart has been limited to only one win in his last six appearances (1-2-2), allowing four or more goals three times and posting a subpar .890 SV%. That said, Hart has a favourable matchup against a Minnesota Wild club that has scored only 12 total goals in their last seven games (1-6-0).
Thompson managed to score two points (2G / 0A) in an eventual 5-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators but exited the contest after playing only 12:27 time-on-ice with an undisclosed injury. Thompson already missed a significant portion of the season earlier with an upper-body injury and was finally starting to get his game in order with 12 points (7G / 5A) in his last nine games after scoring six (2G / 4A) in his previous 13. Thompson's potential absence from the lineup would be a crushing blow for a Sabres offence already without Jeff Skinner (upper-body).
Forsberg exited Thursday's game against the Buffalo Sabres after making six of seven saves (.857 SV%) with a groin injury. A concrete update hasn't been provided yet, but he is expected to miss time as Joonas Korpisalo will take the reigns between the pipes for the Senators.
Norris did not play on Thursday due to an upper-body injury and has been ruled out of Saturday's contest against the San Jose Sharks as he is day-to-day. The 24-year-old Norris is amid a seven-game pointless skid but was having a decent season before then with 20 points (8G / 12A) in his first 26 games.
Foligno, currently on IR due to a fractured finger, has made an impact in his first season with the Blackhawks, scoring 17 points (8G / 9A) in 39 games, his best point-per-game pace (0.44) in five seasons. Foligno has also contributed an impressive 73 shots and 84 hits this season. His $4.5 million AAV next season ranks second among all forwards on the Blackhawks, only behind Taylor Hall ($6 million AAV).
Lindgren backed up Darcy Kuemper on Thursday, his first game back with the team after being on the injured reserve for five games with a lower-body injury. The Capitals have gone 2-3-1 since Lindgren last played. Before his injury, Lindgren saved 56 of the last 59 shots he faced (.949 SV%), posting a 1-0-1 record. The Capitals will be taking on a New York Rangers squad that defeated them 5-1 less than three weeks ago with Kuemper between the pipes.
Wilson did not play in Thursday's contest against the Seattle Kraken because of a broken nose but is hopeful he can return to the lineup on Saturday against the New York Rangers. Wilson played 15:13 time-on-ice in his last game, tallying four shots and two hits, matching his lowest hit output in nine games.
Ovechkin was a game-time decision ahead of Wednesday's game against the Seattle Kraken, but suited up and scored one point (0G / 1A) and fired five shots on goal in 16:40 time-on-ice. Despite an overall disappointing season for the future Hall-of-Famer, Ovechkin is riding a six-game point streak, scoring seven points (2G / 5A) in that span.
With Filip Gustavsson still out of the lineup for the foreseeable future, Minnesota turned to rookie Jesper Walstedt in between the pipes on Wednesday, but after allowing seven goals on 34 shots (.794 SV%), they will turn back to the Fleury. Since Gustavsson's injury, Fleury and the Wild have struggled immensely, but it's not all on the veteran netminder. Despite recording just one win in seven games since Fleury took over, Minnesota has been limited to only 12 total goals, not a recipe for success given Fleury's pedestrian .892 SV% in that span. That said, Minnesota is a slight -111 home favourite against a Philadelphia Flyers club that has lost five of their last seven games (2-3-2).
Raska will play for the third time in the last four games, again entering the lineup in favour of Nic Petan. Raska is yet to register a point in two games this season.
Adam Rask will replace Nic Petan, who will be a healthy scratch for the second time in the last three games. Petan has played six games this season, registering zero goals and two assists.
Amadio is good to go for Thursday's game after sitting out last night's game due to an illness. He is expected to join Nicolas Roy and Paul Cotter on Vegas' third line. Amadio has six goals and 11 assists in 39 games this season.
Patera will get the night off on Thursday after starting last night's game in Colorado. Logan Thompson is set to start while recent call-up Isiah Saville will serve as his backup.
After being recalled from Henderson (AHL) earlier today, Saville will back-up Logan Thompson on Thursday. Jiri Patera will take the night off after starting last night's game in Colorado. Saville has a .914 SV% and a 4-3-1 record with the Henderson Silver Knights this season.
