Xhekaj played only 10:19 before exiting the game with an upper-body injury. He has three points (1G / 2A) in 17 games this season along with 41 hits and 47 penalty minutes. Xhekaj's status will be re-evaluated on Friday.
Samsonov will likely start in the first of two games for the Maple Leafs in Sweden as part of the NHL Global Series. Samsonov has struggled on a whole this season, registering a 3.79 GAA and .870 SV% through eight appearances (3-1-2) but is coming off one of his stronger performances of the season, saving 31 of 33 shots in a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. The Maple Leafs are -174 favourites as the road team in Sweden against a Detroit Red Wings team coming off a 5-4 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators last night.
Cirelli exited the game in the second period after taking a shot off his arm and did not return. Cirelli has two goals and five assists in 17 games with the Lightning this season. We should expect to receive an update on Cirelli's injury and a possible timeline for his recovery in the coming days.
Talbot has enjoyed a terrific start to the season but is coming off one of his worst starts of the season, allowing four goals on 26 shots in a loss to the Flyers last Saturday. Despite being 7-3-0 on the year, Talbot is 0-3-0 with a 3.73 GAA and .872 SV% on home ice this season. He draws a tough home matchup against the Panthers on Thursday with the Kings only being slight favourites at -130.
Fasching will take the place of Matt Martin, who will be a healthy scratch on Thursday. Fasching has no goals and one assist in eight games this season. He will take Martin's spot alongside Cody Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck on the Islanders' fourth line.
Martin will sit in favour of Hudson Fasching, who will take Martin's spot alongside Cody Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck on the Islanders' fourth line. Martin has one goal, one assist, and 31 hits in 14 games this season.
Varlamov will start on Thursday and attempt to help the Islanders snap their six-game losing streak (0-4-2). The Islanders have not won since November 2nd when Varlamov was forced to be perfect, pitching a 32-save shutout in a 3-0 victory over the Washington Capitals. Despite a tremendous 2.04 GAA and .940 SV% through six games (2-3-0), Varlamov has struggled in his last two games (0-2-0), allowing seven goals on 58 shots (.879 SV%). Last season, the Islanders ranked fifth in the league defensively (2.65 GA / GP), a far cry from their mid-pack ranking this season (3.20 GA / GP). That said, as slight +100 road underdogs, the Islanders will hope to get things back on track, taking on the fourth-lowest scoring team in the league, the Seatle Kraken (2.53 GF / GP).
Grubauer will return to the Kraken crease on Thursday after Seattle turned to Joey Daccord for each of the team's last two games. Grubauer's last start came via a 4-1 defeat to the Oilers on Saturday, when he surrendered four goals on just 17 shots before being lifted from the game in favour of Daccord. His record on the season now sits at 3-6-0 to go along with his .891 SV% and 3.31 GAA. He'll hope to get things back on track in a decent home matchup against the Islanders in a pick 'em game on Thursday.
Maccelli exited the game in the second period after taking a puck to the face and did not return. The 23-year-old winger has two goals and nine assists in 16 games to open the season. We should expect to receive an update on Maccelli's injury and a possible timeline for his recovery in the coming days.
It couldn't have come at a worse time for Hayton, who was finally finding his stride after going pointless in his first 11 games. Hayton has registered four points in his last five games, including a goal in Thursday's game in Columbus prior to leaving due to the injury. We should expect to receive an update on Hayton's injury and a possible timeline for his recovery in the coming days.
On the back end of a back-to-back, DeSmith will start for the Canucks on Thursday when they visit the Calgary Flames. DeSmith has seen a fair share of action between the pipes as the Canucks' backup this season and has performed admirably when called upon, showcasing a 2.67 GAA and .916 SV% through six games (4-0-1). Having played last night, the Canucks enter action as +124 road underdogs but are facing a Flames team that is 3-6-1 in their last 10 and ranks fifth worst in the league offensively (2.60 GF / GP).
Talbot did not take the ice for today’s morning skate, making him tonight’s projected starter in net for the Kings. The veteran has had a terrific start to the season but is coming off one of his worst starts of the season, allowing four goals on 26 shots in a loss to the Flyers last Saturday. Despite being 7-3-0 on the year, Talbot is 0-3-0 with a 3.73 GAA and .872 SV% on home ice this season.
Watson will enter the lineup in place of Alex Barre-Boulet, who is listed as a scratch for Thursday's game in Chicago. Watson has no points and seven shots on goal in five games this season.
Barre-Boulet will sit in favour of Austin Watson, who draws back into the Lightning lineup on Thursday. Barre-Boulet has four goals and three assists in 14 games on the season.
As the Tampa Bay Lightning eagerly await the return of their All-Star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, Johansson will attempt to stop the bleeding on a miserable stretch for the team. Johansson has played very poorly in his last four outings (0-3-1), registering an ugly .846 SV% in the process. In addition to receiving less-than-ideal goaltending, the Lightning have been shut out in back-to-back games. That said, the Lightning are still -179 road favourites against a Chicago Blackhawks team that defeated them 5-3 exactly one week ago.
Fix-Wolansky has 16 points (4G / 12A) in 11 games with the Cleveland Monsters this season and 87 points (33G / 54A) in 72 games dating back to the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign. The seventh-round pick of the Blue Jackets in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft has yet to make his mark at the NHL level, scoring only three points (2G / 1A) in 15 career games, but could make his Blue Jackets season debut on Thursday.
Miller has yet to play this season for New Jersey this season due to a lower-body injury. The 30-year-old was acquired in the offseason for a 2025 fifth-round pick from Dallas after he had six goals, 15 assists, 106 SOG, 37 PIMs and a +23 plus/minus through 79 games in 2022-23
Hill is coming off a 20-save shutout, his second of the season, in a 5-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks on November 10th. The Western Conference-leading Golden Knights have faltered a little, losing three of their last four, but will look to get back into the win column on Thursday as -192 road favourites against a Montreal Canadiens team that has been outscored 7-3 in their last two contests (0-2-0). The 27-year-old Hill has been nothing short of spectacular this season, posting a remarkable 1.75 GAA and .939 SV% through nine contests (7-1-1).
Cernak did not play on Tuesday due to an undisclosed injury that forced him to exit the team's November 11th matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes, a 4-0 loss, after playing only 9:57. The 6'4 Slovak defenceman has three points (0G / 3A), 18 blocks, and 33 hits while averaging 18:53 time-on-ice through 15 games this season.
Meier was "banged up" in Tuesday's game against the Winnipeg Jets and was a game-time decision on Thursday. Meier's absence would be a huge blow for a New Jersey Devils team that has lost three straight (0-3-0) and is already without Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. After a slow start to the season, Meier has 11 points (5G / 6A) and has fired 38 shots on goal in his last 11 games.
