Thompson stopped 21 of 23 shots (.913 SV%) for his second win in three starts as he beat Arizona in his previous game. The rookie netminder has been incredibly solid this season, with his 15-8-0 record, 2.61 GAA and .917 SV%. He will face the St. Louis Blues, who lost their last game 5-2 to Seattle and are 27th in the NHL in shots per game (29.4).
Dostal will get the rare back-to-back start Friday after allowing three goals on 41 shots (.927 SV%) in a loss to Minnesota Thursday. The 22-year-old has been relied upon heavily lately due to injuries, which has led to his 2-3-0 record, 3.66 GAA and .904 SV%. He will face the Calgary Flames, who are also on the back end of a back-to-back after losing 4-3 in overtime to Los Angeles Thursday.
Pachal will return to the Golden Knights for the second time this season after he collected one assist and a +1 plus/minus in two games in his previous call-up. In Henderson (AHL), he had two goals, six assists and 67 PIMs through 27 games while captaining Vegas' minor league affiliate.
Dorofeyev has six goals, six assists, 24 PIMs and is a -3 plus/minus through 21 games with Henderson (AHL) but will be recalled Friday for the first time this season to join the Vegas Golden Knights. The 22-year-old had previously played two NHL games in 2021-22, but failed to pick up a point.
Marchessault has 14 goals, 13 assists, 121 SOG and nine PIMs through 35 games but will be forced to miss his first game of the year Friday as he is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Pavel Dorofeyev and Brayden Pachal were both recalled in corresponding moves.
Dadonov will head to the press box Friday as a healthy scratch vs. Dallas. The 33-year-old Russian, has two goals, five assists, 33 SOG and is a -8 plus/minus in 28 games before being held out of the lineup Friday.
Pezzetta missed the Canadiens' last two games as a healthy scratch but will draw back into the lineup Friday vs. Dallas. The 24-year-old has one goal, 19 SOG and 12 PIMs in 17 games in his bottom-six role.
Cotter did not play in the Golden Knights game Wednesday and will head to the injured reserve due to an upper-body injury. Cotter had been playing well in his first full NHL season, with four goals, two assists, 29 SOG and eight PIMs through 22 games prior to the injury.
Georgiev stopped 19 of 20 shots (.950 SV%) as he picked up his third straight victory with a 2-1 win over Montreal in his last start. The 26-year-old has settled in incredibly in his first year as a starter with the Avalanche, with his 14-6-2 record, 2.39 GAA and .924 SV%. He takes on the Nashville Predators, who have won their last two games but have struggled to score as they are 29th in the NHL in goals per game (2.52).
Allen stopped 34 of 36 shots (.944 SV%) as he picked up his third straight loss in a 2-1 overtime defeat to the Colorado Avalanche in his last game. The Canadiens starter has struggled at times this season, with his 9-12-1 record, .900 SV% and 3.27 GAA. He takes on the Dallas Stars, who are first in the Central Division but have lost two of their last three games after a 6-3 loss to Edmonton in their previous game.
Palmieri has played one game since Nov.21st due to an upper-body injury that has reaggrivated itself and has been placed on the injured reserve after playing 10:46 in a game vs. Arizona Friday. The 31-year-old veteran winger has six goals, nine points and 39 SOG through 21 games prior to hitting the shelf again due to injury.
Varlamov stopped 35 of 37 shots before leaving Saturday's game in Vegas with a lower-body injury and will head to the injured reserve. The Islanders recalled Cory Schneider from the AHL and he is expected to stay with the team until Varlamov is nursed back to full health.
Raty has five goals, seven assists, 10 PIMs and was a +4 plus/minus through 23 games with Bridgeport (AHL) and will be called up for the first time in his NHL career to the Islanders. The 2021 2nd-round pick (52nd overall) will be looking to make his NHL debut if he finds his way into New York's lineup.
Wotherspoon has been recalled to the Islanders for the first time in his career after scoring a goal, 11 assists, 27 PIMs and a +12 plus/minus through 27 games with Bridgeport (AHL). If he does make the Islanders' lineup, it will be the 25-year-olds NHL debut.
McLeod has not played since Nov. 26th due to an ankle injury but will draw back into the OIlers' lineup Friday as they take on Vancouver. The 23-year-old had three goals, five assists, 22 SOG and 10 PIMs in 21 games prior to his injury.
Christiansen has two assists, 19 SOG and is a -3 through 17 games with the Blue Jackets this season but will head to the press box as a healthy scratch with the return of Adam Boqvist (foot).
Tarasov allowed four goals on 38 shots (.895 SV%) as he picked up his fourth straight loss in a defeat to Philadelphia in his previous game. The 23-year-old has been leaned on heavily lately and played well despite what his 2-7-1 record may show, as he has a .913 SV% and 3.13 GAA. He will hope for better fortunes against the Chicago Blackhawks, who have lost their last eight games and are last in the NHL in goals per game with 2.26.
Skinner stopped 24 of 27 shots (.889 SV%) to snap a personal three-game losing skid with a victory over Dallas in his last start. The 24-year-old Edmonton native has taken the reigns of the starting position in Edmonton, with his 10-8-1 record, 2.84 GAA and .913 SV%. He will face the Vancouver Canucks, who are coming off a 6-5 victory over Seattle in their last game and are 10th in the NHL in goals per game with 3.29.
Boqvist has been out since October 25th due to a foot injury but returns to the Blue Jackets' lineup Friday as they take on Chicago. The 22-year-old could only get four games under his belt before the injury and had no points, three SOG and a -1 plus/minus. He had 11 goals, 11 assists, and 64 SOG in 2021-22 as one of the best offensive options on Columbus' blue line.
Stalock has not played since Nov. 1st due to a concussion but will make his first start back Friday. The 35-year-old has been having a resurgent season after taking all of 2021-22 off due to injury, with a 3-2-1 record, .914 SV% and 2.93 GAA in seven starts prior to the injury. He will face Columbus, who is looking to snap the current five-game losing streak they are on.
