It appears Marchenko will sit for the first time this season on Saturday against the New York Islanders to make room for Kent Johnson. Marchenko has three points (0G / 3A) in seven games this season but zero points in his last five.
Johnson has been in and out of the lineup as a healthy scratch to start the season but appears that he will draw back in on Saturday against the New York Islanders. Johnson has two points (1G / 1A) while averaging 13:13 time-on-ice through five games. He will likely play on a line with Cole Sillinger and Justin Danforth.
Saros allowed three goals on 24 shots in the Predators' loss to the Canucks on Tuesday. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for Saros, who is 3-4-0 with a 2.58 GAA, .910 SV% and one shutout in seven starts this season. Tonight he'll face a Maple Leafs team that is seventh in xGF/60 (3.54) this season.
Sanford is set to make his season debut on Friday after signing a one-year contract with Arizona in the summer. The 29-year-old winger played 16 games with the Predators last season, registering two goals and one assist. He is expected to start Friday's game on a line with Logan Cooley and Michael Carcone.
Brown will take the place of Travis Dermott (illness). Brown has played in two games this season for the Coyotes, registering no points, one shot on goal, four blocked shots, and five hits.
Dermott will be forced to sit on Friday for the first time this season. The 27-year-old blue-liner is still searching for his first point as a Coyote. He's registered six shots on goal, eight blocked shots, and four hits across his opening six games. The Coyotes have classified Dermott as day-to-day.
Crouse was absent from Thursday's team practice as he dealt with an illness and was a game-time decision Friday vs. Los Angeles. The 26-year-old has struggled out of the gate thus far in 2023-24, with only an assist, eight SOG, four PIMs and a +1 plus/minus through six games.
Copley will be rewarded with his second consecutive start after making 24 of 27 saves on Tuesday for a 6-3 victory over the Arizona Coyotes, his first win of the season. The Kings coaching brass hopes familiarity will help Copley find some consistency in his game as the team will match up against the Coyotes once again, this time in Arizona. Scoring goals hasn't been the Coyotes' forte this season, averaging 2.50 goals per game, as such, the Kings are listed as -132 road favourites.
Benning will sit for the first time this season after averaging 18:44 of ice-time in his first seven games of the season for the winless Sharks. He has just one assist and eight shots on goal in those seven games. Benning will be replaced in Friday's lineup by 36-year-old veteran Marc-Édouard Vlasic.
With Pyotr Kotchekov being sent to Syracuse (AHL) and Frederik Andersen getting the start Thursday, Antti Raanta will take the pipes Friday vs. San Jose. The 34-year-old has been horrendous thus far in 2023-24, with his 1-1-0 record, 4.41 GAA and .818 SV%. He will hope to get his season back on track against the winless San Jose Sharks (0-6-1), who are last in the NHL in both shots per game (24.3) and goals per game (1.14).
Sandin was a game-time decision for Friday's game against the Wild after exiting the Washington's Wednesday night matchup against the New Jersey Devils in the third period with an undisclosed injury. The Swedish defenseman has been held without a point in his first six games and has a -4 rating.
Roy left in the third period of Tuesday's matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers and will miss Friday's game vs. Chicago after originally being a game-time decision. Roy has four points (3G / 1A) in seven games this season, averaging 15:04 time-on-ice per game.
Hill continued his early season run of dominance as he stopped 21 of 24 shots (.875 SV%) for his fourth-straight win in his previous start vs. Chicago and will take the Blackhawks on again Friday. The 27-year-old signed a fresh two-year, $9.8 million contract in the offseason after leading Vegas to its first-ever Stanley Cup and has not disappointed this season as he is 4-0-0 with a .934 SV% and a 1.73 GAA. He takes on the struggling Chicago Blackhawks, who have lost five of their last six games and are 30th in the NHL in goals for (2.0).
With the much-awaited return of Andrei Svechnikov (knee), Brendan Lemieux will be the odd man out of the Hurricanes' lineup Friday vs. San Jose. The 27-year-old scrappy left-winger signed a one-year, $800,000 contract in the offseason with Carolina and has one goal, four SOG, 31 PIMs, and a -2 plus/minus in seven games played so far in 2023-24.
Khaira made his Wild debut Thursday and had one SOG across 10 shifts and 8:05 TOI but will be the odd man out of Minnesota's lineup as they take on Washington Friday. With the Wild opting for an 11F/7D lineup Friday, he will be replaced by Daemon Hunt, who is making his NHL debut.
Hunt was the Wild's 2020 third-round pick (65th overall) and will make his NHL debut Friday vs. Washington as he takes the spot of Jujhar Khaira in Minnesota's lineup The 21-year-old defensemen had yet to pick up a point with Iowa (AHL) prior to his NHL promotion but had seven PIMs and a -3 plus/minus through four games.
Samoskevich was recalled Thursday to Florida but will continue his revolving door of roster transactions as he has been loaned back to Charlotte (AHL) Friday. The 20-year-old was Florida's 2021 first-round selection (24th overall) and has yet to pick a point up in any of his three games played with the Panthers in 2023-24.
Boqvist played in his first game of the season on Thursday vs. Anaheim and had no counting stats after 10 shifts and 6:02 TOI and has been reassigned to Providence (AHL) Friday. The 24-year-old forward returns to the minors, where he has no goals, two assists, and four PIMs in five games so far in 2023-24.
Brown failed to pick up a point in four games with Boston but had three SOG, two PIMs, and a -2 plus/minus and has been reassigned to Providence (AHL) on Friday. The 31-year-old was signed to a one-year, $800,000 contract in the offseason and returns to the minors for the first time since he captained the Henderson Silver Knights back in 2020-21.
