The Red Wings have won seven straight and will turn to Lyon between the pipes on Saturday afternoon when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Lyon has been excellent lately, posting a .940 SV% in his last three games (2-0-1). The 32-year-old netminder has a 2.58 GAA and .908 SV% in 21 appearances this season (10-6-1).
The Islanders have won eight of their last nine (8-1-0) and will turn to Sorokin between the pipes on Friday against the Winnipeg Jets. Sorokin was excellent in his most recent outing, saving 33 of 34 shots (.971 SV%) in a 2-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. The 29-year-old netminder has an outstanding .952 SV% and two shutouts in his last nine games (8-1-0).
Pelletier will likely make his Flyers debut on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 23-year-old Pelletier averaged 12:38 time-on-ice and had 11 points (4G / 7A) in 24 games with the Flames this season.
Kuzmenko will likely make his Flyers debut on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Kuzmenko broke onto the NHL scene in the 2022-23 season with a tremendous 74 points (39G / 35A) in 81 games with the Vancouver Canucks. The now 28-year-old has struggled to recapture that scoring prowess, with only 61 points (26G / 35A) in 109 games since.
With Jason Dickinson out week-to-week with an ankle injury, Kurashev will re-enter Chicago's lineup for the first time since January 30th. The 25-year-old Kurashev has only eight points (4G / 4A) through 36 games this season after an impressive 54-point campaign (18G / 36A) in 75 games last season.
The Blackhawks have lost three straight while alternating netminders and will switch to Mrazek on Friday, hoping for a better result against the Nashville Predators. The 32-year-old Mrazek allowed five goals on 44 shots (.886 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 5-1 loss to the Florida Panthers. He has a 3.32 GAA and .895 SV% in 30 appearances this season (9-18-2). The Blackhawks enter Friday's contest as +171 road underdogs against a Predators squad that defeated them 3-2 on January 16th.
Dickinson exited Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers after only 7:05 time-on-ice due to a high ankle sprain injury. The 29-year-old Dickinson had trouble leaving the ice and was seen in a walking boot following the game. He has 16 points (7G / 9A) in 53 games this season.
Brad Lambert will return to the Jets' lineup on Friday, resulting in Ford being a healthy scratch. The 24-year-old Ford has played three games with the Jets, the first of his NHL career, scoring one goal and averaging 7:50 time-on-ice.
Lambert had a brief stint with the Jets earlier this season, being held without a point in four games. The 21-year-old Lambert was the 30th overall pick of the Jets in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. He broke onto the professional scene last season with an impressive 55 points (21G / 34A) in 64 games with Manitoba (AHL) but has not been as effective this season, scoring only 16 points (3G / 16A) through 30 games with the club.
Gaucher played the previous three games for the Flyers, the first of his NHL career, but he will return to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL). The undrafted 23-year-old forward has 27 points (14G / 13A) in 44 games in the AHL with Lehigh Valley this season.
The Rangers have won two straight and will roll with Shesterkin between the pipes on Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Shesterkin wasn't heavily tested in his most recent outing but saved 15 of 17 shots (.882 SV%) in a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins. Before that outing, the 29-year-old netminder was going through a troubling stretch where he allowed four or more goals in three straight (0-3-0), posting an ugly .806 SV%. The Rangers enter Friday's contest as -187 home favorites against a Penguins squad that will be without Sidney Crosby (upper body).
Thompson exited Sunday's 4-3 win over New Jersey Devils in the third period after being on the receiving end of an unsuspecting hit from Stefan Noesen. He did not play in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets but could be an option when the Sabres return to action on Saturday against the Nashville Predators. The 27-year-old Thompson has been tremendous offensively lately, scoring 14 points (7G / 7A) in his last nine games.
Crosby exited Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils for eight minutes due to an undisclosed injury but returned to the contest, ending the game with one assist in 22:14 time-on-ice. The 37-year-old Crosby downplayed the severity of the injury following the game but has not fully participated in practice since and will not play on Friday against the New York Rangers. Penguins' head coach Mike Sullivan said they are taking his injury "day by day," obviously posing a concern for his availability in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
The Penguins will turn to Nedeljkovic between the pipes for a fifth consecutive game on Friday when they visit the New York Rangers. The 29-year-old Nedeljkovic has been excellent lately, allowing two or fewer goals in six of his last seven outings (4-2-1), posting a stellar .936 SV%. The Penguins, already without Evgeni Malkin (lower body), will be without Sidney Crosby (upper body) and enter the action on Friday as +167 road underdogs against a Rangers squad that defeated them 4-2 on December 6th.
The Rangers have won two straight and will likely roll with Shesterkin between the pipes on Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Shesterkin wasn't heavily tested in his most recent outing but saved 15 of 17 shots (.882 SV%) in a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins. Before that outing, the 29-year-old netminder was going through a troubling stretch where he allowed four or more goals in three straight (0-3-0), posting an ugly .806 SV%. The Rangers enter Friday's contest as -187 home favorites against a Penguins squad without Sidney Crosby (upper body).
MacEachern is yet to appear in an NHL game this season after playing eight games with the Blues last season. He has six goals and nine assists in 17 AHL games this season.
Sheary was recalled on Thursday and played 11:18 time-on-ice in a 5-1 win over the Ottawa Senators, his first NHL action in several months. He was sent down to Syracuse (AHL) earlier this season, scoring 24 points (9G / 15A) in 31 games, his first stint in the AHL since breaking into the league in the 2015-16 season. The 32-year-old Sheary has 267 points (124G / 143A) in 593 career NHL games.
Bemstrom has 228 games of NHL experience, including scoring five points (2G / 3A) in 24 games with Pittsburgh last season, but has spent the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL. The 25-year-old forward has an impressive 41 points (19G / 22A) in 37 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL).
The Jets have won seven straight, including a 3-0 win with Eric Comrie between the pipe on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Still, the club will return to their Vezina-winning netminder on Friday against the New York Islanders. The 31-year-old Hellebuyck is having another outstanding season, boasting an immaculate 2.04 GAA and .925 SV% in 42 games this season (33-7-2). The Jets enter Friday's game as -190 home favorites against a hot Islanders club that has won eight of their last nine (8-1-0).
It's a tough break for Samoskevich who just returned to the lineup after missing the last three games with an illness. We should get an update on his status ahead of Florida's game against the Senators on Saturday.
