With Juuse Saros (illness) unavailable for Friday's game in Buffalo, Gravel was sent down to make room for another goalie on the roster. Gravel has appeared in three NHL games this season, registering one assist.
With Juuse Saros (illness) unavailable, Murray will back up Justus Annunen for Friday's game in Buffalo. Murray is yet to appear in an NHL game for the Predators. He's performed well at the AHL level this season, registering a .927 SV% across 23 appearances.
Hinostroza will take a seat on Friday to make way for the return of Luke Evangelista (lower-body). Hinostroza has zero goals and one assist in 12 games this season.
Evangelista has not played since January 7th due to a lower-body injury but will return to the lineup on Friday against the Buffalo Sabres. Before his injury, the 22-year-old Evangelista had 14 points (4G / 10A) in 39 games this season.
Saros is battling an illness and will be sidelined in Friday's contest against the Buffalo Sabres. Justus Annunen will get the nod while the recently recalled Matthew Murray will back up.
Tarasov will get the nod in the tail-end of Columbus' back-to-back when they travel to Utah on Friday. Tarasov hasn't appeared in a game since allowing six goals on 42 shots in a 7-4 loss to the Hurricanes on January 23rd. The 25-year-old netminder owns a 4-7-2 record and an underwhelming .871 SV% on the season. The Blue Jackets enter action in Utah on Friday at +180 on the money line.
Luukkonen will make his 37th start of the season when the Sabres host the Predators on Friday. Luukkonen was sharp in last time out, stopping 25 of the 27 shots he faced in a 7-2 victory over the Bruins on Tuesday. The 25-year-old netminder owns a 16-15-4 record and an .898 SV% on the season. Luukkonen and the Sabres enter action on Friday as slight underdogs at +108 on the money line.
Annunen has won his last four starts and will return to the crease on Friday against the Buffalo Sabres. The 24-year-old Annunen allowed five goals on 35 shots (.857 SV%) in his most recent outing but was able to shut the door when needed to secure a 6-5 victory over the San Jose Sharks. He has been solid since joining the Predators, posting a 2.65 GAA and .914 SV% through nine appearances (6-2-0). The Predators enter Friday's contest as -116 road favorites against a Sabres squad coming off a 7-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres.
Gourde has not played since January 2nd and will miss another five-to-seven weeks after undergoing sports hernia surgery. The 33-year-old forward is averaging 15:34 time-on-ice and has 16 points (6G / 10A) in 35 games. His name has floated around trade rumors recently and his return to the lineup should coincide with the upcoming March 7th trade deadline.
Tomkins served as Andrei Vasilevskiy's backup on Thursday due to Jonas Johansson (lower body) being out with an injury. The 30-year-old Tomkins has a 2.87 GAA and .900 SV% in 17 games (6-8-3) with Syracuse this season.
Goncalves has played a career-high 28 games with Tampa Bay this season, scoring three points (1G / 2A) and averaging 11:47 time-on-ice, but has been reassigned to the Syracuse Crunch (AHL). The 24-year-old started the season with Syracuse where he tallied 14 points (4G / 10A) in 11 games.
Askarov has been assigned back to the San Jose Barracuda (AHL), an indication that Vitek Vanecek (upper body) could be ready to return from an AHL conditioning stint. The 22-year-old Askarov has a 3.10 GAA and .896 SV% in 13 games with the Sharks this season (4-6-2).
Kovalenko exited Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken after only 8:58 time-on-ice due to an upper-body injury and will be out of the lineup until, at earliest, February 23rd when the Sharks visit the Calgary Flames in their first game back from the Four Nations Tournament hiatus. The 25-year-old Kovalenko is averaging 12:04 time-on-ice and has 16 points (5G / 11A) in 45 games this season.
Ginning was the 50th overall pick of the Flyers in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. The 25-year-old defenseman has played 11 career NHL games but has primarily been in the AHL. He has five points (1G / 4A) in 42 games with Lehigh Valley (AHL) this season.
Tavares has not played since January 14th, missing six games, but appears to be nearing a return after practicing on Friday. Before his injury, Tavares had been held off the scoresheet in three straight games but is still producing at a near point-per-game pace, scoring 42 points (20G / 22A) in 43 contests. The Maple Leafs return to action on Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers.
Kolosov started the 2024-25 season in the AHL but made his NHL debut shortly after. The 23-year-old returned to the AHL two week ago, where he has a 3.59 GAA and .874 SV% in seven games (2-4-1). He has a 3.45 GAA and .870 SV% in 15 games with the Flyers (4-8-1).
Zamula has not played the previous four games for the Flyers due to an upper-body injury and has been placed on Injured Reserve retroactive to January 23rd. Before his injury, the 24-year-old Zamula was averaging 16:52 time-on-ice and had 11 points (3G / 8A) in 39 games.
Gravel has worked his way into Nashville's lineup for three games this season, recording an assist, but has spent most of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL. The 32-year-old defenseman has 12 points (3G / 9A) in 35 games with the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) this season.
Evangelista has not played since January 7th due to a lower-body injury and could return to the lineup on Friday against the Buffalo Sabres. Before his injury, the 22-year-old Evangelista had 14 points (4G / 10A) in 39 games this season.
