Cole Koepke will be a healthy scratch on Friday against the Colorado Avalanche, allowing Pearson to re-enter the lineup. The 33-year-old Pearson has five points (4G / 1A) in 27 games this season.
Dostal's last outing was in Monday's 4-1 win over the New York Rangers, an excellent effort where he saved 26 of 27 shots (.963 SV%). The 25-year-old Czech goalie returns to the crease on Friday against the Dallas Stars, looking to build on a 2.73 GAA and .905 SV% in 19 games (12-6-1). Dostal struggled in a meeting against the Stars last month, allowing five goals on 26 shots (.808 SV%), but salvaged a 7-5 victory. The Ducks enter the action on Friday as slight -100 home underdogs.
Leonard is only two weeks into his initial three-to-four week recovery timeline and is seemingly slightly ahead of schedule, returning to practice on Friday. The 21-year-old rookie was starting to come into his own before his injury, scoring 10 points (4G / 6A) in his last nine games.
Just one week after acquiring Jarry in a trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Oilers are already facing a scare in the crease after he left Thursday's 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins late in the second period. Jarry will miss at least one week after being placed on Injured Reserve, but the extent of his injury has not yet been revealed. The Oilers recalled Connor Ingram from Bakersfield (AHL) in a corresponding move, but Calvin Pickard will likely occupy the crease during Jarry's absence.
With Tristan Jarry (lower body) placed on Injured Reserve, Edmonton has recalled Ingram from Bakersfield (AHL). Unless Ingram establishes himself as a reliable option for Edmonton, expect Calvin Pickard to see the bulk of action during Jarry's absence. The 28-year-old Ingram has an ugly 4.04 GAA and .856 SV% in 11 games (4-5-2) this season in the AHL with Bakersfield.
Injuries have lessened Wedgewood's workload lately, but back to full health, he has remained solid for Colorado and will return to the crease on Friday against the Winnipeg Jets. The 33-year-old Wedgewood has a stellar 2.11 GAA and .920 SV% in 21 games (14-1-4). He has never won more than 16 games in a season and is on pace to shatter that total in 2025-26. The Avalanche enter the action on Friday as sizable -245 home favourites against a Jets team that has struggled to produce offence, coming off a 1-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues.
Hinostroza has been sidelined with an upper-body injury for a month, but could potentially return on Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers. The 31-year-old Hinostroza has five points (2G / 3A) in 22 games this season.
Kozak was limited to only 4:46 time-on-ice in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers, exiting the game with an upper-body injury. The 22-year-old Kozak has four points (2G / 2A) in 24 games this season.
Middleton has not played in nearly two weeks due to an upper-body injury, but could be an option to return on Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers. The 29-year-old defenseman is averaging 18:08 time-on-ice and has six assists in 28 games this season.
Zuccarello missed the first month of the season with a lower-body injury and has been sidelined again for nearly two weeks due to an upper-body injury. That said, he is nearing a return to the lineup and could be an option on Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers. The 38-year-old Zuccarello has been effective when healthy, with 12 points (2G / 10A) in 15 games.
Brodin exited last Thursday's game against the Dallas Stars late in the third period and has not played since. He was retroactively placed on Injured Reserve and, but could potentially return on Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers. The 32-year-old defenseman is averaging 22:05 time-on-ice and has nine points (3G / 6A) in 30 games this season.
Johansson has not played since exiting Sunday's 6-2 win over the Boston Bruins after only 7:57 time-on-ice due to a lower-body injury. The 35-year-old Johansson is pacing for a career yet with the Wild, scoring 26 points (11G / 15A) through 33 games. His status for Saturday's game against the Edmonton Oilers remains up in the air.
Hunt's Tuesday night was cut short due to an undisclosed injury, exiting the game midway through the first period. He has been retroactively played on Injured Reserve due to an undisclosed injury and is out week-to-week. The 23-year-old Hunt has two assists in 12 games this season.
Minnesota has been sensational lately and has continued that dominance since acquiring Quinn Hughes in a trade one week ago. They will look to extend their winning streak to seven games, turning to Gustavsson to tend the twine on Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers. The 27-year-old Gustavsson is coming off his third shutout of the season, a 25-save outing in a 5-0 win over the Washington Capitals.
Vejmelka was excellent in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings, saving 27 of 28 shots, and is quietly putting together a nice string of games. The 29-year-old Czech goalie has won three straight, posting a decent 2.75 GAA and .901 SV%. The Mammoth enters Friday's contest as -134 home favorites against a New Jersey Devils team that has struggled to score, tallying just two goals in its last two games (1-1-0).
Kotkaniemi has been a healthy scratch for the past few games, but will re-enter the lineup on Friday against the Florida Panthers. The 26-year-old Kotkaniemi recently returned from a multi-week absence due to an injury, and has a -2 plus/minus while averaging 12:22 time-on-ice in his two games since returning.
If not for an injury to Pyotr Kochetkov to start the 2025-26 season, Bussi would likely not be in the mix for the Hurricanes, but excellent play has earned him his fourth start in the last six games. The 27-year-old Bussi, a first-year NHLer, has a solid 2.05 GAA and .911 SV% in 12 games this season (11-1-0). Even better, he boasts a 1.55 GAA and .929 SV% in his last six games (6-0-0). The Hurricanes enter the action on Friday as -131 road favorites against a Panthers team that has won six of its last seven games (6-1-0).
Martinook was limited to only 5:44 time-on-ice in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators, exiting the game with a lower-body injury. The 33-year-old has 11 points (4G / 7A) in 33 games and will be out of the lineup on Friday against the Florida Panthers.
Detroit is coming off a 4-1 loss to the Utah Mammoth, but they have been excellent lately when relying on John Gibson, who will return to the crease on Saturday against the Washington Capitals. The 32-year-old Gibson struggled early in his tenure with the Red Wings, but is sporting an exceptional 1.65 GAA and .946 SV% in his last five games (5-0-0).
