Lilleberg has not played in over 10 days due to an undisclosed injury, but should be back in the lineup on Thursday. The 25-year-old Norwegian defenseman played 50 games last season with the Lightning, tallying 12 points (4G / 8A) and averaging a career-high 17:18 time on ice. Charle-Edouard D'Astous will be a healthy scratch to accommodate Lilleberg's return.
Emil Lilleberg (undisclosed) will return to Tampa Bay's lineup on Thursday, with D'Astous on the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 28-year-old D'Astous had a solid rookie season in 2025-26, scoring 29 points (6G / 23A) and averaging 18:45 time on ice in 70 games. That said, his ice time has dipped significantly early in 2026-27, averaging just 14:34 time on ice, with one goal in six games.
Goncalves was a reliable depth producer for Tampa Bay last season, scoring 33 points (11G / 22A) in 74 games. That said, the 26-year-old forward is off to a slow start with zero points in six games and will head to the sidelines as a healthy scratch on Thursday. Dominic James, making his season debut, will enter the lineup as Goncalves' replacement.
With Jacob Markstrom battling an undisclosed injury, Schmid will tend the twine Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks. Schmid is coming off his first win of the season, saving 24 of 27 shots (.889 SV%) in a 7-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 26-year-old Swiss goalie has a 3.72 GAA and .875 SV% in three games this season (1-1-1). The Panthers enter Thursday's contest as significant -296 home favourites against a Vancouver Canucks team that has allowed a league-worst 38 goals through eight games (2-6-0).
Entering the 2026-27 season, the Devils' goaltending tandem of Jake Allen and Nico Daws faced scrutiny after failing to acquire a replacement number-one goalie following Jacob Markstrom's off-season departure. Six games into the season, the Devils have allowed an average of 3.67 goals per game, and the scrutiny has been justified, driven by poor showings from Nico Daws. The 25-year-old Daws has allowed nine goals on 51 shots (.824 SV%) in two games. He hopes to solidify his presence in the crease on Thursday, as the Devils enter action as -134 home favourites against a red-hot 6-2-0 New York Rangers team.
James spent all of training camp and the first week of the season recovering from a broken hand. He started the 2026-27 season with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) and played two games, but Tampa Bay has now recalled him. The 24-year-old forward made his NHL debut last season, tallying 15 points (7G / 8A) in 43 games with Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay has scored fewer than two goals in three of six games this season (4-2-0), leaving little margin for error for the goaltending. That said, Vasilevskiy, the reigning 2025-26 Vezina Trophy winner, has performed below expectations so far, posting a 2.45 GAA and a lowly .886 SV% in five outings (3-2-0). Tampa Bay enters Thursday's contest as a significant -257 home favourite against the surprisingly potent early-season offence of the Seattle Kraken, who average 4.14 goals per game through seven games (5-2-0).
With Jacob Markstrom battling an undisclosed injury, Schmid will tend the twine Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks. Schmid is coming off his first win of the season, saving 24 of 27 shots (.889 SV%) in a 7-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 26-year-old Swiss goalie has a 3.72 GAA and .875 SV% in three games this season (1-1-1). The Panthers enter Thursday's contest as significant -296 home favourites against a Vancouver Canucks team that has allowed a league-worst 38 goals through eight games (2-6-0).
Samuel Ersson had a poor showing in Ottawa's previous game, his second start of the season, and will return to his familiar role as understudy to Linus Ullmark, who has started the 2026-27 season tremendously. Ullmark is coming off a poor 2025-26 season, posting a 2.73 GAA and a career-worst .891 SV% in 49 games (28-12-8). That said, the 33-year-old Swedish goalie has been near-perfect this season, posting an absurd 1.27 GAA and a .948 SV% in five games (5-0-0). The Senators enter Thursday's contest as -157 home favourites against a 3-3-0 New York Islanders team.
Anthony Stolarz had a poor showing in Toronto's previous game, a 5-4 loss to the Utah Mammoth, failing to build on momentum from an encouraging opening couple of performances. As a result, the Maple Leafs will turn to Bobrovsky on Thursday. The 38-year-old Bobrovsky was serviceable in his last outing, stopping 30 of 33 shots (.909 SV%) in his first win of the season, a 6-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche. Bobrovsky has a 2.97 GAA and .907 SV% in four games (1-2-1). The Maple Leafs enter Thursday's contest as slight -113 home favourites against a Buffalo Sabres team that has been outscored 26-19 in seven games this season (3-3-1).
Crotty has not played in over a week due to an undisclosed injury, but should return to the lineup on Thursday against the New York Islanders. The 27-year-old Crotty played six games for Ottawa last season, averaging 14:55 time on ice and scoring one assist.
Zub missed all of training camp and has yet to play this season due to a knee injury he suffered in the playoffs. The 30-year-old defenseman has battled injuries in his career, but his coming off of a career-best season, scoring 30 points (5G / 25A) in 81 games.
Tanev exited Saturday's 6-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche in the first period after only 3:29 time-on-ice due to an upper-body injury. The 36-year-old defenseman has been plagued with injuries lately, and is coming off a 2025-26 season where he only played 11 games. The team has not provided a concrete update on Tanev, but he will be sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Surprisingly, Colorado hasn't leaned on Scott Wedgewood much this season and has relied on Blackwood between the pipes in five of their first six games. Wedgewood's tremendous 2025-26 season, posting a 2.02 GAA and .921 SV% in 45 appearances (31-6-6), should at least earn him close to a timeshare by season's end, even if the team is showing early-season favour for Blackwood. The 34-year-old Wedgewood saved 26 of 29 shots (.897 SV%) in his only game this season, a 7-3 win over the Calgary Flames. Colorado enters Wednesday's contest as -131 home favourites against a Dallas Stars team they defeated 3-2 yesterday.
