Hayes, an undrafted 23-year-old forward, has 23 points (13G / 10A) in 31 games this season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL). He will make his NHL debut in Buffalo on Thursday, slotting in for Noel Acciari (illness).
Acciari is battling an illness and is unavailable for Pittsburgh's final game before the Olympic break. The 34-year-old Acciari has 15 points (6G / 9A) in 42 games this season.
Wood was reassigned to able to spend the Olympic break playing in AHL games for the Admirals. The 2023 first-rounder has nine goals and eight assists in 46 games this season.
Thompson has been sidelined with an upper-body injury for nearly two weeks, but will return to the lineup on Thursday before he joins Team Canada at the upcoming Winter Olympics. The 28-year-old Thompson was battling some adversity before his injury, posting a sub- .900 SV% in four of his last five games (1-4-0). The Capitals enter the action on Thursday as -159 home favourites against a Nashville Predators team that has scored four or more goals in three straight games (2-0-1).
Quick allowed five goals on 33 shots (.848 SV%) in his previous outing, a 6-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. High-scoring losses have become a regularity of late for Quick and the struggling Rangers. The 40-year-old veteran goalie has just one win in his last 10 games (1-8-1) while posting an abysmal 4.67 GAA and .825 SV%. The Rangers enter Thursday's contest as +180 home underdogs against a Carolina Hurricanes team with points in nine straight games (7-0-2).
Lyon has seen most of the action while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) has been sidelined, and will return to the crease on Thursday in Buffalo's final game before the Olympic break. The 33-year-old Lyon was stellar in his previous outing, saving 38 of 41 shots (.927 SV%) in a 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers. He has just one loss in his last 12 outings (11-1-0), boasting an impressive 2.13 GAA and .929 SV% in that stretch. The Sabres enter Thursday's contest as -121 home favourites against a Pittsburgh Penguins team on a two-game losing streak (0-1-1).
On the tail end of a back-to-back, heading into their final game before the Olympic Break, the Panthers will undergo numerous lineup changes. Regulars Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues, and Aaron Ekblad will exit the lineup in favour of Luke Kunin, Jesper Boqvist, and Donovan Sebrango. The 29-year-old Ekblad is averaging 22:25 time-on-ice, recording 21 points (3G / 18A), 67 hits, and 88 blocks in 55 games this season.
On the tail end of a back-to-back, heading into their final game before the Olympic Break, the Panthers will undergo numerous lineup changes. Regulars Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues, and Aaron Ekblad will exit the lineup in favour of Luke Kunin, Jesper Boqvist, and Donovan Sebrango. Brad Marchand returned from a one-week absence in Florida's previous game and is likely just out for maintenance before he joins Team Canada at the Olympics. The 37-year-old Marchand is having an outstanding season, with 50 points (25G / 25A) in 46 games.
Hovorka is an undrafted Czech defenseman that has yet to play an NHL game. The 24-year-old Hovorka has spent the past two seasons in the AHL and has 10 points (2G / 8A) through 30 games with the Charlotte Checkers (AHL) this season.
On the tail end of a back-to-back, heading into their final game before the Olympic Break, the Panthers will undergo numerous lineup changes. Regulars Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues, and Aaron Ekblad will exit the lineup in favour of Luke Kunin, Jesper Boqvist, and Donovan Sebrango. The 27-year-old Boqvist is averaging 10:52 time-on-ice and has seven points (3G / 4A) in 50 games this season.
On the tail end of a back-to-back, heading into their final game before the Olympic Break, the Panthers will undergo numerous lineup changes. Regulars Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues, and Aaron Ekblad will exit the lineup in favour of Luke Kunin, Jesper Boqvist, and Donovan Sebrango. The 24-year-old Sebrango has not played in over three weeks and has two assists in 18 games this season.
On the tail end of a back-to-back, heading into their final game before the Olympic Break, the Panthers will undergo numerous lineup changes. Regulars Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues, and Aaron Ekblad will exit the lineup in favour of Luke Kunin, Jesper Boqvist, and Donovan Sebrango. The 32-year-old Rodrigues has 25 points (10G / 15A) in 56 games this season.
On the tail end of a back-to-back, heading into their final game before the Olympic Break, the Panthers will undergo numerous lineup changes. Regulars Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues, and Aaron Ekblad will exit the lineup in favour of Luke Kunin, Jesper Boqvist, and Donovan Sebrango. The 28-year-old Kunin has four points (2G / 2A) in 42 games this season.
On the tail end of a back-to-back, the Panthers will turn to Tarasov on Thursday to tend the twine against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 26-year-old Tarasov has played well lately, but allowed five goals on 31 shots (.839 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 5-4 loss to the St. Louis Blues. Before that, he was riding a four-game winning streak, posting a stellar 1.25 GAA and .946 SV%. The Panthers enter Thursday's contest as +160 road underdogs against a Lightning team that leads the Eastern Conference.
With Linus Ullmark battling an illness, Shepard has been recalled from Belleville (AHL) to serve as James Reimer's backup against the Philadelphia Flyers. The 30-year-old goalie has a 3.63 GAA and .888 SV% in 14 games with Belleville this season (6-6-2).
Linus Ullmark is battling an illness and will not play in Ottawa's final game before the Olympic break, but should resume his role as the starting goalie when play resumes in late February. Ottawa recalled Hunter Shepard from Belleville (AHL) to serve as James Reimer's backup on Thursday.
Linus Ullmark is battling an illness, so he will be unavailable on Thursday, resulting in Reimer tending the twine against the Philadelphia Flyers. The 37-year-old Reimer allowed four goals in 19 shots (.789 SV%) in Ottawa's previous game, a 4-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. He has a sub- .900 SV% in four straight games (1-3-0). The Senators enter Thursday's contest as -132 road favourites against a Flyers team coming off a 4-2 win over the Washington Capitals.
Wiesblatt has not played the past two games for the Predators, but he will return to the lineup in their final game before the Olympic break. The 23-year-old forward is averaging 10:28 time-on-ice and has four points (1G / 3A) in 29 games this season.
Point has not played in over three weeks due to a lower-body injury and has been taken off of Team Canada's roster for the upcoming Winter Olympics. Carolina's Seth Jarvis has been announced as Point's replacement. The 29-year-old Point has had a down season, with 30 points (11G / 19A) in 37 games, but was starting to return to his elite production before his injury, scoring 19 points (8G / 11A) in his last 15 games.
With the emergence of Connor Ingram in Edmonton's crease, Pickard had not played since January 8th and will now be assigned to Bakersfield (AHL) after clearing waivers. The 33-year-old Pickard struggled between the pipes this season, with a 3.68 GAA and .871 SV% in 16 appearances (5-6-2).
