NHL Hockey Player News

Dumba has already missed eight games this season due to injuries and being a healthy scratch. The 30-year-old Dumba has not acclimated to Dallas' system as anticipated, spending lots of time on the third defensive pair after beginning the campaign playing alongside Miro Heiskanen. Dumba has one point (0G / 1A) and is averaging 15:33 time-on-ice, his lowest total since his rookie season. Lian Bichsel will draw into the lineup for his NHL debut on Thursday, replacing Dumba.

Bichsel was the 18th overall pick of the Stars in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 20-year-old defenseman is highly regarded in the Dallas system and will make his NHL debut with Matt Dumba battling an upper-body injury. Bichsel has nine points (3G / 6A) in 21 games with the Texas Stars (AHL) this season.

The Stars will roll with Oettinger between the pipes for a fourth straight game on Thursday when they host the Nashville Predators. Oettinger and the Stars have been off since Sunday when he saved 29 of 31 shots (.935 SV%) in a 6-2 win over the Calgary Flames. The 25-year-old Oettinger has a 2.43 GAA and .912 SV% in 20 games this season (14-6-0). The Stars enter Thursday's contest as sizeable -207 home favorites against a Predators club they defeated 4-3 on the opening night of the season.

Maple Leafs' head coach Craig Berube suggested that McMann could return to the lineup as soon as this weekend. Before his injury, McMann was providing decent secondary offense for the Maple Leafs, with his six goals, seven points and 52 SOG in 21 games played this season.

McCabe has not played since November 30th but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks. The 31-year-old McCabe is averaging 21:20 time-on-ice and has five points (0G / 5A) in 23 games.

The Maple Leafs have evenly alternated goaltenders the last few weeks but will reward Stolarz with a second consecutive start on Thursday against his former team, the Anaheim Ducks. Stolarz was tremendous in Tuesday's 2-1 overtime win over the New Jersey Devils, saving 38 of 39 shots (.974 SV%). The 30-year-old Stolarz has been excellent all season, posting a 2.13 GAA and .928 SV% in 16 games (9-5-2). The Maple Leafs enter Thursday's contest as enormous -408 home favorites against a Ducks club that was defeated 5-1 by the Ottawa Senators last night.

Haula has been battling an undisclosed ailment the past few games but hasn't missed any action. He will be a game-time decision on Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings. The 33-year-old has 11 points (5G / 6A) in 31 games this season.

Duclair has not played since suffering a lower-body injury in mid-October but has been upgraded to day-to-day after participating in practice on Thursday. The 30-year-old Duclair was signed in the offseason to add an offensive punch to a typically low-scoring Islanders club and was off to a solid start, with three points (2G / 1A) in five games.

Lee has been excellent for the Islanders lately but is battling an illness and could miss his first game of the season on Thursday against the Washington Capitals. The 34-year-old Lee has 24 points (13G / 11A) in 30 games this season, including scoring 11 (6G / 5A) in his last nine.

Barzal has not played since suffering an upper-body injury at the end of October but has be actively skating on his own the past few weeks. He returned to practice for the first time on Thursday and has been upgraded to day-to-day. After a stellar 2023-24 season, scoring 80 points (23G / 57A) in 80 games, Barzal started the 2024-25 campaign slowly, with only five points (2G / 3A) in 10 games.

The Islanders will roll with Sorokin between the pipes for a seventh straight game on Thursday when they host the Chicago Blackhawks. Despite an unspectacular 3-2-1 record, Sorokin has strung together some strong play over his last six games, allowing three or fewer goals five times and posting a solid .919 SV%. The Islanders enter Thursday's contest as -186 home favorites against a Blackhawks squad that snapped a five-game losing skid (0-5-0) on Monday with an impressive 2-1 win over the New York Rangers.

Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason made it clear on Wednesday that he was optimistic about Olivier's availability on Thursday. He suffered a lower-body injury in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers but will not miss any game time. The 27-year-old Olivier has 11 points (8G / 3A) in 28 games this season.

Pyyhtia has not played the past two games for the Blue Jackets but will draw back into the lineup on Thursday against the Washington Capitals. The 22-year-old is averaging 13:46 time-on-ice and has two points (1G / 1A) in 18 games this season.

Markstrom has a light night in Tuesday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, allowing two goals on 16 shots (.875 SV%), and will likely return to the crease on Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings. The 34-year-old Markstrom has been serviceable this season, posting a 2.48 GAA and .906 SV% in 21 games (13-6-2). The Devils enter Thursday's contest as -144 home favorites against a Kings club outscoring their opposition 21-8 during a season-best six-game winning streak.

The Islanders will roll with Sorokin between the pipes for a seventh straight game on Thursday when they host the Chicago Blackhawks. Despite an unspectacular 3-2-1 record, Sorokin has strung together some strong play over his last six games, allowing three or fewer goals five times and posting a solid .919 SV%. The Islanders enter Thursday's contest as -186 home favorites against a Blackhawks squad that snapped a five-game losing skid (0-5-0) on Monday with an impressive 2-1 win over the New York Rangers.

The Maple Leafs have evenly alternated goaltenders the last few weeks but will reward Stolarz with a second consecutive start on Thursday against his former team, the Anaheim Ducks. Stolarz was tremendous in Tuesday's 2-1 overtime win over the New Jersey Devils, saving 38 of 39 shots (.974 SV%). The 30-year-old Stolarz has been excellent all season, posting a 2.13 GAA and .928 SV% in 16 games (9-5-2). The Maple Leafs enter Thursday's contest as enormous -408 home favorites against a Ducks club that was defeated 5-1 by the Ottawa Senators last night.

Gravel has played 132 career NHL games but has exclusively been an AHL played since a 23-game stint with the Predators in the 2022-23 season. The 32-year-old defenseman has five points (1G / 4A) in 20 games with the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) this season.

Rifai made his NHL debut in the 2023-24 season, playing two games with the Maple Leafs, but has exclusively played in the AHL since. The undrafted 26-year-old defenseman has four points (2G / 2A) in 17 games with the Marlies (AHL) this season.

The 21-year-old Grebyonkin was the Maple Leafs' fifth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. He is playing in his first professional season in North America and has zero points in seven games with the Maple Leafs, but he has 10 points (4G / 6A) in 13 games in the AHL with the Marlies.