Paul will return from a six-game absence on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. Before his injury, Paul was pacing for the best offensive season of his career with 13 points (5G / 8A) in 17 games.
Kucherov will not play on Thursday, missing a second straight game, but Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper is hopeful he will play on their upcoming three-game road trip. The 31-year-old Kucherov is among the league leaders with 34 points (12G / 22A) in 22 games this season.
The Sabres will attempt to snap a four-game losing skid on Thursday with Luukkonen between the pipes. The 25-year-old Luukkonen has been serviceable this season, posting a 2.69 GAA and .906 SV% in 17 games (8-6-2), but has struggled lately. In his last two games (0-1-1), Luukkonen has allowed nine goals on 63 shots (.857 SV%). The Sabres enter the action on Thursday as +115 home underdogs against a Winnipeg Jets club amid a four-game losing streak (0-4-0).
With Semyon Varlamov (lower body) day-to-day, Sorokin will start for the third consecutive game on Thursday against the Seattle Kraken. The 29-year-old Sorokin has been solid this season, posting a 2.48 GAA and .916 SV% in 16 games (6-6-4). He has saved 54 of 56 shots faced (.964 SV%) over his last two outings (1-0-1). The Islanders enter Thursday's contest as -125 home favorites against a Kraken club coming off an impressive 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Flyers are riding a three-game winning streak and will turn to Fedotov between the pipes on Thursday against the Florida Panthers. The 28-year-old Fedotov has a 3.39 GAA and .881 SV% in nine games (4-4-1) but was solid in his previous outing, saving 22 of 23 shots (.957 SV%) in a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers. The Flyers enter Thursday's contest as +148 home underdogs against a Panthers club with points in four straight (3-0-1).
Johnson was the 31st overall pick of the Sabres in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. The 23-year-old defenseman made his NHL debut last season, scoring seven points (0G / 7A) in 41 games. He has spent the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign with the Rochester Americans (AHL), scoring five points (0G / 5A) in 21 games. Johnson's call-up may indicate that Rasmus Dahlin (back spasms) could miss some time.
With Semyon Varlamov (lower body) day-to-day, the Islanders have recalled Hogberg. The 30-year-old Hogberg has a 2.97 GAA and .908 SV% in 10 games (2-4-3) with Bridgeport (AHL) this season.
The Islanders have recalled goalie Marcus Hodberg from Bridgeport (AHL) on an emergency basis with Varlamov sidelined due to a lower-body injury. If Varlamov misses any time, expect Ilya Sorokin to see the entire workload between the pipes for the Islanders.
Zegras left Wednesday's game vs. Vegas after just 6:08 TOI with an ugly-looking lower-body injury and did not return. It is a tough loss for the Ducks as the 23-year-old has been playing better as of late, with seven points (3G/4A) in his last nine games. Anaheim is expected to provide a further update in the upcoming days.
Burroughs will get the chance to make his first appearance since November 7th as the Kings are opting to dress seven defencemen on Wednesday. Burroughs has no goals and one assist in eight games with the Kings this season.
Samsonov will make his tenth start of the season on Wednesday as the Golden Knights play out the tail-end of their back-to-back in Anaheim. Samsonov endured one of his worst starts of the season his last time out, allowing six goals on 28 shots in a 6-0 defeat at the hands of Utah. He owns a 5-3-1 record and an .892 SV% on the season. He's got a good chance of getting back in the win column on Wednesday as the Golden Knights enter action at -160 on the money line.
The Predators will attempt to snap a four-game losing skid on Wednesday and likely turn to Saros between the pipes. Despite the team's recent struggle, Saros has played serviceably, allowing three or fewer goals in 12 of his last 13 (4-5-4) and posting a stellar .921 SV%. The Predators enter Wednesday's contest as +138 road underdogs against a Toronto Maple Leafs club that has won five of its last six (5-1-0).
The Maple Leafs have received tremendous goaltending from both netminders on most nights and will roll with Woll between the pipes on Wednesday against the Nashville Predators. The 26-year-old Woll is sporting a solid 2.13 GAA and .923 SV% in eight games this season (6-2-0). He has allowed three or fewer goals in seven straight (6-1-0), posting a .933 SV%. The Maple Leafs enter the action on Wednesday as -135 home favorites against a Predators club amid a four-game losing skid.
Swayman will make his 19th start of the season when the Bruins travel to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks on Wednesday. Swayman picked up just his seventh win of the season his last time out, stopping 25 of the 28 shots he faced in a 6-3 victory over the Canadiens. Swayman has been in a bit of a groove of late after struggling mightily to begin the season, posting a .929 SV% across his last four starts. He's got a good chance of staying in the win column on Wednesday as the Bruins enter action at -150 on the money line.
Boyd has performed well with Iowa this season, scoring two goals and adding nine assists in 13 games. He'll look to make a stronger impression with Minnesota after going pointless in his only two NHL games this season.
Johnson is yet to make his Wild debut after signing with the team in the off-season. He scored two goals and added three assists in 42 games with the Blackhawks last season, and has totaled nine points in 18 AHL games this season.
Darcy Kuemper (undisclosed) is nearing a return to the lineup, but Rittich will continue his hold of the Kings' crease on Wednesday against the Dalla Stars. Rittich was solid in his previous outing, saving 20 of 22 shots (.909 SV%) in a 5-2 win over the Ottawa Senators. The 32-year-old Czech netminder has a 2.48 GAA and .887 SV% in 16 games (9-6-0). The Kings enter Wednesday's contest as slight -102 home underdogs against a Stars club riding a three-game winning streak.
The Stars are riding a three-game winning streak, outscoring their opposition 10-5, and will turn to Oettinger between the pipes on Tuesday night in Los Angeles. The 25-year-old Oettinger saved 26 of 27 shots (.963 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 3-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets, and has a 2.38 GAA and .915 SV% through 17 games this season (13-4-0). The Stars enter Wednesday's contest as slight -108 home favorites against the Kings.
Lauko has not played since November 25th, missing five straight games, but is still considered day-to-day. The 24-year-old Lauko is averaging 10:16 time-on-ice and has four points (2G / 2A) in 21 games this season.
Brodin has missed four straight games due to an upper-body injury. The 31-year-old Brodin has already missed six games this season. He is averaging 22:08 time-on-ice and has eight points (2G / 6A) in 19 games.
