Ersson was beginning to come to form lately, allowing only seven combined goals in his last five outings (3-0-1), posting a stellar .940 SV%. It's unclear the severity of the injury to Ersson, who already missed several games earlier this season. Ivan Fedotov will take the crease on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators in Ersson's absence.
Arvidsson is battling an undisclosed ailment and will miss his first game of the season on Thursday against the Nashville Predators. Most recently, the 31-year-old Arvidsson has been suiting up on a line with Leon Draisatl after struggling to find success in the early going of his first season with the Oilers, scoring five points (2G / 3A) in his first 16 games. Travis Dermott will draw into the Oilers lineup as Arvidsson's replacement with the team switching to an 11-forward, seven-defenseman formation.
The Bruins, fresh off a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, will turn to Swayman between the pipes for a third straight game. The 25-year-old Swayman is sporting a pedestrian 3.03 GAA and .896 SV% in 12 games (5-5-2). The Bruins enter the action on Thursday as +150 road underdogs against a Dallas Stars team that defeated them 5-2 three weeks ago when Swayman allowed four goals on 31 shots (.871 SV%).
Allen has been solid lately for the Devils and has earned himself his third start in the past six games. The 34-year-old Allen has a respectable 2.35 GAA and .914 SV% in six outings (3-2-1), highlighted by saving 57 of the last 58 shots he has faced (.983 SV%). The Devils enter the action on Thursday as +127 road underdogs against a Florida Panthers club they defeated 4-1 on Tuesday.
The Blues have lost three straight, outscored 15-5, and will turn to Binnington between the pipes on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres. The 31-year-old Binnington has an ugly 3.26 GAA and .887 SV% in 12 games this season (4-7-1). The Blues enter the action on Thursday as +146 road underdogs against a Sabres club coming off a 7-5 loss to the Montreal Canadiens that will be without Tage Thompson and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen due to injuries.
Raty played four straight for Vancouver, was reassigned to Abbotsford (AHL) on Wednesday as per a paper transaction, and has been recalled by Vancouver. The 21-year-old Raty was the 52nd overall pick of the New York Islanders in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He has seven points (3G / 4A) in eight AHL games with Abbotsford this season.
Lekkerimaki made his NHL debut on Tuesday, playing 14:07 time-on-ice, recording two shots and one hit, while seeing top-line and top-powerplay deployment. The 20-year-old Lekkerimaki was the 15th overall pick of the Canucks in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
Cernak was injured in Tampa Bay's previous game, but five days of rest between contests have given him enough time to recover and, likely, return to the lineup on Thursday. The 27-year-old Cernak is averaging 18:43 time-on-ice, has four points (0G / 4A), 19 blocks, and 21 hits in 14 games this season.
The Sharks will likely turn to Blackwood between the pipes on Thursday against the New York Rangers. The 27-year-old Blackwood has won three of his last four outings (3-1-0) and is coming off unquestionably his best performance of the season, a 44-save shutout in a 1-0 win over his former team, the New Jersey Devils. That said, the Sharks enter the action on Thursday as enormous +359 road underdogs against the New York Rangers.
Brodin exited Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks after playing 16:38 time-on-ice due to an upper-body injury. The 31-year-old Bordin is averaging 22:04 time-on-ice, second most among Minnesota defensemen, and has six points (1G / 5A) in 15 games this season.
Allen has been solid lately for the Devils and has likely earned himself his third start in the past six games. The 34-year-old Allen has a respectable 2.35 GAA and .914 SV% in six outings (3-2-1), highlighted by saving 57 of the last 58 shots he has faced (.983 SV%). The Devils enter the action on Thursday as +127 road underdogs against a Florida Panthers club they defeated 4-1 on Tuesday.
Mitchell is an undrafted 24-year-old from Cornell University. The left-shooting defenseman has spent the previous two seasons with the Bridgeport Islanders (AHL), scoring seven points (2G / 5A) in 42 combined games.
Oskar Back will re-enter the Stars lineup on Thursday, resulting in Bourque being a healthy scratch for the second time this season. Bourque, in his first NHL season, is averaging 11:06 time-on-ice and has two points (1G / 1A) in 10 games.
Mavrik Bourque will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Back to re-enter the lineup for the first time since November 7th. The 24-year-old Back, in his first NHL season, is averaging 9:58 time-on-ice and has one assist in nine games.
The Stars will turn to Oettinger between the pipes for a fourth consecutive game on Thursday when they host the Boston Bruins. Oettinger wasn't heavily tested in his previous outing, saving 20 of 21 shots (.952 SV%) in a 7-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, rebounding after 11 goals on 69 shots (.841 SV%) in his three games prior. The Stars enter the action on Thursday as -167 home favorites against a Bruins club with points in three straight (2-0-1).
Only 16 games into the 2024-25 season, the red-hot Jets are riding their second seven-game winning streak and will likely turn to Comrie between the pipes in a cross-conference matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Comrie has only played once in the past eight games but has been serviceable in limited action when called upon, posting a 2.67 GAA and .914 SV% in three games (3-0-0). The Jets enter Thursday's contest as slight -102 road favorites against a Lightning squad riding a four-game losing skid.
Tampa Bay is riding a season-worst four-game losing skid and will attempt to snap it on Thursday with Vasilevskiy between the pipes. The 30-year-old Vasilevskiy has been serviceable this season, albeit with an unspectacular 6-5-1 record, posting a 2.43 GAA and .910 SV%. That said, Tampa Bay enters the action on Thursday as slight -108 home underdogs against the league's best team, the Winnipeg Jets.
Drouin has not played since the first game of the season, missing 16 consecutive contests, but could return to the lineup on Friday against the Washington Capitals. After several forgetful seasons, the 29-year-old Drouin had a career-high 56 points (19G / 37A) in 79 games last season.
Wood has not played since October 28th but appears to be nearing an imminent return the the lineup after being activated from Injured Reserve. In 10 games this season, Wood has one goal, a -2 plus/minus, and is averaging 13:40 time-on-ice. He and Jonathan Drouin (upper body), also activated from IR, could both be options to return to the lineup on Friday.
Defenseman Darren Raddysh will draw into the Tampa Bay Lineup on Thursday, replacing Atkinson, an indication that they will likely go with an 11-forward, seven-defenseman formation. The 35-year-old Atkinson, a 41-goal scorer in the 2018-19 season, has one point (0G / 1A) and a -7 plus/minus in his first season with Tampa Bay.
