With their playoff position firmly secured, the Hurricanes will give Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Andrei Svechnikov the night off on Thursday. Bradly Nadeau, Skyler Brind'Amour, and Charles-Alexis Legault will all slot in after being recalled on Wednesday.
With their playoff position firmly secured, the Hurricanes will give Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, and Sebastian Aho the night off on Thursday. Bradly Nadeau, Skyler Brind'Amour, and Charles-Alexis Legault will all slot in after being recalled on Wednesday.
The Hurricanes are on the tail-end of a back-to-back, so Andersen will get the start when they travel to Chicago on Thursday. Andersen struggled in his last start, surrendering five goals on 30 shots in a 6-3 loss in Ottawa on Sunday. The 13-year-veteran has endured an up-and-down season between the pipes, posting a 14-14-5 record and an .870 SV% across 33 appearances. Luckily for Andersen, he does draw a favourable matchup on Thursday, as the Hurricanes enter action at -210 on the money line.
Tampa Bay is in a zero-margin-for-error battle with the Buffalo Sabres for the top seed in the Atlantic Division, and will turn to Vasilevskiy on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. The 31-year-old Vasilevskiy allowed three goals on 29 shots (.897 SV%) in a 4-2 losing effort to the Buffalo Sabres in his previous outing. In his last 10 games (7-2-1), Vasilevskiy has a 2.42 GAA and .897 SV%. Tampa Bay enters the action on Thursday as -114 road favourites against a Montreal team that defeated them 4-1 less than two weeks ago.
Stecher has been in and out of the lineup lately, and will return from a one-game absence to play on Thursday against the New York Islanders. The 32-year-old defenseman has zero points and a concerning -7 plus/minus rating in his last four games.
Lyon is battling a lower-body injury that will keep him sidelined week-to-week and award Colten Ellis with his first start in over two months. The 33-year-old Lyon has struggled in recent outings, resulting in his starting only one of the team's last five games. The team hopes Lyon will be back in time for the playoffs and that the extended off-time can help him reset and return to his early-season form.
With Alex Lyon (lower body) out week-to-week, Buffalo will turn to Ellis on the tail end of a back-to-back for his first start in over two months. The 25-year-old Ellis has been with the Sabres for most of the season, frequently suiting up as the team's backup goalie to keep their tandem fresh. He appeared in a game last week in relief of Lyon, saving 20 of 23 shots (.870 SV%) in an eventual 6-2 loss to the Washington Capitals. The Sabres enter Thursday's contest as slight -102 home underdogs against a Columbus Blue Jackets team desperate to stay within reach of the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Carlile has not played in nearly a month due to an undisclosed injury, but has been activated off of IR with four games remaining in Tampa Bay's season. The 25-year-old Carlile was averaging 14:37 time-on-ice and had three points (1G / 2A) in 38 games before his injury.
The Jets have a game in hand and are four points back of the Nashville Predators for the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, and have no margin for error with only five games remaining in their regular season. Hellebuyck has struggled for most of the 2025-26 season, but has given his team a chance on most nights in recent outings. The 32-year-old goalie has won five of his last seven games (5-2-0) while posting a solid 2.16 GAA and .910 SV%. The Jets enter Thursday's contest as slight -103 road underdogs against the St. Louis Blues, whom they defeated 3-2 last month.
Villeneuve was drafted in the fourth-round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Maple Leafs, but he has yet to play an NHL game. The 24-year-old defenseman has spent the past few seasons in the AHL and has 28 points (3G / 25A) in 58 games with the Marlies (AHL) this season.
Haymes is an undrafted forward that has spent the past two seasons in the AHL. The 22-year-old has yet to play and NHL game and has 32 points (17G / 15A) in 63 games with the Toronto Marlies (AHL) this season.
With Kevin Lankinen (upper body) sidelined, the Canucks' crease likely belongs to Tolopilo until he returns. Tolopilo was excellent in Vancouver's previous game, saving 27 of 29 shots (.931 SV%), but did not receive enough goal support in a 2-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. The 26-year-old goalie has lost five straight games (0-5-0). The Canucks enter Thursday's contest as sizeable +235 road underdogs against a Los Angeles Kings team that desperately needs a win to stay in contention of a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.
Knight has been a steadying force in his first full season with a defensively porous Blackhawks team, but he struggled to keep the team afloat in recent weeks. The 24-year-old goalie has a sub- .900 SV% in six of his last nine games (1-5-3) and has just three wins in his last 18 outings (3-10-5) while posting a 3.05 GAA and .897 SV%. The Blackhawks enter Thursday's contest as +185 home underdogs against an Eastern Conference-leading Carolina Hurricanes team that has scored four or more goals in four of its last five games (4-1-0).
With their playoff hopes on the line, the Kings will turn to Forsberg, who has been far more reliable than Darcy Kuemper lately. The 33-year-old Forsberg was outstanding in his most recent outing, saving 29 of 31 shots (.935 SV%) in a 3-2 shootout win over the Nashville Predators. He has a 1.75 GAA and .939 SV% in his last four appearances (2-1-0). The Kings enter Thursday's contest as significant -270 home favourites against a Vancouver Canucks team on a three-game losing streak (0-3-0).
Carter Hart's return from a lower-body injury coincided with the hiring of new Head Coach John Tortorella, who was his former bench boss with the Flyers. Tortorella has shown allegiance to his former goalie, Hart, who has started all three games during his tenure with the Golden Knights (3-0-0). That said, Hill will get his first start in over a week and hopes to prove himself to Tortorella. Hill saved 22 of 24 shots (.917 SV%) in his previous game, a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. In his last 13 games (5-6-2), Hill has a 2.79 GAA and .872 SV%. The Golden Knights enter Thursday's contest as -179 road favourites against a free-falling Seattle Kraken team on a six-game losing streak (0-5-1).
Kevin Bahl (lower body) will not play on Thursday, allowing Pachal to return from a one-week absence. The 26-year-old Pachal is averaging 13:46 time-on-ice and has four assists in 35 games this season.
Beecher has not played in nearly two weeks, but will re-enter the lineup on Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche. The 25-year-old Beecher is averaging 10:22 time-on-ice and has seven points (3G / 4A) in 34 games this season.
Olofsson has shown stints of an impressive offensive abilities over the course of his career, but has struggled staying consistent, a trend that has continued since joining the Flames at the trade deadline. The 30-year-old forward has six points (2G / 4A) in 14 games with Calgary.
Bahl has played in all but one game this season, but will be sidelined for at least the next two games as he tends to a lower-body injury. The 25-year-old Bahl is averaging 21:57 time-on-ice and has 18 points (4G / 14A) in 76 games this season. Brayden Pachal will re-enter Calgary's lineup as Bahl's replacement.
Pospisil played 81 games in the 2024-25 season, but has been in and out of the lineup since making his 2025-26 debut in late January. The 26-year-old Slovak forward has three points (1G / 2A) and 78 hits in 21 games this season.
