In his first season with the Maple Leafs, Benoit has five points (1G / 4A), 205 hits and 82 blocked shots in 54 games. Benoit gives the Maple Leafs a rugged depth defenseman who will serve as a third-pairing guy during his contract.
Head coach Luke Richardson described Zaitsev's departure as a combination of illness and a nagging upper-body injury. Jarred Tinordi would likely come into the lineup to replace Zaitsev if he's unavailable for Saturday's game in Philadelphia.
Vaakanainen will draw right back into the lineup after sitting out Tuesday's game as Owen Zellweger will be the odd-man out on Thursday. Vaakanainen has one goal and twelve assists in 61 games this season.
Zellweger will be the odd-man out on Thursday as Urho Vaakanainen draws back into the lineup. Zellweger has no goals and three assists in 17 games this season.
Del Gaizo returns to Milwaukee after a four-game stint with the Predators as Spencer Stastney is set to return from his upper-body injury. Del Gaizo has eight goals and 24 assists in 51 AHL games with the Admirals this season.
Glass will get the chance to play in Arizona on Thursday as Anthony Beauvillier draws out of the lineup. Glass has five goals and five assists in 36 games this season.
Beauvillier will take a seat on Thursday as Cody Glass draws into the Predators' lineup. Beauvillier has no goals and one assist in eight games with the Predators.
Stastney returned to the Predators lineup last Wednesday but abruptly exited the contest after playing 13:27 time-on-ice due to an upper-body injury. Stastney spent an early portion of the season with the Predators but has spent most of the 2023-24 campaign in the AHL. In 44 games with the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL), he has 20 points (5G / 15A).
With Thatcher Demko still sidelined due to injury, the Canucks will continue to roll with DeSmith in the net. DeSmith has started six straight and saw his three-game winning streak snapped in his last outing when he allowed three goals on 19 shots (.842 SV%) in a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. The Canucks enter action as slight +102 home underdogs against the Dallas Stars.
Saros picked up his fifth-straight victory his last time out, allowing four goals on 35 shots as the Predators edged the Golden Knights in overtime by a score of 5-4. It's no surprise that Nashville's incredible hot streak has coincided with their star netminder rediscovering his form. Saros is 12-0-2 with a .932 SV% across his last 14 starts. He and the Predators are in a great spot to stay in the win column on Thursday, being favoured to win at -165 in Arizona.
Evans left Sunday's contest vs. Montreal due to a lower-body injury after only 2:22 TOI and did not play on Tuesday. The 22-year-old rookie looks likely to return to the lineup on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks and will look to add to his eight points (1G/7A) and 30 SOG in 25 games.
Daccord recorded a 12-save shutout against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, but Seattle will turn to Grubauer in Thursday's rematch. Grubauer has lost five straight, allowing three or more goals four times, including four on six shots (.333 SV%) before being pulled in his last outing, a 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. That said, Seattle enters action as a sizeable -217 home favourite against the Ducks.
Dostal will be back between the pipes for the Ducks on Thursday after John Gibson got the nod in Tuesday's 4-0 loss to the Kraken. Dostal's last appearance came against the Lightning on Sunday. He allowed three goals on 27 shots in the overtime loss. The 23-year-old netminder has posted a respectable .901 SV% across 36 appearances for a struggling Ducks team this season. He draws yet another tough matchup on Thursday as Anaheim finds themselves as +195 underdogs in Seattle.
The Kings have gotten healthier of late which has limited Moverare's game time, so they've opted to send him back down to Ontario where he can command a larger role. He has one goal in 19 games with the Kings this season.
Lindgren left last Sunday's game after a scary leg injury that fortunately left him with only a week-to-week prognosis and will be able to return on Thursday. The 26-year-old defenseman has two goals, 13 points, 60 SOG, 30 PIMs and a +19 plus/minus through 66 games played before his injury.
The Kings are riding a four-game winning streak and will turn to Talbot to tend the twine for the third straight contest. Talbot has been excellent lately, winning four straight, allowing three or fewer goals in each and posting a stellar .929 SV%. The Kings enter action as +135 road underdogs against an Edmonton Oilers club that defeated them 4-2 last month
Lucchini will get a chance to play on Thursday in place of the injured Marcus Foligno (undisclosed). Lucchini has two goals and one assist in 30 games this season.
The Jets are amid their worst stretch of the season, riding a four-game losing skid, being outscored 17-7. Largely the Vezina-favourite for most of the season, Hellebuyck has been inconsistent lately, allowing three or more goals in three straight games (0-3-0), posting an ugly .862 SV%. The Jets will look to rebound on Thursday as -119 home favourites against the Vegas Golden Knights.
With Adin Hill (undisclosed) still sidelined, Thompson will likely start for the Golden Knights on Thursday. Thompson was stellar in his last outing, saving 32 of 32 shots (.969 SV%) in a 2-1 overtime victory over the St. Louis Blues, and has only allowed one goal in each of his last three starts (3-0-0). The Golden Knights enter action as +108 road underdogs against a Winnipeg Jets club riding a four-game losing skid.
Kylington has been a regular in the lineup since making his season debut in January but will miss his first game since then due to an undisclosed ailment. The 26-year-old Kylington has five points (2G / 3A) while averaging 16:44 of time-on-ice through 24 games this season.
