NHL Hockey Player News

Fix-Wolansky will fill in for Johnny Gaudreau, who is out with an illness. Fix-Wolansky has no goals and one assist in nine games this season.

Aube-Kubel will be the odd-man out on Thursday as Tom Wilson returns from his suspension. Aube-Kubel has six goals and ten assists in 55 games this season.

Watson will make his first appearance since March 24th, filling in for the injured Tanner Jeannot (upper-body). Watson has two goals and two assists in 30 games this season.

Fleury will get the night off as the Lightning opt to get some fresh legs into their lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Calvin de Haan will play in his place.

de Haan will make his first appearance since March 24th as the Lightning opt to get some fresh legs into their lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Haydn Fleury will sit in his place.

Jeannot was a surprise absence from Thursday's game in Montreal, with the team only announcing his absence at the start of warmups. Jeannot did not return to Wednesday's game against the Maple Leafs after his fight with Ryan Reaves in the third period, which is seemingly when the injury occurred.

Chychrun has been productive from the blueline lately but was a game-time decision for Thursday's game against the Florida Panthers after exiting practice early with an undisclosed injury. He has six points (4G / 2A) in his last five games.

Gaudreau was a surprise scratch on Thursday, with the Blue Jackets not announcing his absence prior to warmups. Columbus' 9.75 million-dollar-man has just 11 goals on the season, but has managed to rack up 45 assists in 75 games.

The Senators' five-game winning streak was snapped on Tuesday but they will turn to Korpisalo between the pipes for the third straight game. Korpisalo has been stellar lately, allowing three or fewer goals in five straight (4-1-0), but struggled in his most recent outing, allowing three goals on 20 shots (.850 SV%) in a 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild. The Senators enter action on Thursday as +138 home underdogs against the Florida Panthers.

With Jonas Johansson sidelined due to a lower-body injury and the Lightning playing their second game in as many nights, it will be Matt Tomkins who gets the nod in Montreal on Thursday. Tomkins has made three appearances with the Lightning this season, with the most recent being a 5-3 victory on November 7th, which coincidentally was also against the Canadiens in Montreal. It is the only victory of the 29-year-old's career to date, so he will be hoping for a repeat performance on Thursday. The Lightning enter the game as -160 favourites over the Habs.

It would appear that Darcy Kuemper is not fully confident that he will play on Thursday after leaving practice early due to an injury a day before as Hunter Shephard has been recalled from Hershey (AHL). The 28-year-old has appeared in four games this season with Washington and has a 2-1-1 record with a 3.19 GAA and .894 SV%.

Fast has missed the Hurricanes' previous six games due to an upper-body injury but will suit up on Thursday vs. Boston as he takes Jesperi Kotkaniemi's place in the lineup. The 32-year-old has six goals, 18 points, 14 PIMs and a +3 plus/minus in 66 games played before his injury.

Kotkaniemi will be the odd man out on Thursday as Jesper Fast returns to the Hurricanes' lineup after a six-game absence. Kotkaniemi has struggled to replicate his success from 2022-23 this season, as he only has 11 goals and 25 points in 75 games played before this scratch.

Carolina's goaltending carousel continues on Thursday as it is Frederik Andersen's turn at the Hurricanes' crease as he looks for his eighth straight victory and second straight shutout. The 34-year-old's last loss came on November 2nd after he missed time due to blood clots and has played sensational since returning with his 11-1-0 record, 1.86 GAA and .930 SV%. He will host the Boston Bruins on Thursday, who have won their last two games and are third in the NHL in points with 103 on the season.

Bains second stint with Vancouver did not go as planned after the forward appeared in three games and averaged less than 10 minutes per game TOI while picking up a -2 plus/minus. The 23-year-old was re-assigned to Abbotsford (AHL) on Thursday, where he has 14 goals and 49 points in 53 games played this season.

There were rumblings earlier in the week that Tomas Hertl could potentially return on Friday after taking full part in morning skates but will not do so officially according to head coach Bruce Cassidy. The 30-year-old was acquired at the Trade Deadline and is expected to provide updates on whether he will travel or not after Friday's morning skate. He currently has 15 goals and 34 points in 48 games played in 2023-24.

Roy left Tuesday's matchup against Vancouver after just 12:25 TOI due to an undisclosed injury and will be out on Friday after missing practice today. The 27-year-old is considered day-to-day going forward but is not expected to miss a large amount of time. He is in the middle of one of the best seasons of his seven-year career with 11 goals, 38 points, 107 SOG and 29 PIMs in 66 games played before the injury.

Danault has missed three games due to an upper-body injury and will be unavailable again for Thursday's contest against the San Jose Sharks. Danault has 42 points (17G / 25A) in 72 games this season but has been held off the scoresheet in his last three.

The Flames have lost six of their last seven and will turn to Wolf in the crease for the second time in the last four games. Wolf has lost three straight, allowing four goals twice, including his most recent outing when he allowed four goals on 18 shots (.778 SV%) in a 5-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues. The Flames enter action as +176 road underdogs on Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets

Ryan Carpenter will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Studnicka to draw back into the lineup. Studnicka has spent most of the 2023-24 campaign in the AHL, scoring 21 points (7G / 14A) in 36 games split between the Abbotsford Canucks and the San Jose Barracuda.