Kulikov was limited to only 7:47 time-on-ice before exiting Thursday's contest against the Philadelphia Flyers. His status is uncertain for Saturday's contest against the Ottawa Senators.
Hanifin was a late scratch on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks due to an undisclosed injury. The 24-year-old Hanifin played 24:00 time-on-ice in the Golden Knights' season-opener and it's unclear if he will be ready when Vegas return to the ice on Saturday against the Seattle Kraken.
Dunne was recalled several times last season by the Sabres but only drew into the lineup twice. With Josh Norris (upper-body) sidelined for at least one game, Dunne gets an opportunity again. The 26-year-old Dunne scored 29 points (10G / 19A) in 68 games with the Rochester Americans (AHL) last season.
Daccord has played his way into being Seattle's starting netminder the previous two seasons and will tend the twine in their season-opening matchup on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks. The 29-year-old Daccord posted a solid 2.75 GAA and .906 SV% in a career-high 57 games last season (27-23-5). With Philipp Grubauer's porous play the previous few seasons with Seattle, expect Daccord to get the vast majority of starts again in 2025-26. Seattle enters Thursday's matchup as -126 home favorites against an improved Ducks team that is expected to battle for a playoff spot this season.
On the tail end of a back-to-back, a night after a season-opening 6-5 shootout loss to the Los Angeles Kings, the Golden Knights will turn to Schmid between the pipes on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. Schmid spent most of the 2024-25 season with the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL), but was excellent in limited NHL action with the Golden Knights, posting a 1.26 GAA and .944 SV% in five appearances (2-0-1). If the 25-year-old Schmid can put together some strong performances early, he could be in line for topping his career-high of 19 games played in a season. The Golden Knights enter Thursday's contest as -194 road favorites against a Sharks team that finished last season with the worst record in the NHL (20-50-12).
The Canucks will roll with Demko in their crease in Thursday's season-opening game against the Calgary Flames and hope he can return to the form that made him a Vezina runner-up in 2023-24. The 29-year-old Demko missed most of the 2024-25 season due to injury and battled adversity when called upon, posting a 2.90 GAA and .889 SV% in 23 games (10-8-3). The Canucks enter Thursday's contest as sizable -205 home favorites against a Flames team coming off a 4-3 shootout win over the Edmonton Oilers last night.
Wolf will somewhat surprisingly get the nod on Thursday as the Flames opt to start him for the second time in as many nights to open their 2025-26 season. Wolf was excellent in Wednesday's season opener in Edmonton, stopping 32 of the 35 shots he faced enroute to a 4-3 shootout victory. Wolf and the Flames enter action on Thursday at +175 on the money line.
Trocheck exited Thursday's game in the second period and was unable to return. We should get an update on his status ahead of the Rangers' game in Pittsburgh on Saturday.
With the offseason departure of Connor Ingram, Vejmelka will likely see a heavy workload in the 2025-26 season, starting with Utah's season opener against the Colorado Avalanche. The 29-year-old Vejmelka played a career-high 58 games last season (26-22-8), and posted career-highs in GAA (2.58) and SV% (.904). With an improved roster up front, a strong season from Vejmelka should allow Utah to flirt with playoff contention. Still, Utah enters Thursday's matchup as +165 road underdogs against Colorado's high-octane offence.
Lindholm left the game in the first period and was unable to return. We should get an update on his status ahead of Boston's game against the Sabres on Saturday.
Wiesblatt made his NHL debut with Nashville last season, recording one assist in five games, and hopes to be a more regular NHLer in the 2025-26 season. He took warmups with the team on Thursday but will not be on the opening night roster. The 23-year-old forward was San Jose's 31st-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
Coming off another stellar season, winning his third Vezina trophy in the last six seasons, posting an outstanding 2.00 GAA, .925SV%, and eight shutouts in 63 outings (47-12-3), Hellebuyck will tend the twine in Winnipeg's season opener against the Dallas Stars. Hellebuyck and the Jets were eliminated by the Stars in the second round of the playoffs and will hope to enact some revenge with a victory on Thursday. Winnipeg enters the contest as slight -101 home underdogs against Dallas.
The Predators will of course turn to their franchise netminder between the pipes when they host the Blue Jackets in their season opener on Thursday. Saros will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2024-25 season. The 30-year-old finished the campaign with a 20-31-6 record to go along with an .895 SV% and 2.98 GAA. Luckily for Saros, he draws a favourable matchup on opening night, as the Predators enter action at -120 on the money line.
Gustavsson will unsurprisingly get the nod between the pipes when the Wild open up their season in St. Louis on Thursday. The 27-year-old netminder was a stabilizing force for the Wild last season, compiling a 31-19-6 record to go along with an impressive .914 SV% and 2.56 GAA. Gustavsson and the Wild open up the season at near even odds at +105 against the Blues.
Filip Hallander will make his season debut on Thursday, sending Tomasino to the press box as a healthy scratch. The 24-year-old Tomasino made his season debut in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the New York Rangers, playing 13:37 time on ice.
Power has been absent from most of Buffalo's training camp due to an undisclosed injury, but was expected to be ready for their season opener on Thursday against the New York Rangers. The 22-year-old Power is coming off a career-best season in 2024-25, scoring 40 points (7G / 33A) in 79 games. With Rasmus Dahlin locked into Buffalo's top powerplay unit, Power will likely spend most of the season quarterbacking the second unit upon his return.
With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) out week-to-week, the Sabres will turn to Lyon between the pipes in their season-opening matchup on Thursday against the New York Rangers. The 32-year-old Lyon played 30 games last season with the Detroit Red Wings (14-9-1), posting a 2.81 GAA and .896 SV%. Unless Lyon can establish himself early, expect him to rotate starts with Alexander Georgiev during Luukkonen's absence. The Sabres enter Thursday's contest as +101 home underdogs against a Rangers team that was defeated 3-0 by the Pittsburgh Penguins in their opening-night matchup on Tuesday.
Despite a strong 34-save performance in a 3-2 losing effort on Tuesday to the Florida Panthers, Spencer Knight will likely serve as Chicago's backup netminder on Thursday in Boston. Soderblom, entering his age-26 season, played a career-high 36 games (10-18-7) in 2024-25 and played reasonably well, given he played on a Blackhawks team that finished as the NHL's second-worst defensive team (3.61 GA/GP), posting a 3.18 GAA and .898 SV%. The Blackhawks enter Thursday's contest as +144 road underdogs against a Boston Bruins team that opened their season last night with an impressive 3-1 win over the Washington Capitals.
