Rielly has finished serving his five-game suspension and will return to the Maple Leafs lineup on the road in Vegas on Thursday night. Before his suspension, Rielly was having a terrific season and was amid a season-best five-game point streak with six points (0G / 6A).
Pickard has continued to be serviceable despite the Oilers' recent struggles and will likely return to the crease on Friday night. After their franchise-best 16-game winning streak ended earlier this month, the Oilers have showcased a pedestrian 4-3-1 in their last eight, allowing three or more goals in each contest. That said, Pickard is riding a six-game winning streak, allowing three or fewer goals in each while boasting a respectable .916 SV%. The Oilers enter action as -177 home favourites against the Minnesota Wild.
Adin Hill will likely tend the twine on Thursday night as he attempts to snap a season-worst three-game losing skid. Uncharacteristically, Hill has allowed three or more goals in four straight games, the first time this season, showcasing an ugly .884 SV%. The Golden Knights will face off against a Maple Leafs club that played last night, a 6-3 win over the Arizona Coyotes, and is riding a five-game winning streak.
White was with Pittsburgh since the beginning of January but was placed on waivers by the team on Wednesday before being claimed by Montreal. White played 11 games with Pittsburgh this season and failed to register a point. He will make his debut for the Canadiens on Thursday against the team that waived him.
Lizotte has been out of the lineup since January 15th with a lower-body injury but is set to return on Thursday night against the Nashville Predators. The 26-year-old Lizotte had been held without a point in 11 straight games before his injury.
Howden most recently played on a line with William Karlsson and Grigori Denisenko but will not play on Thursday due to an upper-body injury. The 25-year-old Howden has 13 points (5G / 8A) in 54 games this season and is considered day-to-day with his latest ailment.
Di Giuseppe will be the odd man out of the lineup on Thursday due to personal reasons, allowing Sam Lafferty to draw back in. Di Giuseppe had played in seven straight games for the Canucks, averaging under 10 minutes per night and registering zero points, 17 penalty minutes, two shots, and 17 hits.
Phil Di Giuseppe will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Lafferty to re-enter the lineup. Before being a healthy scratch on Tuesday, Lafferty played in four straight for the Canucks, registering zero points, a -2 plus minute, four shots, and four hits.
Demko will likely return to the crease for the second straight game as the Canucks look to snap a three-game losing skid where they have been outscored 17-10. That said, the California-born netminder played well in a 3-1 losing effort on Tuesday, saving 24 of 26 shots (.923 SV%). The Canucks are -126 road favourites in a tilt against their division rivals, the Seattle Kraken.
Barre-Boulet has been a healthy scratch most of the season for Tampa Bay but suddenly played in four of the last seven games. In his last outing, Barre-Boulet played 7:42 time-on-ice, recording one shot and three hits.
In seven games with Montreal, Gignac has one point (1G / 0A), six shots, and seven hits. Most of his 2023-24 campaign has been spent with the Laval Rocket of the AHL, where he has been extremely productive, scoring 42 points (14G / 28A) in 43 games.
White was with Pittsburgh since the beginning of January but was placed on waivers by the team on Wednesday before being claimed by Montreal. White played 11 games with Pittsburgh this season and failed to register a point.
Grubauer will start for only the second time since returning from an injury that kept him out for several months. The German netminder saved 26 of 27 shots (.963 SV%) in a 2-1 win over the New York Islanders on February 13th, the only contest this season that he has allowed fewer than two goals (6-9-1). Seattle enters action as a +114 home underdog against the Vancouver Canucks.
Denisenko has been held without a point in four games with the Golden Knights this season but his strong play in the AHL earned him a call-up earlier this week. In 45 games with the Silver Knights (AHL), Denisenko has 40 points (14G / 26A).
Froese has played nine games with the Golden Knights this season and has been held off the scoresheet in each. The 32-year-old has spent most of his career in the AHL, where he has 15 points (8G / 7A) in 37 games with Henderson this season.
The Golden Knights are already without Mark Stone (upper body) and could also be without Marchessault on Thursday night. Despite being held without a point in two straight, Marchessault has been extremely productive lately with 15 points (11G / 4A) in his last 13 games.
Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said Stone will be "out for a while" due to the upper-body injury. Stone suffered the injury in Tuesday's game against the Predators and was unable to return. Stone was in the midst of another productive season for the Golden Knights, scoring 16 goals and adding 37 assists across 56 games. The Golden Knights have recalled Sheldon Rempal in his absence.
Mark Stone suffered an upper-body injury on Tuesday and will be out of the lineup indefinitely, leading to Rempal's call-up on Thursday. Rempal has two goals in five games with the Golden Knights this season.
Aube-Kubel has not played the last two games but will re-enter the Capital's lineup on Thursday night. The 27-year-old Aube-Kubel has 14 points (5G / 9A) in 39 games this season while averaging 12:25 time-on-ice.
Ehlers recorded an assist on Monday but has been limited to only three points (0G / 3A) in his last 10 games. If the Danish forward can't compete on Friday, look for Nino Niederreiter or Alex Iaffolo to jump into his position on the second line, although Winnipeg has stated they do expect him to be in the lineup.
