Emberson left Tuesday's game vs. Toronto after 21:49 due to an undisclosed injury and will now be out week-to-week as he recovers. The 23-year-old rookie has been one of few bright spots in San Jose this season, with his goal, six assists, 22 SOG, two PIMs and -2 plus/minus in 21 games prior to his injury.
Ingram will return to the crease on Saturday after entering Thursday's game, a 6-2 loss to the Calgary Flames, in relief of Karel Vejmelka. Ingram has fallen back to earth after his spectacular run at the beginning of December but is still sporting a respectable .909 SV% in his last four outings (2-1-0). Ingram will be facing off against a Minnesota Wild club playing the back end of a back-to-back and has only scored 12 total goals in their last seven games heading into Friday.
Kupari played one game with the Manitoba Moose as part of a conditioning stint after being activated from IR earlier this week and will serve as a roster replacement for Mark Scheifele, who exited Thursday's game with a lower-body injury. Kupari was averaging 9:35 time-on-ice in the 14 games before his injury, tallying one point (0G / 1A) and a -3 plus/minus.
If Ehlers is unable to play against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, it will be a crushing blow for a team already without Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor, putting their eight-game winning streak at risk. After starting the season with only 11 points (6G / 5A) in his first 22 games, Ehlers has flipped a switch, scoring 22 points (9G / 13A) in 19 games, partly coinciding with increased playing time due to Connor's absence from the lineup.
After exiting Tuesday's game to get some stitches, Scheifele was again unable to compete in Thursday's game, leaving with a lower-body injury in the second period after playing only 7:41 time-on-ice. Luckily for the Jets, Scheifele's injury does not appear to be serious and should not miss too much time for a team that is already without Kyle Connor. Before his injury, Scheifele had five points (2G / 3A) while riding a four-game point streak.
Jeannot exited Saturday's game against the Boston Bruins with a lower-body injury after only playing 5:54 time-on-ice and has been placed on IR, considered out week-to-week. The 26-year-old Jeannot has been held off the scoresheet in eight straight games while recording only seven shots on goal.
Jones has not played since December 10th due to a shoulder injury but looks like he could return Saturday vs. Dallas after participating in full Friday at practice. The 29-year-old has struggled offensively this season with little help around him in Chicago, as he is yet to score a goal but has 11 assists, 60 SOG, 14 PIMs and a -5 plus/minus through 27 games prior to the injury. He'll lineup up on first power play and the Blackhawks' top defensive pairing when he does return.
With news that Erik Cernak (upper body) is day-to-day heading into the weekend, Maxwell Crozier has earned his first NHL call up Friday from Syracuse (AHL). The 23-year-old was Tampa Bay's 2019 fourth round pick (120th overall) and is only spending his first full season in the AHL this year after joining the team from Providence (NCAA) in 2022-23.
Perets was recalled on Friday as Pyotr Kochetkov is in concussion protocol and remains out of the lineup indefinitely after exiting Thursday's contest against the Anaheim Ducks. Perets, who has a .906 SV% and 2.62 GAA in 15 games with the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL, will likely serve as the backup to Antti Raanta while Kochetkov is out of the lineup.
Kochetkov was replaced by Antti Raanta late in Thursday's victory over the Anaheim Ducks and needed to be assisted off the ice. The Hurricanes net likely belongs to Raanta in the interim while we wait for a more definitive timeline for Kochetkov's return to the lineup.
Smith exited Thursday's game against the Vancouver Canucks in the first period with an upper-body injury after playing only 3:08 time-on-ice. Smith has gone without a point in six straight games, his second pointless skid of six games or more and is expected to be out of the lineup for an extended period.
Cernak suffered an upper-body injury after taking a hit from Nathan Bastian late in the first period of Thursday's game against the New Jersey Devils. Cernak has five points (0G / 5A), 90 hits, and 62 blocks in 39 games this season.
Kupari played one game with the Manitoba Moose as part of a conditioning stint after being activated from IR earlier this week and could serve as a roster replacement for Mark Scheifele, who exited Thursday's game with a lower-body injury. Kupari was averaging 9:35 time-on-ice in the 14 games before his injury, tallying one point (0G / 1A) and a -3 plus/minus.
Tarasov will start for the fourth straight game on Saturday in the Blue Jackets' return to the ice in their first game since Tuesday. Tarasov has been underwhelming for the Blue Jackets this season, allowing four or more goals in five of his seven appearances (2-3-2), posting an ugly .883 SV%. The Blue Jackets have lost two straight (0-1-1) and will be hard-pressed to get back into the win column against a Seattle Kraken squad riding an eight-game winning streak.
After being recalled from Henderson (AHL) on Thursday, Saville backed up Logan Thompson. Jiri Patera took the night off after starting their previous game in Colorado and will likely return to backup duties in their next game unless Adin Hill is cleared to play. Saville has a .914 SV% and a 4-3-1 record with the Henderson Silver Knights this season.
Brink will be a healthy scratch on Friday, exiting the lineup for the first time in over a month, allowing Nicolas Deslauries to draw back into the lineup. Brink has been held off the scoresheet in five straight games and has seen his ice-time dip to 12:07 after averaging 14:44 and scoring seven points (3G / 4A) in his previous 10.
Deslauries was a scratch in the last game after playing in three straight games for the Flyers but will return to the lineup on Friday. In his last outing, he played 7:43 time-on-ice, recorded three hits, and two shots on goal while playing on a line with Garnet Hathaway and Ryan Poehling.
Hart did not play in Philadelphia's 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday but will return to the crease on Friday for the third time in the last four games. Hart has been limited to only one win in his last six appearances (1-2-2), allowing four or more goals three times and posting a subpar .890 SV%. That said, Hart has a favourable matchup against a Minnesota Wild club that has scored only 12 total goals in their last seven games (1-6-0).
Thompson managed to score two points (2G / 0A) in an eventual 5-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators but exited the contest after playing only 12:27 time-on-ice with an undisclosed injury. Thompson already missed a significant portion of the season earlier with an upper-body injury and was finally starting to get his game in order with 12 points (7G / 5A) in his last nine games after scoring six (2G / 4A) in his previous 13. Thompson's potential absence from the lineup would be a crushing blow for a Sabres offence already without Jeff Skinner (upper-body).
Forsberg exited Thursday's game against the Buffalo Sabres after making six of seven saves (.857 SV%) with a groin injury. A concrete update hasn't been provided yet, but he is expected to miss time as Joonas Korpisalo will take the reigns between the pipes for the Senators.
