After returning to the lineup in place of Noah Gregor (illness) for Tuesday's game against the Sharks, Robertson is back to being a healthy scratch on Thursday. The 22-year-old has six goals and six assists in 25 games this season.
Jokiharju appears to be the odd-man out on Thursday as Ryan Johnson will draw back into the Sabres lineup. Jokiharju has two goals and seven assists in 35 games this season.
Montembeault will be back between the pipes on Thursday as the Canadiens host the Sharks after Cayden Primeau got the nod on Wednesday in Philadelphia. Montembeault was excellent in his last start, surrendering just three goals on 48 shots as the Canadiens edged the Rangers in a 4-3 shootout victory on Saturday. The performance raised his SV% to .906 on the season to go along with his 9-5-3 record. He's got a great chance of staying in the win column on Thursday with the Habs being -165 favourites over the Sharks.
Despite an overall disappointing season for the future Hall-of-Famer, Ovechkin is riding a five-game point streak, scoring six points (2G / 4A) in that span. The 38-year-old was a game-time decision for the Capitals on Thursday as they look to maintain his workload.
A well-rested Kochetkov, who has not played since January 5th, will return to the crease on Thursday in search of his fifth straight victory. The 24-year-old Kochetkov has been tremendous during his four-game winning streak, allowing two or fewer goals in each contest, posting a terrific .936 SV%. Kochetkov and the Hurricanes have a favourable matchup as -335 home favourites against an Anaheim Ducks squad that snapped a five-game losing streak in their most recent contest, a 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators.
Talbot will start for the third straight game as the Kings attempt to snap a season-worst six-game losing streak (0-4-2). After posting an otherworldly .931 SV% in his first 18 games (12-4-2), Talbot has fallen off in a big way, with a more pedestrian .903 SV% in his last nine outings (2-5-2). The Kings will be hard-pressed to snap their losing skid on Thursday as they are +121 road underdogs against one of the league's hottest teams, the Florida Panthers, who will be searching for their eighth-straight victory.
Gibson will be back between the pipes for the first time since January 5th after Lukas Dostal got the nod in each of the Ducks' last two games. Gibson took the loss his last time out, allowing three goals on 27 shots as Anaheim fell to the Jets by a score of 3-1. He has just seven wins on the season and an NHL-leading 16 losses to go along with a .903 SV% and a 2.97 GAA. He'll have a hard time snapping a personal three-game losing streak on Thursday with the Ducks being +260 underdogs in Carolina.
Wilson did not practice on Tuesday but was a game-time decision to play in Thursday's contest against the Seattle Kraken. Wilson played 15:13 time-on-ice in his last game, tallying four shots and two hits, matching his lowest hit output in nine games.
Luukkonen will start for only the third time in the last seven games for the Sabres despite being terrific in his last two. Luukkonen has saved 58 of the last 61 shots he's faced (.951 SV%), winning both contests, snapping a previous skid of six straight losses (0-5-1) where he had an abysmal .839 SV%. The Sabres are -120 home favourites on Thursday against an Ottawa Senators club that has lost four straight, scoring three or fewer goals in each contest.
Mintyukov's injury wasn't the only piece of bad news the Ducks were handed on Thursday, with the team also announcing Trevor Zegras would miss six to eight weeks with a broken ankle. The updated timeline for Mintyukov has him on track to return near the end of February. The 2022 tenth-overall pick was off to a fine start in his rookie campaign, compiling two goals and 17 assists across 40 games.
It's another tough blow in what's been a frustrating season for Zegras, as this most recent injury puts him on track to return in late February at the earliest. He previously missed almost six weeks with a lower-body injury he suffered on November 7th, and endured a slow start to his season prior to that. He has just four goals and three assists in 20 games on the year.
It's unclear whether this is just a depth move or if Rondbjerg has a legitimate chance of playing in Thursday's game against the Bruins. The right winger has one goal and two assists in six games with the Golden Knights this season.
Saville's recall casts some doubt on the status of both Logan Thompson (illness) and Adin Hill (undisclosed) for Thursday's game against the Bruins. Saville could very well get the start on Thursday if both are unable to go, considering Jiri Patera got the nod in Wednesday's 3-0 defeat in Colorado. Saville has a .914 SV% and a 4-3-1 record with the Henderson Silver Knights this season.
Cormier made his NHL debut on January 6th and appeared in two games, collecting one assist, for the Golden Knights before being reassigned to Henderson (AHL) on Thursday. The 21-year-old retunes to the Silver Knights, where he had a goal, 11 assists, and 20 PIMs in 27 games prior to his promotion.
Korczak's stay with Henderson (AHL) was very brief after he was recalled Thursday for Lukas Cormier after a five game showing with the Silver Knights. Korczak has impressed when called upon for the Golden Knights this season, with one goal, six assists, 16 SOG, and a +7 plus/minus through 15 games played.
Robertson was recalled for the first time in his career due to a few question marks in the Rangers' lineup but was not need and has been reassigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). The 22-year-old will return to Hartford, where he had two goals, 11 assists, 14 PIMs and a -2 plus/minus in 30 games prior to his call up.
Heineman has yet to pick up a point in any of the four games he's appeared in in 2023-24 but will be a healthy scratch Thursday vs. San Jose as Rafeal Harvey-Pinard returns from injury. The 22-year-old has averaged only 9:57 TOI in the games he has appeared in, picking up a +2 plus/minus while playing a complimentary role.
Harvey-Pinard has been out since November 14th due to a lower-body injury but will return to the Canadiens' lineup Thursday as he replaces Emil Heineman. The 25-year-old Sophomore had yet to score in 13 games before his injury, but had four assists, 11 SOG, two PIMs and a +1 plus/minus.
Cederqvist was Buffalo's 2019 fifth round pick (143rd overall) but has been acquired Thursday from Montreal for future considerations from the Sabres. The 23-year-old will provide Laval (AHL) some much needed offensive depth after he had a goal, three assists, 11 PIMs and a -5 plus/minus in 19 games played with Rochester (AHL).
Foudy hasn't appeared in 2023-24 due to a lower-body injury but was finally activated off the Injured Non-Roster list Thursday and has been assigned to the Colorado Eagles (AHL). The 21-year-old is Colorado's 2020 3rd round pick (75th overall) and appeared in nine games as a rookie for the Avalanche in 2022-23, but failed to pick up a point.
