NHL Hockey Player News

The Canucks are on the tail-end of a back-to-back on Thursday, so it will be Tolopilo between the pipes for a difficult road matchup against the Wild. Tolopilo will be looking to bounce-back from a dreadful start on Saturday, when he was pulled after allowing four goals on 11 shots enroute to a 7-3 loss in Calgary. The 25-year-old netminder has appeared in 16 games for the Canucks this season, posting a 5-7-2 record and an .886 SV%. The Canucks enter action on Thursday as massive underdogs at +350 on the money line.

The Kings are coming off a crucial 2-1 overtime win over the St. Louis Blues last night, courtesy of a strong effort from Anton Forsberg between the pipes, but they will turn to Kuemper on Thursday in the tail end of their back-to-back. Kuemper had a forgetful performance in his most recent outing, allowing five goals on 16 shots (.688 SV%) in an eventual 6-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth. He had an inconsistent March as a whole, posting a 2.65 GAA and .891 SV% in 10 games (4-2-4). The Kings enter Thursday's contest as -118 home favourites against a well-rested Nashville Predators team that they are battling with for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.

A light schedule for the Predators has afforded Saros with five days off since his last outing, so he should be well rested on Thursday in a crucial battle against the Los Angeles Kings. The 30-year-old Finnish goalie has been far from stellar this season, but was solid in March, posting a serviceable 2.85 GAA and .907 SV% in nine games (5-3-1). The Predators enter Thursday's contest as -118 home favourites against a Kings team that has scored two or fewer goals in four of their last six games (2-2-2).

Brandon Bussi was solid in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, but the Hurricanes will turn to Andersen to tend the twine in Thursday's rematch. Andersen has had a largely disappointing 2025-26 season, but was finally stringing off consistent wins before losing his last two (0-2-0) while allowing seven goals on 36 combined shots (.806 SV%). The 36-year-old veteran goalie ended March with a 3.01 GAA and .857 SV% in eight games (5-3-0). The Hurricanes enter Thursday's contest as -186 home favourites against the Blue Jackets.

Yan Kuznetsov will draw into the lineup for the first time in three weeks, sending Brzustewicz to the sidelines on Thursday as a healthy scratch. The 21-year-old Brzustewicz is averaging 15:25 time-on-ice and has five points (1G / 4A) in 27 games this season.

Martin Pospisil will draw back into Calgary's lineup on Thursday, sending Beecher to the press box as a healthy scratch. The 24-year-old Beecher recorded an assist and a -1 plus/minus in Monday's 9-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. He has seven points (3G / 4A) in 34 games this season.

With Connor Zary (upper-body) returning from a multi-week injury, Othmann will be the odd man out of the lineup as a healthy scratch. The 23-year-old Othmann scored a goal in Monday's 9-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, his first goal as a member of the Flames.

John Beecher will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Pospisil to re-enter the lineup from a one-game absence. The 26-year-old Pospisil played 81 games in the 2024-25 season, but has been in and out of the lineup since making his 2025-26 debut in late January. The Slovak forward has two points (1G / 1A) and 37 hits in 12 games this season.

Hunter Brzustewicz will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Kuznetsov to re-enter the lineup. The 24-year-old Kuznetsov has 12 points (4G / 8A) in 52 games this season, but has not played in nearly three weeks.

Zary has not played since suffering an upper-body injury on March 20th, but he will make his return on Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 24-year-old Zary is averaging 14:31 time-on-ice and has 24 points (11G / 13A) in 67 games this season

The Kings are coming off a crucial 2-1 overtime win over the St. Louis Blues last night, courtesy of a strong effort from Anton Forsberg between the pipes, but they will turn to Kuemper on Thursday in the tail end of their back-to-back. Kuemper had a forgetful performance in his most recent outing, allowing five goals on 16 shots (.688 SV%) in an eventual 6-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth. He had an inconsistent March as a whole, posting a 2.65 GAA and .891 SV% in 10 games (4-2-4). The Kings enter Thursday's contest as -118 home favourites against a well-rested Nashville Predators team that they are battling with for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.

Philippe Myers will re-enter Toronto's lineup on Thursday, sending Stecher to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 31-year-old Stetcher had a -3 plus/minus in 20:06 time-on-ice in Monday's 5-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks. He has 13 points (3G / 10A) and a -5 plus/minus in 59 games this season.

Steven Lorentz will draw back into Toronto's lineup on Thursday, sending Pezzetta back to the press box as a healthy scratch. The 28-year-old Pezzetta had an eventful outing in Monday's 5-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks, recording four hits and 22 penalty minutes in just 3:06 time-on-ice.

Michael Pezzetta will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Lorentz to re-enter the lineup. The 29-year-old Lorentz is averaging 11:39 time-on-ice and has 15 points (5G / 10A) in 64 games this season.

Troy Stecher will be a healthy scratch on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks, allowing Myers to return from a two-week absence. The 29-year-old Myeres is averaging 14:07 time-on-ice and has two assists in 35 games this season.

Stolarz was not especially sharp in Monday's 5-4 overtime win over the Anaheim Ducks, allowing four goals on 32 shots (.875 SV), but made timely saves and will return to the crease on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. The 32-year-old Stolarz has had a largely disappointing 2025-26 campaign, but he has posted solid numbers in his last seven appearances (3-1-2), with a 2.58 GAA and .917 SV%. The Maple Leafs enter Thursday's contest as slight +109 road underdogs against a Sharks team that rallied late in the third period last night to win 4-3 over the Ducks.

Given that Chicago struggles defensively and has the second-worst goal differential in the league at -53, Knight's 2.74 GAA and .906 SV% through 50 games (18-21-11) seem like a triumph. That said, the 24-year-old goalie has struggled in recent games, allowing three or more goals in four straight (0-2-2), posting an ugly 4.00 GAA and .884 SV%. The Blackhawks enter Thursday's contest as +185 road underdogs against an Edmonton Oilers team on a four-game winning streak.

Chernyshov recently made his return from a multi-game absence due to concussion, but returned to the sidelines on Wednesday due to an illness and remains uncertain for Thursday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 20-year-old Chernyshov has been productive in a small sample size during his first NHL season, scoring 14 points (5G / 9A) in 20 games.

The Sharks have collected some clutch victories in recent games, helping them stay within reach of a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. Nedeljkovic largely struggled through much of March, posting an ugly 3.13 GAA and .877 SV% in 10 games (4-4-2), but will look to build on his most recent outing, a 22-save performance (.917 SV%) in a 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Sharks enter Thursday's contest as -120 home favourites against a Maple Leafs team coming off an impressive come-from-behind 5-4 overtime win over the Anaheim Ducks.

Wolf only lasted half of a period before being relieved by Devin Cooley on Monday, allowing four goals on 16 shots (.750 SV%) in an eventual 9-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. The 24-year-old Wolf was on a solid stretch before his recent blip, posting a 2.13 GAA and .920 SV% in five games (3-2-0). The Flames enter Thursday's contest as significant +210 road underdogs against a Vegas Golden Knights team that has scored three or more goals in three straight games (1-0-2).