NHL Hockey Player News

Merilainen will somewhat surprisingly get the nod in goal for the second time in as many nights when the Sens travel to Denver on Thursday. Merilainen took the loss last night, giving up three goals on 21 shots in a 3-1 loss in Utah. The 23-year-old netminder has appeared in 15 games for the Senators this season, logging a 6-8-0 record and an .868 SV%. As you might expect, Merilainen and the Senators enter action on Thursday as massive underdogs at +225 on the money line.

Saros had been playing well lately but had a forgetful night in his most recent outing, allowing six goals on 43 shots (.860 SV%) in a 6-2 loss to the Oilers. Before his recent blip, the 30-year-old Finnish goalie had a 2.72 GAA and .906 SV% in his last 13 games (9-4-0). The Predators enter the action on Thursday as -119 home favorites against a New York Islanders team coming off a monstrous 9-0 win over the New Jersey Devils.

Malkin has not played in over a month, but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils. The 39-year-old Malkin was having a renaissance season before his injury, scoring 29 points (8G / 21A) through 26 games. The future Hall of Famer has not finished a season above a point-per-game pace since the 2022-23 season.

The Maple Leafs have been rolling lately, with points in seven straight games (5-0-2), and will turn to Hildeby on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers. The 24-year-old Swedish goalie was solid in his most recent outing, entering the contest in relief of Joseph Woll, saving 22 of 23 shots (.957 SV%) in a 6-5 win over the Winnipeg Jets. He has a 2.90 GAA and .912 SV% in 15 appearances this season (3-5-4). The Maple Leafs enter the action on Thursday as slight +108 road underdogs against a Flyers team that has scored five or more goals in three of their last four games (3-1-0).

The Devils will unsurprisingly turn to Allen between the pipes tonight after Jacob Markstrom was tagged for nine goals in Tuesday's embarrassing loss on Long Island. Allen himself took the loss in his last start, allowing three goals on 29 shots in a 3-1 loss to the Hurricanes on Sunday. The 35-year-old netminder is enjoying another successful season as New Jersey's backup, logging an 11-9-1 record and a .911 SV% across 22 appearances. Allen and the Devils enter action on Thursday at -105 on the money line.

Lukas Dostal will get a rare night off on Thursday, clearing the way for Husso to make his first start of 2026. Husso's last start came way back on December 16th, when he was tagged for four goals on 28 shots in a 4-3 overtime loss in Columbus. The 30-year-old netminder carries a 5-3-1 record and an .884 SV% into Thursday night's matchup, where the Ducks enter action as heavy underdogs at +185 on the money line.

Backup Devin Cooley is reportedly ill and not quite feeling 100%, so Wolf will get the rare opportunity to make starts on back-to-back nights. Wolf took the loss in Montreal on Wednesday, allowing four goals on 35 shots in the 4-1 defeat. The 24-year-old netminder leads the league both in starts and losses heading into Thursday night's matchup, where the Flames enter action at +115 on the money line.

The Sabres have relied exclusively on Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen since Alex Lyon (lower body) was injured nearly two weeks ago, but Ellis will tend the twine on Thursday against the New York Rangers. The 25-year-old Ellis has not played since December 9th, when he suffered an injury late in the first period. He has a 3.25 GAA and .895 SV% in eight appearances this season (4-3-0). The Sabres have won 11 of their last 12 games (11-1-0) and enter Thursday's contest as -122 road favorites against a Rangers team that is missing several key players, including their starting goalie, Igor Shesterkin.

Igor Shesterkin was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, so Quick will begin his era as the Rangers' interim starter when they travel to Buffalo on Thursday. Quick himself will be looking to snap a seven-game winless streak that spans over two months, with his last victory coming way back on November 7th, though that's largely due to a lack of goal support. The 40-year-old's record sits at 3-6-2 on the season despite posting a .919 SV% and 2.23 GAA across 11 appearances. Quick and the Rangers enter action on Thursday at +105 on the money line.

Slavin has been plagued with bad luck this season. He played the first two games of the season, then suffered a lower-body injury that sidelined him for over two months. He returned to the lineup and played three games, then suffered an upper-body injury has kept him out for the past three weeks. His next chance to return will be on Saturday against the Seattle Kraken.