NHL Hockey Player News

Hamonic was a surprise addition on Thursday, slotting in for the injured Simon Edvinsson (lower-body). Hamonic will skate with Axel Sandin-Pellikka on Detroit's third pair.

Edvinsson was a surprise scratch on Thursday, with no announcement being made in regards to his absence prior to being listed as a scratch on the official roster report. Travis Hamonic will draw into the lineup in his place.

Aube-Kubel was reassigned to make room for Joel Eriksson Ek (undisclosed) being activated off injured reserve. Aube-Kubel has zero goals and one assist in four NHL games this season.

Jiricek will slot right back into the lineup after sitting out Tuesday's game in Montreal. David Spacek will sit in his place.

Spacek will be the odd-man out on the Wild blue-line when they host the Red Wings on Thursday. David Jiricek will play in his place.

Johansson has been sidelined for the last week because of a lower-body injury, but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings. The 35-year-old Johansson is pacing for career-best offensive totals, with 34 points (13G / 21A) in 46 games. That said, his production has cooled down in recent weeks, with only two points (1G / 1A) in his last eight games.

Eriksson Ek has not played since suffering an undisclosed injury two weeks ago, but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings. The 28-year-old Eriksson Ek is averaging 19:34 time-on-ice and has 32 points (11G / 21A) in 45 games this season.

John Gibson was between the pipes for Wednesday's win over the Maple Leafs, so it will be Talbot's turn when the Red Wings play their second game in as many nights on Thursday. Talbot was unfortunate to be tagged with the loss in his last start, losing 3-0 in Boston back on January 13th despite allowing just two goals on 40 shots. The 38-year-old netminder has largely taken a back seat to Gibson of late thanks to the latter's incredible form, but Talbot does still own a respectable 11-7-3 record on the season. Talbot and the Wings enter action on Thursday at +135 on the money line.

Graves presumably picked up the injury at some point in Wednesday's win over the Flames, though exactly when is unclear. The Penguins have yet to announce a timeline for his return. Erik Karlsson (lower-body) was activated off injured reserve in a corresponding move.

Karlsson returns to the lineup after missing the last five games with a lower-body injury. His presence is a more than welcomed addition to the Penguins blue-line given the injuries to Kris Letang and Ryan Graves. Karlsson has appeared in 44 games this season, tallying four goals and 29 assists.

Regula will be the odd-man out on the Oilers' blue-line on Thursday. His absence makes room for the return of Leon Draisaitl (personal), as the Oilers opt to return to a more traditional lineup structure with 12 forwards and only six defencemen.

Draisaitl is a welcomed but surprise addition to the Oilers lineup on Thursday. The Oilers originally stated that he was likely to rejoin the team later this week, though there was no specific mention of a return on Thursday prior to the start of warmups. The 30-year-old Draisaitl has been on a tear for the past few weeks, with 36 points (10G / 26A) in his last 21 games.

The Penguins will unsurprisingly hand Silovs the start for tail-end of their back-to-back after Stuart Skinner got the nod on Wednesday. Silovs suffered a third consecutive defeat in his last start, allowing three goals on 25 shots in a shootout loss to the Blue Jackets on Saturday. The 24-year-old netminder brings an 8-6-8 record and .890 SV% into Thursday night's matchup, where the Pens enter action at +145 on the money line.

Kunin will slot right back into the lineup after sitting out Monday's game against the Sharks. Jesper Boqvist will sit in his place.

Boqvist will take a seat on Thursday as Luke Kunin draws into the lineup. Boqvist has three goals and four assists in 48 games this season.

The Senators have received steadier goaltending since acquiring Reimer, and he will return to the crease on Thursday for a third consecutive start. The 37-year-old goalie was terrific in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, saving 20 of 21 shots (.955 SV%). The Senators enter Thursday's contest as -114 road favorites against a Nashville Predators team that has been outscored 12-5 during a two-game losing streak (0-2-0).

Dickinson was a surprise scratch on Thursday, with the Blackhawks not announcing his absence prior to warmups. His spot in the lineup will be filled by the return of Frank Nazar (upper-body).

Kesslering returned from a three-week absence due to an injury on Saturday, but did not play on Monday or Tuesday. He is averaging 14:57 time-on-ice through 17 games this season and will return to action on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. Zach Metsa will be a healthy scratch to accommodate Kesselring's return.

The Golden Knights relied heavily on Carter Hart when he made his debut in December, making Schmid an afterthought, but now with Hart (lower body) sidelined, the team seems keen on rotating between Schmid and the recently activated Adin Hill. The 25-year-old Schmid was excellent in his most recent game, saving 27 of 29 shots (.931 SV%) in a 7-2 win over the Nashville Predators, and has a 2.05 GAA and .917 SV% during a four-game winning streak. The Golden Knights enter Thursday's contest as -140 road favorites against a Boston Bruins team whose six-game winning streak was snapped on Tuesday in a 6-2 loss to the Dallas Stars.