Kapanen has already missed 41 games this season due to a myriad of ailments but thankfully will be available for Thursday's game against the Florida Panthers. The 29-year-old Finnish forward was not at Edmonton's morning skate on Thursday. He has 15 points (7G / 8A) in 28 games this season.
Juuse Saros (upper-body) is unavailable for Thursday's game against the Kraken, so the Preds recalled Murray to serve as Justus Annunen's backup. Murray is yet to appear in an NHL game this season. He owns a 17-17-2 record and a .908 SV% across 37 AHL starts.
Saros was originally the projected starter for Thursday's game against the Kraken, but is ultimately unavailable due to an upper-body injury. He is considered day-to-day. Justus Annunen will get the start on Thursday while Matt Murray serves as his backup.
Annunen will get a surprise start on Thursday, as starter Juuse Saros is unavailable due to an upper-body injury. Annunen was unfortunate to take the loss in his last start, allowing two goals on 29 shots in a 3-1 loss in Edmonton on Sunday. The 25-year-old netminder owns a 6-9-2 record and an .888 SV% on the season. Annunen and the Predators enter action on Thursday at -135 on the money line.
Daccord will make his 41st start of the campaign when the Kraken head to Nashville to take on the Predators on Thursday. Daccord turned in a solid performance in his last outing, allowing just two goals on 25 shots in a 6-2 win over the Panthers on Sunday. The 29-year-old netminder owns a 19-16-5 record and .901 SV% on the season. Daccord and the Kraken enter action on Thursday at +115 on the money line.
Grzelcyk will slot right back into the Hawks lineup after serving as a healthy scrtach for the first time this season on Tuesday. Sam Lafferty will sit in his place.
Lafferty will take a seat on Thursday as the Blackhawks opt to dress an extra defenceman. Matt Grzelcyk will dress in his place.
Knight will get the call between the pipes for the 46th time this season when the Blackhawks travel to Minnesota on Thursday. Knight was tagged with his ninth overtime loss of the season in his last start, allowing four goals on the 37 shots he faced against the Wild on Tuesday. He brings a 17-19-9 record and a .907 SV% into Tuesday night's rematch, where the Blackhawks enter action at +185 on the money line.
Kaprizov was a surprise scratch on Thursday, with the Wild only announcing his absence minutes before warmups. The Wild added that he is day-to-day with the injury, and we should get an update on his status ahead of their game against the Stars on Saturday.
Leonard will be take a seat on Thursday in order to make way for Andrew Copp's return from a lower-body injury. Leonard has two goals and two assists in 11 games this season.
Already without Dylan Larkin (lower body), the Red Wings' depth at center has struggled even more with Copp sidelined for the last week. That said, Red Wings' Head Coach Todd McLellan had reassuring news on Wednesday, indicating that Copp will play on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens.
Sorokin was excellent in New York's previous games, saving 26 of 27 shots (.963 SV%) in a 3-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, and will return to the crease on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators. The 30-year-old Sorokin has been one of the NHL's most consistent goalies this season. That said, he has not needed to be spectacular since returning from the Olympic break, posting a 2.73 GAA and .904 SV% in seven games (5-2-0). The Islanders enter Thursday's contest as +116 road underdogs against a Senators team that narrowly avoided being shut out last night, losing 4-1 to the Washington Capitals.
Matthews was involved in a knee-on-knee collision with Ducks captain Radko Gudas last week and was almost immediately ruled out for the remainder of the season. Gudas was issued a five-minute major for kneeing and a game misconduct penalty on the play, and is now serving a five-game suspension. Matthews' injury caps what has been a nightmare season for the Maple Leafs. His season comes to an abrupt end after 60 games, with career lows of 27 goals and 26 assists.
The Senators have relied heavily on Linus Ullmark during their post-Olympic push for a playoff spot, but they will turn to Reimer in the tail end of a back-to-back on Thursday against the New York Islanders. The 38-year-old Reimer was excellent in his only appearance since returning from the Olympic break, saving all 16 shots he faced in a 2-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks for his first shutout of the season. The Senators enter Thursday's contest as -126 home favourites against an Islanders team that is 4-1-0 in their last five games.
Kuemper was excellent in Monday's 4-1 win over the New York Rangers, saving 21 of 22 shots (.955 SV%), and is putting together a stretch of strong play as the Kings continue their last-season push for a playoff spot. The 35-year-old goalie has a solid 2.41 GAA and .905 SV% in his last five games (3-1-1). The Kings enter Thursday's contest as -179 favourites against a Philadelphia Flyers team with points in four straight games (3-0-1).
Tuch is dealing with an illness and did not play on Tuesday, but should re-enter the lineup on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. The 29-year-old Tuch is having an excellent season with Buffalo, scoring 57 points (28G / 29A) through 65 games despite seeing very little deployment on the team's top powerplay unit. He has nine points (6G / 3A) in his last eight games.
Armia hasn't played in three weeks due to an upper-body injury, but he could re-enter the lineup this weekend. The 32-year-old Finn has ten goals and ten assists in 53 games this season.
Kempe was a late scratch in Monday's win over the New York Rangers due to a lower-body injury. Kings' Head Coach D. J. Smith indicated that Kempe almost played on Monday, suggesting his return to the lineup is likely near, possibly as soon as Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers. The 29-year-old forward has found instant chemistry since Artemi Panarin joined the team, scoring 12 points (6G / 6A) in 10 games.
