With Alex Tuch (illness) unavailable, Kuntar will immediately make his NHL debut after signing his first NHL contract earlier on Thursday. Kuntar has appeared in 24 games with Rochester (AHL) this season, registering nine goals and four assists.
Tuch was a surprise scratch on Thursday, with the Sabres not announcing his absence prior to warmups. Trevor Kuntar will draw into the lineup and make his NHL debut in place of Tuch.
The Canucks, already expected to be without Elias Pettersson (upper body), will thankfully have Boeser in the lineup on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres. The 28-year-old Boeser has 16 points (9G / 7A) in 28 games this season, but has been held off the scoresheet in eight of his last 10 games.
Lyon unexpectedly entered Buffalo's most recent game late in the first period after Colten Ellis suffered an injury. The 33-year-old Lyon went on to save 21 of 24 shots (.875 SV%) in an eventual 4-3 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers. The 33-year-old Lyon has a 3.22 GAA and .899 SV% in 15 appearances this season (4-6-3). The Sabres enter Thursday's contest as slight -111 road favorites against a struggling Canucks team coming off a 4-0 shutout loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
Horvat left Thursday's game against the Ducks after appearing to injure his leg in an awkward fall and was unable to return. We should get an update on his status ahead of the Islanders' game against the Lightning on Saturday.
Berggren will draw into the lineup in Edmonton as the Red Wings opt to get some fresh legs into their lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. James van Riemsdyk will sit in his place.
van Riemsdyk will take a seat on Thursday as the Red Wings opt to get some fresh legs into their lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Jonatan Berggren will dress in his place.
The Red Wings will unsurprisingly turn to Talbot on Thursday after John Gibson got the nod in Calgary on Wednesday. Talbot lost his fourth consecutive start in his last outing, allowing five goals on 32 shots in a 6-5 shootout loss in Columbus on December 4th. The 38-year-old netminder brings a 9-4-2 record and .884 SV% into Thursday night's matchup with the Oilers, where the Red Wings enter action at +150 on the money line.
Lundkvist was a surprise scratch on Thursday, with the Stars not announcing his absence prior to warmups. Vladislav Kolyachonok will draw into the lineup in his place.
McAvoy has not played since suffering an upper-body injury on November 15th and has undergone a challenging recovery, but will return on Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets. He returned to practice on Monday and will likely be reinserted onto the Bruins' top powerplay unit upon his return. The 27-year-old McAvoy was having a productive season before his injury, despite not scoring a goal, but tallying 14 assists through 19 games.
Saros will make his 24th start of the season when the Predators welcome the Blues to town on Thursday. Saros was superb in his last start, turning away 39 of the 42 shots he faced enroute to a 4-3 shootout victory over the mighty Avalanche on Tuesday. It's been another up and down season for Nashville's franchise netminder, but Saros does head into Thursday night's game having won four of his last five starts. The Preds enter action on Thursday at -125 on the money line.
It will be Binnington back between the pipes for the Blues after Joel Hofer got the nod in Tuesday's loss to the Bruins. Binnington was able to secure the victory in his last start, stopping 23 of the 26 shots he faced in a 4-3 win in Montreal on Sunday. The 32-year-old netminder brings a 7-7-5 record and .875 SV% into Thursday night's game in Nashville, where the Blues enter action at +110 on the money line.
McIlrath will take a seat on Thursday in order to make way for the return of John Carlson. McIlrath has appeared in four games this season and is yet to register a point.
Leddy will take a seat on Thursday after featuring in each of San Jose's last three games. Shakir Mukhamadullin will play in his place.
Ostapchuk will take a seat on Thursday after featuring in each of San Jose's last three games. Jeff Skinner will draw into the lineup in his place.
Skinner will slot right back into the Sharks lineup after sitting out Tuesday's game in Philadelphia. Zack Ostapchuk will sit in his place.
Carlsson has not played since December 2nd, regularly a game-time decision in games since, but will to the lineup on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 35-year-old Carlsson was putting together an impressive campaign before his injury, with 23 points (6G / 17A) in 26 games.
Cooley has not played since suffering a lower-body injury on December 5th, and now seems unlikely to return prior to the Olympic break in February. The 21-year-old Cooley had been held off the scoresheet in four straight games. He has a solid 23 points (14G / 9A) in 29 games this season, but has benefitted from a few big-game performances, resulting in him being held without a point in 15 games.
The Islanders have won four of their last five (4-1-0), with Ilya Sorokin tending the twine in each of the victories, but they will turn to Rittich on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks. The 33-year-old Rittich allowed three goals on 29 shots (.897 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers. Rittich has a 2.65 GAA and .901 SV% in 10 games this season (6-3-1). The Islanders enter Thursday's contest as -124 home favorites against a Ducks team on a three-game winning streak.
Husso stopped 44 of 47 shots in the Ducks shootout win in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Husso has won three straight starts while stopping 81 of the 88 shots that he's faced, filling in admirably for the injured Lukas Dostal and Petr Mrazek. Tonight, he will face the Islanders, where the Ducks are +111 road underdogs. With 13 games on the schedule on Thursday, you probably don't need to risk streaming Husso against an Islanders team that has won four of their last five games.
