Vatrano has not played since the end of December. The 31-year-old Vatrano has scored over 20 goals in each of his past three seasons, but has struggled to produce in 2025-26, with only six points (3G / 3A) through 38 games.
Terry recorded an assist in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Edmonton Oilers, but was limited to only 13:52 time-on-ice, due to an upper-body injury and will miss Friday's game against the Winnipeg Jets. The 28-year-old Terry has battled a string of injuries this season, but has been extremely productive when healthy, scoring 45 points (13G / 32A) in 46 games.
The Ducks will hand Dostal his 40th start of the season when they play host to the Jets on Friday. Dostal surrendered five goals on 27 shots in his first start following the Olympic break on Wednesday, but still managed to come away with the victory as the Ducks bested the Oilers by a score of 6-5. The 25-year-old netminder brings a 22-13-2 record and an .895 SV% into Friday night's matchup, where the Ducks enter action at -130 on the money line.
Maatta will make his first appearance since December 16th, slotting in for Nick DeSimone. Maatta has zero goals and just one assist in 19 games this season.
DeSimone will be the odd-man out on the Mammoth blue-line when they host the Wild on Friday. Olli Maatta will dress in his place.
Tanev will be the odd-man out up front when the Mammoth host the Wild on Friday. Michael Carcone will dress in his place.
Wallstedt will make his first post-Olympic start when the Wild travel to Utah on Friday. Wallstedt did briefly appear in last night's win in Colorado, allowing a goal on two shots after Filip Gustavsson left the game late in the third due to an illness. The 23-year-old Wallstedt has been excellent when called upon this season, registering a 14-5-4 record and a .912 SV% across 24 appearances. The Wild enter action on Friday at +115 on the money line.
Carcone will draw back into the lineup after sitting out Wednesday's game against the Avalanche. Brandon Tanev will sit in his place.
Vejmelka struggled in his return from the Olympic break on Wednesday, allowing four goals on 26 shots (.846 SV%) in a 4-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, and hopes to rebound on Friday against the Minnesota Wild. The 29-year-old Vejmelka was on an outstanding run heading into the Olympic break, winning 10 of 13 shots (10-3-0) while posting a solid 2.20 GAA and .919 SV%. The Mammoth enter Friday's contest as -131 home favourites against a Wild team coming off an impressive 5-2 win over the Avalanche last night.
Niederreiter scored one goal in five games while representing Switzerland at the Olympics, but will be out of the Jets' lineup on a week-to-week basis due to an undisclosed injury. The 33-year-old veteran forward has 19 points (8G / 11A) in 55 games with Winnipeg this season.
Benson missed Buffalo's last few games heading into the Olympic Break due to an upper-body injury, but he could return on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 20-year-old Benson has had a productive season when healthy, scoring 26 points (7G / 19A) in 42 games. He had a career-high 30 points (11G / 19A) in his rookie season, playing 71 games in 2023-24.
Hellebuyck was tremendous for Team USA at the Olympics, helping them secure the Gold Medal, and was given an extra night off when Winnipeg returned to action on Wednesday. That said, Hellebuyck will likely return to the Jets' crease on Friday against the Anaheim Ducks. The 32-year-old Hellebuyck hopes his recent international success will translate to the NHL level, where he has battled some adversity this season. The three-time Vezina-winning goalie entered the Olympic break allowing three or more goals in five straight games (1-3-1), posting a subpar 3.69 GAA and .879 SV%. The Jets enter Friday's contest as +115 road underdogs against a Ducks team coming off a rollercoaster 6-5 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
The Sabres have had success alternating goalies this season, and, with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) back from an injury, it appears they will return to that trend, with Lyon tending the twine on Friday against the Florida Panthers. The 33-year-old Lyon was excellent heading into the break, posting a tremendous 2.24 GAA and .925 SV% in 14 appearances (11-2-0), pushing his team into a playoff spot. The Sabres enter the action on Friday as slight -100 home underdogs against a Panthers team that played last night and defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1.
Schwindt has four points (3G / 1A) in 22 games this season and will be sidelined on Friday due to a lower-body injury. Luke Kunin will draw into the lineup as Schwindt's replacement.
Tarasov allowed five goals in consecutive games heading into the Olympic break and will hope to rebound when he returns to the crease on Friday against the Buffalo Sabres. The two-game blip for the 26-year-old Tarasov put a halt to his best stretch of the season, when he had a 2.54 GAA and .913 SV% over 13 games (8-4-1). The Panthers enter Friday's contest as slight -110 home favourites against a Sabres team that defeated them 5-3 earlier this month.
Cole Schwindt (lower body) will not play on Friday, allowing Kunin to re-enter the lineup. The 28-year-old Kunin is averaging 8:38 time-on-ice and has four points (2G / 2A) in 43 games this season.
Mukhamadullin did not practice on Friday due to personal reasons, and it is unclear if he will be available when the Sharks return to action on Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers. The 24-year-old Mukhamadullin is averaging 16:15 time-on-ice and has seven points (3G / 4A) in 26 games this season.
The Canucks drafted Lekkerimaki 15th overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, and his 2025-26 season will be cut short due to a shoulder injury. The 21-year-old Swedish forward has three points (2G / 1A) in 13 games this season.
Rantanen did not play in Finland's Bronze Medal victory over Slovakia at the Olympics on Saturday due to a lower-body injury and will be out of the lineup indefinitely. It's unclear how serious Rantanen's ailment is, but Head Coach Glen Gulutzan said Rantanen will be back before the end of the season. The 29-year-old is having an outstanding first full season with the Stars, scoring 69 points (20G / 49A) in 54 games. Expect Matt Duchene to see increased deployment while Rantanen is sidelined.
Seguin has not played since suffering a torn ACL at the beginning of December, and the Stars are reportedly going through the process of ruling him out for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs to receive maximum cap relief before the trade deadline. The 33-year-old Seguin was off to a decent start to the 2025-26 season, scoring 17 points (7G / 10A) in 27 games, but, unfortunately, he has become familiar with seasons being cut short by injuries. Seguin missed 62 games due to injury in 2024-25.
