Lauzon will make his first appearance since suffering a lower-body injury in New Jersey on November 25th. The hard-hitting defenceman has racked up 103 hits in just 22 games this season.
Coghlan has only played one game this season and was placed on waivers on Wednesday. The undrafted 26-year-old defenseman had 41 points (16G / 25A) in 61 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL) last season.
Ivan Barbashev (upper body) and Nicolas Roy (upper body) will not play on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks, allowing Tanner Laczynski and Cole Schwindt to draw into the lineup for the Golden Knights. Laczynski has four points (2G / 2A) in 38 career NHL games but has not played since a 32-game stint with the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2022-23 season. The 27-year-old Laczynski has been lighting up the AHL this season, scoring 19 points (6G / 13A) in 17 games with the Henderson Silver Knights.
Barbashev was limited to only 5:00 time-on-ice before exiting Sunday's 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild with an upper-body injury in the first period. The 29-year-old Barbashev is enjoying a tremendous season, on pace for career-best offensive totals, scoring 30 points (15G / 15A) in 31 games. Previously, his career-best season was in 2021-21 when he scored 60 points (26G / 34A) in 81 games with the St. Louis Blues. Nicolas Roy (upper body) will also be out of the lineup as Cole Schwindt and Tanner Laczynski will draw in as their replacements.
Hill allowed six goals on 34 shots (.824 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 6-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, and had the night off in their following game but will likely return to the crease on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks. The 28-year-old Hill has a 2.78 GAA and .899 SV% in 20 games this season (13-5-2). The Golden Knights enter Thursday's contest as -171 home favorites against a Canucks club that has lost four of their last six (2-2-2).
Laczynski has four points (2G / 2A) in 38 career NHL games but has not played since a 32-game stint with the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2022-23 season. The 27-year-old Laczynski has been lighting up the AHL this season, scoring 19 points (6G / 13A) in 17 games with the Henderson Silver Knights.
Coghlan has only played one game this season and has been placed on waivers. The undrafted 26-year-old defenseman had 41 points (16G / 25A) in 61 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL) last season.
Barbashev was limited to only 5:00 time-on-ice before exiting Sunday's 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild with an upper-body injury in the first period. The 29-year-old Barbashev is enjoying a tremendous season, on pace for career-best offensive totals, scoring 30 points (15G / 15A) in 31 games. Previously, his career-best season was in 2021-21 when he scored 60 points (26G / 34A) in 81 games with the St. Louis Blues.
Lauzon has not played since November 25th but appears to be nearing a return to the linuep. The 27-year-old defenseman is averaging 18:33 time-on-ice, recording one point (0G / 1A) and a monstrous 103 hits in 22 games this season.
Korczak will take a seat on Thursday to make room for the return of Zach Whitecloud (upper-body). Korczak has zero goals and three assists in 17 games this season.
The Golden Knights have won three straight, outscoring their opposition 8-3, and will roll with Hill between the pipes on Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets. The 28-year-old Hill has a respectable 2.63 GAA and .905 SV% in 18 games this season (12-4-2) and has been excellent lately, allowing three or fewer goals in eight straight (6-1-1), posting a stellar .938 SV%. The Golden Knights enter Thursday's contest as +108 road underdogs against a Jets club they defeated 4-3 less than two weeks ago.
The Golden Knights have won two straight and will turn to Hill between the pipes on Friday night against the Dallas Stars. Hill saved all 28 shots he faced in his previous outing, a 1-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers, for his second shutout of the season. The 28-year-old Hill has a 2.67 GAA and .900 SV% through 17 games (11-4-2) this season. The Golden Knights enter Friday's contest as +112 road underdogs against a Stars club that has won three of their last four (3-1-0).
Stone has not played since November 6th, missing 14 games with a lower-body injury. Before his injury, the 32-year-old Stone was off to a monstrous start to the 2024-25 season, among the league leaders, with 21 points (6G / 15A) in 13 games.
Ilya Samsonov was between the pipes in a 6-0 loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday, and the Golden Knight will revert to Hill on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers. Hill has a 2.85 GAA and .894 SV% in 16 games this season (10-4-2) and saved 27 of 29 shots (.931 SV%) in a 4-2 win over the Oilers on November 6th. The Golden Knights enter Tuesday's contest as +116 home underdogs against an Oilers club riding a three-game winning streak.
With Brett Berard (upper body) sidelined, Smith will draw back into the Rangers lineup on Monday against the New Jersey Devils. The 33-year-old Smith is averaging 15:28 time-on-ice, scoring 12 points (3G / 9A) in 22 games, but has been held off the scoresheet in four of his last five.
