Gritsyuk suffered an undisclosed injury late in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Dallas Stars and has likely been ruled out for the remainder of the season. The 25-year-old first-year NHLer has eight points (4G / 4A) in his last 10 games, giving him 31 points (13G / 18A) through 66 games this season.
Del Bel Belluz has not played with the Blue Jackets since mid-December, but he will re-enter the lineup on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 22-year-old forward has not been able to acclimate to the NHL-level, but has been impressive in the AHL, where he has 57 points (22G / 35A) this season in 53 games with the Cleveland Monsters.
The Blue Jackets are desperate to stay within playoff contention, but have lost four straight (0-3-1) and will hope for a better result on Thursday when they turn to Merzlikins to tend the twine against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 31-year-old Latvian goalie was solid in his previous outing, saving 33 of 36 shots (.917 SV%), but did not receive ample goal support in a 3-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks. Merzlikins has had an up-and-down season, but has allowed three or fewer goals in four straight games (2-1-1). The Blue Jackets enter Thursday's contest as +163 road underdogs against a Hurricanes team that defeated them 5-2 earlier this week.
After equally alternating starts between Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon for four consecutive weeks, the Sabres will turn to Luukkonen on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators for his third consecutive contest. The 27-year-old Luukkonen has a terrific 1.96 GAA and .933 SV% in his last five games (4-0-1). That said, the Sabres enter Thursday's contest as slight +106 road underdogs against a Senators team coming off an embarrassing 6-3 loss to the Florida Panthers.
The Stars have followed up a franchise-best 15-game point streak (14-0-1) by losing seven of their last nine (2-5-2). Oettinger, who was nearly unbeatable to start March, posting a stellar 1.80 GAA and seven games (5-0-2), has mimicked his team's decline by ending March with a dreadful 4.01 GAA and .806 SV% in his last four appearances (1-2-0). The Stars enter Thursday's contest as -159 home favourites against a Winnipeg Jets team that has won four of their last five (4-1-0) to stay within contention of a Wild Card spot.
Injuries to Scott Sabourin (undisclosed) and Brandon Hagel (undisclosed) will allow Michael Chaffee and Oliver Bjorkstrand to re-enter Tampa Bay's lineup. The 30-year-old Bjorkstrand has 29 points (11G / 18A) in 72 games this season, but has just one point (1G / 0A) and a -8 plus/minus in his last 14 games.
Injuries to Scott Sabourin (undisclosed) and Brandon Hagel (undisclosed) will allow Michael Chaffee and Oliver Bjorkstrand to re-enter Tampa Bay's lineup. The 28-year-old Chaffee has not play an NHL game since late October. He has zero points in seven games this season.
Sanderson was labeled as week-to-week when he suffered an upper-body injury in Seattle on March 7th, but appears to nearing a return. That said, he will miss at least one more game before he is cleared to play. With Ottawa's blueline being decimated with injuries, the team will be eager to welcome their top defenseman back into the lineup as soon as possible.
With only eight games remaining this season, Tampa Bay will be cautious with Hagel's injury, keeping him sidelined on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 27-year-old Hagel is having another terrific season, with 73 points (35G / 38A) through 69 games.
Sabourin has been a regular the past few games for Tampa Bay, but he is battling an undisclosed injury and will not play in Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins is up in the air. The 33-year-old Sabourin has four points (1G / 3A) and 89 penalty minutes in 22 games this season.
With the recent injury to Carter Yakemchuk (concussion), Crotty will be the next defenseman up for an injury-depleted Ottawa blueline. The 26-year-old Crotty only has two games of NHL experience. He has seven points (3G / 7A) this season in 49 games with Belleville (AHL).
Injuries to Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot recently awarded Yakemchuk a call-up from Belleville (AHL) to make his NHL debut and see steady deployment on Ottawa's top powerplay unit. That said, the 20-year-old Yakemchuk's presence in Ottawa's lineup will be halted at least temporarily due to a concussion. He has two points (1G / 1A) in four games this season.
Exiting the Olympic break, there was a three-week stretch where Jacob Markstrom played every game for the Devils, but they have relied on Allen more steadily in recent weeks, and he will return to the crease on Thursday against the Washington Capitals for the fifth time in the last 10 games. The 35-year-old Allen was serviceable in his most recent outing, saving 28 of 31 shots (.903 SV%) in a 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. He was excellent less than two weeks ago in a game against the Capitals, saving 26 of 27 shots (.963 SV%), but did not receive enough goal support in a 2-1 loss. The Devils enter Thursday's contest as slight -107 home favourites.
Ullmark will look to rebound when he returns to the crease on Thursday against his former team, the Buffalo Sabres, after a brutal performance in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Florida Panthers, being pulled late in the first period after allowing five goals on 16 shots (.688 SV%). The Senators will hope Ullmark's recent blip was a one-off, considering he entered that game having posted a stellar 2.18 GAA and .918 SV% in his previous six games (4-1-1). The Senators enter Thursday's contest as -117 home favourites against a Buffalo Sabres team coming off a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders.
Foerster has not played in over four months due to a hand injury, but will return to the Flyers' lineup on Thursday to provide an offensive boost in a pivotal matchup for the playoff hopes against the Detroit Red Wings. Before his injury, the 24-year-old Foerster had 13 points (10G / 3A) in 21 games. He is expected to play alongside Trevor Zegras and Owen Tippett.
On the front end of a back-to-back, the Flyers will turn to Ersson to tend the twine on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings. The 26-year-old Swedish goalie has had a largely disappointing 2025-26 season, but is currently amid an impressive run, winning five straight while posting a stellar 1.45 GAA and .933 SV%. The Flyers enter Thursday's game as slight -110 home favourites against a free-falling Red Wings team that is struggling to remain in playoff contention after losing four of its last five games (1-4-0).
Samuel Montembeault has been an afterthought in Montreal lately, with Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler leading the way between the pipes. The 21-year-old Fowler was excellent in his most recent outing, saving 23 of 24 shots (.958 SV%) in a 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators, and will return to the crease on Thursday. In four March outings (3-1-0), Fowler posted a solid 2.52 GAA and .907 SV%. The Canadiens enter Thursday's contest as -140 road favourites against a New York Rangers team on an impressive three-game winning streak, outscoring opponents 13-3.
After losing four straight (0-4-0) while allowing 14 goals on 112 combined shots (.875 SV%), Shesterking has rebounded with two stellar victories, saving 48 of 50 combined shots (.960 SV%). The 30-year-old Shesterkin has battled his share of ups and downs this season, but ended March with serviceable totals, posting a 2.75 GAA and .909 SV% in 11 games (6-4-1). The Rangers enter Thursday's contest as +126 home underdogs against a Montreal Canadiens team that has been dominant lately, outscoring their opposition 23-9 during a six-game winning streak.
Vasilevskiy has not needed to be dominant in recent games, but has helped his team collect a point in six of his last seven (5-1-1) despite posting a pedestrian 2.44 GAA and .893 SV%. The veteran goalie ended March with a 2.64 GAA and .896 SV% in 13 games (7-5-1), his second consecutive month with a sub- .900 SV%. Tampa Bay enters Thursday's contest as -169 home favourites against a surging Pittsburgh Penguins team that has outscored their opposition 13-4 during a two-game winning streak.
The Panthers have seemed inclined to alternate netminders in the latter half of the season, and will continue that trend on Tuesday, turning to Bobrovsky to tend the twine against the Boston Bruins. The 37-year-old Bobrovsky played well in his most recent outing, saving 19 of 21 shots (.905 SV%), but did not receive ample goal support, losing 3-1 to the New York Rangers. He has a 2.27 GAA and .912 SV% in his last seven games (4-3-0). The Panthers enter Thursday's contest as +147 home underdogs against a Bruins team on a four-game winning streak.
