Ryan Poehling will return from a two-week absence due to an upper-body injury on Friday, resulting in Harkins being the odd-man out of the lineup as a healthy scratch. The 28-year-old Harkins has two goals in 13 games this season.
Poehling has not played since November 11th, recovering from an upper-body injury, but he will return to the lineup on Friday against the Los Angeles Kings. The 26-year-old has five points (1G / 5A) in 16 games this season. Jansen Harkins will serve as a healthy scratch to accommodate Poehlin's return.
Kyle MacLean will draw back into New York's lineup on Friday against the Philadelphia Flyers, resulting in Tsyplakov watching the game from the press box as a healthy scratch. After a solid rookie season, scoring 35 points (10G / 25A) in 77 games, the 27-year-old Tsyplakov has struggled finding his footing in 2025-26, with only one point (1G / 0A) through 15 games.
MacLean has not played since November 7th, but will draw into the lineup on Friday, replacing Maxim Tsyplakov. The 26-year-old MacLean has one assist while averaging 9:35 time-on-ice through 10 games this season.
Arber Xhekaj will return to Montreal's lineup on Friday against the Vegas Golden Knights, sending Engstrom to the press box as a healthy scratch. The 22-year-old Engstrom made his NHL debut on Wednesday, playing 10:42 time-on-ice.
Alexandre Texier will make his Canadiens' debut on Friday against the Vegas Golden Knights, resulting in Davidson being a healthy scratch. The 23-year-old Davidson is averaging 8:17 time-on-ice and has zero points through five games this season.
Texier has not played since November 6th, and was finally placed on waivers last week by the St. Louis Blues. The 26-year-old Texier has one assist while averaging 10:15 time-on-ice through eight games this season. Jared Davidson will be a healthy scratch to accommodate Texier's Canadiens' debut.
Adam Engstrom will be a healthy scratch on Friday against the Vegas Golden Knights, allowing Xhekaj to return from a one-game absence. The 24-year-old Xhekaj is averaging 11:40 time-on-ice and has one assist and 40 penalty minutes in 20 games. The usually hard-hitting defenseman has seen a massive dip in his hit production this season, averaging only 1.5 hits per game, after averaging 2.8 in his previous three seasons.
With Jordan Greenway drawing back into Buffalo's lineup on Friday against the New Jersey Devils, Dunne heads to the press box as a healthy scratch. The 26-year-old Dunne is averaging 9:05 time-on-ice and has two points (1G / 1A) in 16 games this season.
Dostal is battling an upper-body injury and will be sidelined for two to three weeks, leaving Petr Mrazek and Ville Husso to battle for time in the Ducks' crease. The 25-year-old Dostal has a serviceable 2.81 GAA and .904 SV% in 17 games this season (11-5-1).
Wolf has been outdone by his counterpart, allowing Cooley to see increased action in recent weeks, a trend that will continue on Friday against the Florida Panthers. The 28-year-old Cooley has a dazzling 1.86 GAA and .930 SV% in eight appearances this season (2-2-1). He has allowed more than two goals in a game only once this season.
Mitchell is an undrafted 26-year-old defenseman that has spent the previous three seasons playing exclusively in the AHL with the Bridgeport Islanders. The 25-year-old Mitchell has three points (0G / 3A) in 12 games with Bridgeport this season. He has never played an NHL game.
The Kings have struggled offensively lately, scoring only eight goals in their last five games, but have salvaged a serviceable 2-1-2 record thanks to strong goaltending. Kuemper saved 27 of 28 shots (.964 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 2-1 win over the Ottawa Senators. The 35-year-old netminder returns to the crease on Friday against the Anaheim Ducks, looking to build on a solid 2.30 GAA and .910 SV% through 16 games (8-4-4).
Petr Mrazek struggled replacing an injured Lukas Dostal (upper body) in Wednesday’s 5-4 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, and the Ducks will test their luck with Husso between the pipes on Friday against the Los Angeles Kings. The 30-year-old Husso is no stranger to the NHL, appearing in 145 games (71-46-19) with a 3.05 GAA and .901 SV%. That said, he has spent the entirety of the 2025-26 season in the AHL, where he has a 2.49 GAA and .908 SV% in 13 games (6-4-3) with the San Diego Gulls.
Tolopilo was solid in his season debut in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks, saving 37 of 41 shots (.902 SV%), and has earned himself another start on Friday against the San Jose Sharks. Tolopilo made his NHL debut last season, playing two games (1-1-0) with the Canucks and posting a 2.15 GAA and .885 SV%. He has a 3.35 GAA and .901 SV% in five games (1-3-1) with the Abbotsford Canucks (AHL).
The Sabres are at the bottom of an ultra-tight Eastern Conference with a 9-10-4 record, and hope to return to .500 on Friday with Lyon tending the twine against the New Jersey Devils. The 32-year-old Lyon has not played since allowing two goals on three shots (.333 SV%) in a 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on November 13th. He has a 3.07 GAA and .907 SV% in 12 games this season (3-5-3).
The Devils have struggled with Jack Hughes (hand) out of the lineup, but two strong performances from Jacob Markstrom, saving 53 of 58 combined shots (.914 SV%), have led them to a two-game winning streak. That said, the Devils will flip the script, turning to 35-year-old Jake Allen to tend the twine on Friday against a Buffalo Sabres team that has scored four or more goals in five of their last six games (4-2-0). Allen has not played since allowing six goals on 29 shots (.793 SV%) in a 6-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on November 22nd. He has a 2.46 GAA and .908 SV% in 12 games this season (7-4-0).
Schmid only has one regulation loss, but has not been at his best in his last two outings (0-0-2), allowing seven goals on 56 combined shots (.875 SV%). That said, he has given his team a chance on most nights, posting a serviceable 2.47 GAA and .900 SV% in 14 games (9-1-4). It’s unclear what Schmid’s workload will look like, or whether he stays in the NHL, when Carter Hart makes his debut, and Adin Hill (lower body) returns from injury. Still, the 25-year-old Schmid has proven himself as a reliable netminder for Vegas this season.
Stolarz, originally considered day-to-day, has been sidelined since suffering an upper-body injury on November 11th. The team has not revealed concrete details about his injury, but this latest development suggests he is not close to returning. The 31-year-old Stolarz struggled before his injury, posting a 3.51 GAA and .884 SV% in 13 games (6-5-1). Expect Joseph Woll to continue seeing most of the action while Stolarz is sidelined.
Woll is coming off his best performance of the season, saving 35 of 36 shots (.972 SV%) in a 2-1 overtime win over the Blue Jackets. He returns to the crease on Friday against a Washington Capitals team on a two-game winning streak, looking to get his record above .500 for the first time this season. The 27-year-old netminder has a 2.74 GAA and .914 SV% in five games this season (2-2-1).
