NHL Hockey Player News

Greenway will immediately re-enter the lineup after serving as a healthy scratch on Wednesday. Tanner Pearson will sit in his place.

Pearson will immediately draw back out of the Sabres lineup after slotting in on Wednesday. Jordan Greenway will re-enter the lineup in his place.

Perry is battling an undisclosed injury and his status for Thursday's game against the Montreal Canadiens was uncertain. The 40-year-old Perry is averaging 12:02 time-on-ice and has eight points (5G / 3A) in 18 games since joining Tampa Bay at the trade deadline.

Cirelli has not played in Tampa Bay's past two games due to an undisclosed injury, but will return on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. The 28-year-old Cirelli had a career-high 59 points (27G / 32A) in 80 games in the 2024-25 season, and is producing at a similar rate this season, with 52 points (23G / 29A) through 68 games.

Dobes has been excellent in recent weeks and has made his case to be the team's go-to option to start the postseason. The 24-year-old Czech goalie saved 30 of 33 shots (.909 SV%) in Montreal's previous game, a 4-3 shootout win over the Florida Panthers. Over the last month, Dobes has allowed three or fewer goals in 11 consecutive games (9-2-0), posting an outstanding 1.97 GAA and .936 SV%. The Canadiens enter Thursday's contest as slight +107 home underdogs against a Tampa Bay Lightning team that likely needs to win to keep their hopes of finishing atop the Atlantic Division alive.

Tampa Bay is in a zero-margin-for-error battle with the Buffalo Sabres for the top seed in the Atlantic Division, and will turn to Vasilevskiy on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. The 31-year-old Vasilevskiy allowed three goals on 29 shots (.897 SV%) in a 4-2 losing effort to the Buffalo Sabres in his previous outing. In his last 10 games (7-2-1), Vasilevskiy has a 2.42 GAA and .897 SV%. Tampa Bay enters the action on Thursday as -114 road favourites against a Montreal team that defeated them 4-1 less than two weeks ago.

With their playoff position firmly secured, the Hurricanes will give a handful of players the night off on Thursday. Brind'Amour, Bradly Nadeau, and Legault will all slot in after being recalled on Wednesday.

With their playoff position firmly secured, the Hurricanes will give a handful of players the night off on Thursday. Skyler Brind'Amour, Nadeau, and Charles-Alexis Legault will all slot in after being recalled on Wednesday.

With their playoff position firmly secured, the Hurricanes will give a handful of players the night off on Thursday. Brind'Amour, Bradly Nadeau, and Charles-Alexis Legault will all slot in after being recalled on Wednesday.

With their playoff position firmly secured, the Hurricanes will give Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho, and Seth Jarvis the night off on Thursday. Bradly Nadeau, Skyler Brind'Amour, and Charles-Alexis Legault will all slot in after being recalled on Wednesday.

With their playoff position firmly secured, the Hurricanes will give Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Andrei Svechnikov the night off on Thursday. Bradly Nadeau, Skyler Brind'Amour, and Charles-Alexis Legault will all slot in after being recalled on Wednesday.

With their playoff position firmly secured, the Hurricanes will give Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, and Sebastian Aho the night off on Thursday. Bradly Nadeau, Skyler Brind'Amour, and Charles-Alexis Legault will all slot in after being recalled on Wednesday.

The Hurricanes are on the tail-end of a back-to-back, so Andersen will get the start when they travel to Chicago on Thursday. Andersen struggled in his last start, surrendering five goals on 30 shots in a 6-3 loss in Ottawa on Sunday. The 13-year-veteran has endured an up-and-down season between the pipes, posting a 14-14-5 record and an .870 SV% across 33 appearances. Luckily for Andersen, he does draw a favourable matchup on Thursday, as the Hurricanes enter action at -210 on the money line.

Tampa Bay is in a zero-margin-for-error battle with the Buffalo Sabres for the top seed in the Atlantic Division, and will turn to Vasilevskiy on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. The 31-year-old Vasilevskiy allowed three goals on 29 shots (.897 SV%) in a 4-2 losing effort to the Buffalo Sabres in his previous outing. In his last 10 games (7-2-1), Vasilevskiy has a 2.42 GAA and .897 SV%. Tampa Bay enters the action on Thursday as -114 road favourites against a Montreal team that defeated them 4-1 less than two weeks ago.

Stecher has been in and out of the lineup lately, and will return from a one-game absence to play on Thursday against the New York Islanders. The 32-year-old defenseman has zero points and a concerning -7 plus/minus rating in his last four games.

Lyon is battling a lower-body injury that will keep him sidelined week-to-week and award Colten Ellis with his first start in over two months. The 33-year-old Lyon has struggled in recent outings, resulting in his starting only one of the team's last five games. The team hopes Lyon will be back in time for the playoffs and that the extended off-time can help him reset and return to his early-season form.

With Alex Lyon (lower body) out week-to-week, Buffalo will turn to Ellis on the tail end of a back-to-back for his first start in over two months. The 25-year-old Ellis has been with the Sabres for most of the season, frequently suiting up as the team's backup goalie to keep their tandem fresh. He appeared in a game last week in relief of Lyon, saving 20 of 23 shots (.870 SV%) in an eventual 6-2 loss to the Washington Capitals. The Sabres enter Thursday's contest as slight -102 home underdogs against a Columbus Blue Jackets team desperate to stay within reach of the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Carlile has not played in nearly a month due to an undisclosed injury, but has been activated off of IR with four games remaining in Tampa Bay's season. The 25-year-old Carlile was averaging 14:37 time-on-ice and had three points (1G / 2A) in 38 games before his injury.

The Jets have a game in hand and are four points back of the Nashville Predators for the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, and have no margin for error with only five games remaining in their regular season. Hellebuyck has struggled for most of the 2025-26 season, but has given his team a chance on most nights in recent outings. The 32-year-old goalie has won five of his last seven games (5-2-0) while posting a solid 2.16 GAA and .910 SV%. The Jets enter Thursday's contest as slight -103 road underdogs against the St. Louis Blues, whom they defeated 3-2 last month.

Villeneuve was drafted in the fourth-round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Maple Leafs, but he has yet to play an NHL game. The 24-year-old defenseman has spent the past few seasons in the AHL and has 28 points (3G / 25A) in 58 games with the Marlies (AHL) this season.