Jayden Struble will draw back into Montreal's lineup on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes, sending Engstrom to the press box as a healthy scratch. The 22-year-old Engstrom is averaging 12:29 time-on-ice and has zero points through his first 10 NHL games.
The Canadiens are amid a goalie triangle with Jakub Dobes, Sam Montembeault, and Jacob Fowler, and will turn to Dobes on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 24-year-old Dobes has had a wildly inconsistent season but has put together three consecutive strong games (2-0-1), posting a 1.75 GAA and a .932 SV%. He has a 2.90 GAA and .894 SV% in 20 games this season (12-5-3). The Canadiens enter Thursday's contest as +149 road underdogs against a Hurricanes team that has lost four of its last six games (2-3-1).
Woll had a subpar performance in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Ottawa Senators, allowing five goals on 31 shots (.839 SV%), but immediately responded with a 33-save shutout in Tuesday's 4-0 win over the New Jersey Devils. The Maple Leafs have had an up-and-down season, but have regularly received consistent netminding from Woll, who has a 2.51 GAA and .920 SV% in 13 games (8-4-1). The Maple Leafs enter Thursday's contest as -130 home favorites against a plummeting Winnipeg Jets team on a seven-game losing streak (0-4-3).
Just one week into his tenure with the Oilers, after being acquired in a trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins, Jarry suffered a lower-body injury and has not played since. He is likely still at least two weeks away from returning to the lineup. The Oilers have rotated between Calvin Pickard and Connor Ingram during Jarry's absence.
Thompson will make his first start since being named as one of Team Canada's three goalies at the upcoming Winter Olympics. The 28-year-old Thompson earned the honor with exceptional goaltending, posting a solid 2.33 GAA and .915 SV% in 28 games this season (15-10-3). The Capitals enter Thursday's contest as +127 road underdogs against an Ottawa Senators team on a three-game losing skid (0-2-1).
With Yegor Chinakhov making his Penguins' debut, Koivunen will be the odd-man out of the lineup as a healthy scratch. The 22-year-old Koivunen has four points (1G / 3A) in 26 games this season.
Knight has been reliable tending the twine for the Blackhawks most of the season, but has fallen below .500 after a six-game losing skid (0-5-1). The 24-year-old Knight has a 2.62 GAA and .910 SV% in 27 games (10-11-6). Knight will likely return to the crease on Thursday in a game where the Blackhawks are +158 home underdogs against a Dallas Stars team that lost 4-1 to the Buffalo Sabres last night.
The Penguins received a stellar performance from Stuart Skinner in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, but the team seems to be opting for a goalie rotation, turning to Silovs on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings. The 24-year-old Silovs has allowed three or more goals in seven straight games (2-3-2), posting an ugly 3.92 GAA and .825 SV%. The Penguins enter Thursday's contest as -130 home favorites against a Detroit Red Wings team that defeated the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 last night.
Nylander will not play on Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets, missing a second straight game. It's unclear whether he will be ready to return to the lineup on Saturday against the New York Islanders, but his lack of availability for practice on Friday is not encouraging. The 29-year-old Nylander has been excellent when healthy, scoring 41 points (14G / 27A) in 33 games.
Othmann played only 5:47 time-on-ice in his previous game and will return to the AHL. The 22-year-old has zero points in six games with the Rangers this season.
Sheary suffered a lower-body injury in Wednesday's game against the Washington Capitals and did not return. He will be sidelined for at least a month after being placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve. The 33-year-old Sheary is averaging 14:48 time-on-ice and has nine points (1G / 8A) in 36 games this season.
Dowling spent most of 2024-25 season in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils, scoring seven points (2G / 5A) in 52 games. That said, the 35-year-old has spent the entirety of 2025-26 in the AHL, scoring 16 points (5G / 11A) in 24 games with Hartford.
Blidh has 85 games of NHL experience, but has only played one game in the past three seasons. The 30-year-old has seven points (3G / 4A) in 28 games with Hartford (AHL).
Berard was a fifth-round pick of the Rangers in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The 23-year-old has nine points (2G / 7A) in 20 games with Hartford (AHL) this season, but zero points in 11 games with the Rangers.
The Penguins received a stellar performance from Stuart Skinner in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, but the team seems to be opting for a goalie rotation, turning to Silovs on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings. The 24-year-old Silovs has allowed three or more goals in seven straight games (2-3-2), posting an ugly 3.92 GAA and .825 SV%. The Penguins enter Thursday's contest as -130 home favorites against a Detroit Red Wings team that defeated the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 last night.
The Maple Leafs were successful without Matthews in their previous game, a 4-0 win over the New Jersey Devils, but will be eager to have their captain back in the lineup. The 28-year-old Matthews, a two-time 100-point player, is having a highly publicized sluggish season, scoring 27 points (15G / 12A) through 33 games.
Werenski has not played since suffering a lower-body injury on December 20th, but will likely return from a two-week absence on Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres. The 28-year-old Werenski is having another outstanding season from the Blue Jackets' blueline, leading his team with 40 points (14G / 26A) through 35 games.
Smith has been a regular for the Blue Jackets since making his debut several weeks ago, but did not play on Wednesday due to a lower-body injury and is expected to sidelined for an extended period. The 36-year-old defenseman is averaging 11:05 time-on-ice and has two assists in 15 games.
Pittsburgh acquired Yegor Chinakhov from Columbus for Danton Heinen, a 2026 2nd round pick and a 2027 3rd round pick in a trade on Monday. Chinakhov was drafted 21st overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, but had trouble establishing himself with the Blue Jackets and will hope a change of scenery in Pittsburgh can get him going. The 24-year-old forward has 77 points (37G / 40A) in 204 career NHL games.
With Pyotr Kochetkov (lower body) expected to miss the entire season, and Frederik Andersen's ongoing struggles, Carolina's crease seems destined to belong to Bussi for the foreseeable future. The 27-year-old Bussi, in his first NHL season, has been near perfect, winning 13 of 15 games (13-11-) while posting a stellar 2.08 GAA and .912 SV%. The Hurricanes enter Thursday's contest as -17 home favorites against a Montreal Canadiens team with points in six straight games (4-0-2).
