Nathan Beaulieu is out for at least one month so Niku returns to the NHL after picking up 14 points (3G / 11A) in 18 AHL games this season. He has five points (2G / 3A) in 32 career NHL games to-date.
Suomela played Tuesday in Detroit but will come back out of the lineup with Melker Karlsson returning from a head injury.
Karlsson missed Tuesday's game in Detroit with a head injury that he suffered after taking a shot to the head vs. the Flyers last Saturday. Karlsson needed a few stitches but escaped a more serious injury and will replace Antti Suomela in the lineup on Thursday.
Nosek is expecting the birth of his child, so Nicolas Roy will replace him on the Golden Knights' fourth-line on Thursday.
Tomas Nosek is expecting the birth of his child, so Roy will replace him on the Golden Knights' fourth-line on Thursday. It will be his first NHL game since December 2nd and the 6-foot-4, 208 lbs. centre has one goal and two assists in seven games this year.
Klingberg is dinged up from the Winter Classic and was not on the ice for Thursday's practice, making him questionable for Friday's game vs. the Red Wings. He is officially listed as day-to-day but monitor his status during tomorrow's morning skate.
Binnington stopped 25 of 26 shots in the Blues win over the Jets last Sunday. Binnington is on a six-game winning streak while posting a 2.15 GAA and .921 SV%. He is also 2-0-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .935 SV% in two starts against an Avalanche team, that has lost five of their last six (1-4-1) but they've scored 3.50 goals per game over that span.
Wideman has scored eight goals with 11 assists (19 points) in 26 AHL games this season. The 29-year-old veteran defenseman played in 25 NHL games with three different teams (OTT, EDM and FLA) in 2018-19 and has 45 points (16G / 29A) in 181 career NHL games.
Luoto has served as a healthy scratch for the last five games, so he'll head to Manitoba to get a chance to play. The 22-year-old has three assists in nine AHL games this season.
Markstrom allowed two goals on 51 shots in the Canucks win over the Kings last Saturday. It was a fantastic game for Markstrom, who has won four straight while posting a 2.24 GAA and .941 SV%. He has gone 7-5-2 with a 2.48 GAA, .924 SV% and one shutout on home-ice this year but will face a Chicago team that is heating up, winning five of their last six with 3.83 goals per game.
Fleury allowed two goals on 28 shots in the Golden Knights win over the Ducks on Tuesday. Fleury has been strong in his last two starts, stopping 53 of 56 shots (.946 SV%) to move to 11-6-2 with a 2.90 GAA, .905 SV% and one shutout on home-ice this season. Tonight he faces a Flyers team that is a different team on the road than in Philadelphia--they've lost five of their last seven road games while scoring just 2.29 goals per game.
Grubauer allowed five goals on 24 shots in Colorado's loss to Winnipeg on Tuesday. Grubauer has gone winless in his last six starts, going 0-4-1 with a 3.40 GAA and .895 SV%. The Avalanche are struggling right now and a matchup with the Blues likely won't help. St. Louis has won eight of their last nine (8-1-0) while scoring 3.78 goals per game.
Andersen stopped 26 of 27 shots in the Maple Leafs win in Minnesota on Tuesday. Andersen is 5-0-1 despite posting a 3.17 GAA and .902 SV% in his last six starts thanks to his teammates averaging 5.17 goals per game in front of him. Tonight he takes on a Jets team that has lost four in a row one home-ice, averring 2.50 goals per game.
Merzlikins stopped 36 of 37 shots in the Blue Jackets win over the Panthers on Tuesday. It was an outstanding effort from Merzlikins in his first game as the Blue Jackets new No.1 netminder. It was Merzlikins first career NHL win but his second may have to wait a little longer. The Bruins are 14-1-8 while scoring 3.43 goals per game in Boston this year.
Raanta stopped 38 of 39 shots in the Coyotes win over the Blues on Tuesday. It was a fantastic outing and a much-needed win for Raanta, who snapped a three-game losing skid in the process. He is 3-4-0 with a 2.59 GAA, .920 SV% and one shutout on home-ice this year and is a great option against a Ducks team that has lost five of their seven (2-4-1) games while scoring just 2.29 goals per game.
Timashov played in the last eight games but will be replaced by Mason Marchment, who will be making his NHL debut, on Thursday. Timashov has eight points in 29 games while playing just 8:21 ATOI in his first NHL season.
Marchment has two goals and two assists in 11 games with the Marlies (AHL) this season and was called up on Wednesday. The 24-year-old winger is 6-foot-4, 220 lbs. and will replace Dmytro Timashov and is expected to skate on the fourth line in his debut.
