Regula will be the odd-man out on the Oilers' blue-line on Thursday. His absence makes room for the return of Leon Draisaitl (personal), as the Oilers opt to return to a more traditional lineup structure with 12 forwards and only six defencemen.
Draisaitl is a welcomed but surprise addition to the Oilers lineup on Thursday. The Oilers originally stated that he was likely to rejoin the team later this week, though there was no specific mention of a return on Thursday prior to the start of warmups. The 30-year-old Draisaitl has been on a tear for the past few weeks, with 36 points (10G / 26A) in his last 21 games.
The Penguins will unsurprisingly hand Silovs the start for tail-end of their back-to-back after Stuart Skinner got the nod on Wednesday. Silovs suffered a third consecutive defeat in his last start, allowing three goals on 25 shots in a shootout loss to the Blue Jackets on Saturday. The 24-year-old netminder brings an 8-6-8 record and .890 SV% into Thursday night's matchup, where the Pens enter action at +145 on the money line.
Kunin will slot right back into the lineup after sitting out Monday's game against the Sharks. Jesper Boqvist will sit in his place.
Boqvist will take a seat on Thursday as Luke Kunin draws into the lineup. Boqvist has three goals and four assists in 48 games this season.
The Senators have received steadier goaltending since acquiring Reimer, and he will return to the crease on Thursday for a third consecutive start. The 37-year-old goalie was terrific in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, saving 20 of 21 shots (.955 SV%). The Senators enter Thursday's contest as -114 road favorites against a Nashville Predators team that has been outscored 12-5 during a two-game losing streak (0-2-0).
Dickinson was a surprise scratch on Thursday, with the Blackhawks not announcing his absence prior to warmups. His spot in the lineup will be filled by the return of Frank Nazar (upper-body).
Kesslering returned from a three-week absence due to an injury on Saturday, but did not play on Monday or Tuesday. He is averaging 14:57 time-on-ice through 17 games this season and will return to action on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. Zach Metsa will be a healthy scratch to accommodate Kesselring's return.
The Golden Knights relied heavily on Carter Hart when he made his debut in December, making Schmid an afterthought, but now with Hart (lower body) sidelined, the team seems keen on rotating between Schmid and the recently activated Adin Hill. The 25-year-old Schmid was excellent in his most recent game, saving 27 of 29 shots (.931 SV%) in a 7-2 win over the Nashville Predators, and has a 2.05 GAA and .917 SV% during a four-game winning streak. The Golden Knights enter Thursday's contest as -140 road favorites against a Boston Bruins team whose six-game winning streak was snapped on Tuesday in a 6-2 loss to the Dallas Stars.
Luukkonen was terrific in Monday's 2-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, saving 27 of 29 shots (.931 SV%), and will hope for more goal support on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. The 26-year-old Luukkonen has been solid in recent weeks, posting a 2.45 GAA and .919 SV% in his last nine games (6-2-1). The Sabres enter the action on Thursday as +105 road underdogs against a Canadiens team they defeated 3-2 one week ago.
Salomonsson had missed Winnipeg's previous two games due to illness but will return vs. Florida on Thursday. The 21-year-old Swedish defensemen has yet to pick up an NHL point in any of his six games played and is a -5 plus/minus with six SOG while averaging just 15:49 TOI.
With the return of Will Smith and the emergence of Pavol Regenda, Igor Chernyshov found himself the odd man out and was re-assigned to the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) on Thursday. The 20-year-old Russian forward will surely be San Jose's first call up when needed after he had an impressive first NHL stint, with three goals and 11 points in 15 games played.
Andersen has had a woeful time in Carolina's net this season, but is coming off of his best performance in weeks, saving 29 of 30 shots (.967 SV%) in a 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils. Prior to that, he had a disappointing 3.64 GAA and .840 SV% in his previous 12 games (2-7-3). The Hurricanes enter Thursday's contest as significant -295 home favorites against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Kuemper missed two weeks in mid-December due to an upper-body injury, and though it's unclear if this injury is related, his presence at practice on Thursday is an encouraging sign. Anton Forsberg will likely be between the pipes if Kuemper is not ready to play on Sunday against the St. Louis Blues.
Kurashev has not played in over five weeks, but appears to be nearing a return to the lineup. The 26-year-old forward has 15 points (6G / 9A) in 31 games this season.
Chytil has not played since mid-October, limited to only six games this season, but could return to the lineup on Friday against the New Jersey Devils. The 26-year-old Czech forward had three goals in six games before his injury, but has unfortunately had trouble staying healthy over the past few seasons.
Sherwood has not played in nearly two weeks due to an undisclosed injury, and his first game with the San Jose Sharks will have to wait, but it should be before the Olympic break. The 29-year-old hard-hitting Sherwood truly broke out last season, scoring 40 points (19G / 21A) and recording an absurd 462 hits in 78 games. He has continued the 2025-26 season on a similar pace, with 23 points (17G / 6A) and 210 hits through 44 games.
