Benson played 17:23 TOI in Buffalo's season debut on Friday as part of the NHL Global Series in Prague but was unavailable for their contest on Saturday due to a lower-body injury. The 19-year-old Benson appeared in 71 games in 2023-24 and picked up 11 goals and 30 points.
Kuemper was acquired via trade with the Washington Capitals in the offseason in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois. The 34-year-old Kuemper had a forgettable 2023-24 campaign, posting a career-worst 3.31 GAA and .890 SV% in 33 appearances (13-14-3). Before last season, Kuemper was the picture of consistency, posting a superb 2.53 GAA and .918 SV% in 225 games (112-80-24) in his previous five seasons combined. After a solid preseason performance, posting a 1.52 GAA, .918 SV%, and one shutout in three contests (2-1-0), Kuemper is motivated to return to his form of years past. The Kings enter action on Thursday as slight -104 road underdogs against the Buffalo Sabres.
Markstrom was excellent in his first game as a New Jersey Devil, saving 30 of 31 shots (.968 SV%) in a 4-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres as part of the NHL Global Series in Prague. The Devils will return to Markstrom in net for their first contest in North America on Thursday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Devils are -132 home favorites against a Maple Leafs squad that played their season opener last night and were shut out 1-0 against the Montreal Canadiens despite firing 48 shots on goal.
Blomqvist will make his NHL debut on Thursday as the Penguins gear up to play their second game in as many nights to open their season. A former second-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Blomqvist impressed with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) last season, posting a .921 SV%, a 2.16 GAA and a 25-12-6 record across 45 appearances. He has a decent chance of starting his career off in the win column as the Penguins enter action as slight underdogs at +125 on Thursday.
Reaves only saw 7:36 TOI in Toronto's season opener on Wednesday but will head to the press box as a healthy scratch on Thursday in New Jersey for Bobby McCann. Reaves only appeared in 49 games in 2024-25, and it appears he will be in and out of the lineup again this season.
McMann was a healthy scratch for Toronto's season opener on Wednesday but finds himself in the lineup for Ryan Reaves on Thursday in New Jersey. The 28-year-old had a surprise breakout season in 2023-24, with 15 goals, 24 points, 52 PIMs and a +13 plus/minus in 56 games played.
With Toronto on the back end of a back-to-back and Anthony Stolarz coming off a 1-0 loss to Montreal, Dennis Hildeby will make his NHL debut and start for Toronto on Thursday in New Jersey. The towering 6'7" netminder had a solid season as the Toronto Marlies (AHL) starter in 2023-24 with his 21-11-7 record, 2.41 GAA and .913 SV%. He will head to New Jersey to take on the undefeated (2-0-0) Devils, whose new head coach Sheldon Keefe will be looking for a revenge victory against the team that let him go during the offseason.
With Wyatt Kaiser returning from illness, Phillips has been sent down to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. Last season, Phillips split time between Rockford and Chicago. The 23-year-old defenseman set a career-high in games played last season, scoring six points (0G / 6A) in 33 games with the Blackhawks.
Kaiser was absent from the first game of the season for the Blackhawks due to an illness but will likely be inserted back into the lineup shortly. The 22-year-old defenseman played 32 games with the Blackhawks last season, tallying seven points (0G / 7A), 46 blocks, and 22 hits.
Marino was acquired in a trade from the New Jersey Devils in the offseason but has not been able insert himself into the mix for the Utah Hockey Club just yet. The 27-year-old Marino was absent from training camp due to an upper-body injury and is still likely several weeks away from returning. Marino is joining his third NHL franchise and had four goals, 25 points, 41 PIMs and 57 SOG in 75 games played with New Jersey in 2023-24.
Hatakka suffered an injury in preseason that ultimately resulted in undergoing shoulder surgery. The 23-year-old had a legitimate shot of making the Devils out of training camp after Luke Hughes was announced out due to injury, but will now, unfortunately, be sidelined for the foreseeable future. In 12 games in 2023-24, he had two assists, 12 SOG and a +5 plus/minus while averaging just 14:39 TOI/GP.
Lundestrom collided with Leo Carlsson at practice on Thursday and was down on the ice for several minutes before being assisted off. The 25-year-old Lundestrom is in his sixth season with the Ducks after scoring 11 points (5G / 6A) in 46 games last season.
Jost has 456 games of NHL experience since debuting in the 2016-17 season with the Colorado Avalanche, but he spent a sizeable portion of last season in the AHL, registering 14 points (4G / 10A) in 25 games with the Rochester Americans. He looks destined to spend some time in the AHL again this season after clearing waivers and reporting to the Chicago Wolves.
Petr Mrazek struggled in the Blackhawks season-opening 5-2 loss to the Utah Hockey Club, allowing four goals on 26 shots (.846 SV%). As such, the Blackhawks will turn to Soderblom for their second game of the the season, a tilt against the Winnipeg Jets, who steamrolled to a 6-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. The 25-year-old Soderblom appeared in 32 games last season (5-22-2), posting a pedestrian 3.92 GAA and .879 SV%.
On the front end of a back-to-back, the Blues will turn to Hofer in the crease on Thursday evening against the San Jose Sharks. The Blues were victorious in their opening night contest in a 3-2 come-from-behind victory on Tuesday with Jordan Binnington in net against the Seattle Kraken. The 24-year-old Hofer had a steady workload last season as Binnington's backup, posting a solid 2.65 GAA, .913 SV%, and one shutout in 30 appearances (15-12-1). The Blues enter action as -154 road favorites against an improved Sharks club that finished 31st in the league offensively last season with 181 goals.
Rooney exited Wednesday's game against the Vancouver Canucks with only 1:03 time-on-ice after being on the receiving end of a hard hit by J.T. Miller. Last season, Rooney played 33 games with the Flames, tallying four points (3G / 1A), 29 blocks, and 65 hits.
The Sabres alternated between Luukkonen and Devon Levi in their back-to-back set to open the season in Prague as part of the NHL Global Series and will return to Luukkonen between the pipes for their first contest in North America. Luukkonen struggled in his first game, allowing three goals on 22 shots (.864 SV%) but is coming off a splendid 2023-24 campaign where he posted an impressive 2.57 GAA and .910 SV% in 54 appearances (27-22-4). The Sabres enter action on Thursday as +100 home underdogs against the Los Angeles Kings.
Lindstrom played for the Canadiens last season before being placed on waivers and being claimed by the Anaheim Ducks. The Canadiens signed him to a one-year, two-way contract on Wednesday and subsequently placed him on waivers. In his first stint with the Canadiens last season, Lindstrom tallied six points (0G / 6A), a +12 plus/minus rating, 40 blocks, and 54 hits in 32 games.
On the front end of a back-to-back, the Blues will likely turn to Hofer in the crease on Thursday evening against the San Jose Sharks. The Blues were victorious in their opening night contest in a 3-2 come-from-behind victory on Tuesday with Jordan Binnington in net against the Seattle Kraken. The 24-year-old Hofer had a steady workload last season as Binnington's backup, posting a solid 2.65 GAA, .913 SV%, and one shutout in 30 appearances (15-12-1). The Blues enter action as -154 road favorites against an improved Sharks club that finished 31st in the league offensively last season with 181 goals.
The Blue Jackets will turn to Merzlikins in their season opener on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. After an outstanding rookie season in 2019-20, where he posted a 2.35 GAA, .923 SV%, and five shutouts in 33 games (13-9-8), Merzlikins' quality of play has tailed off significantly and has been borderline abysmal. In his last two seasons combined, Merzlikins has a horrid 3.77 GAA and .889 SV% in 71 appearances (20-35-10). The Blue Jackets enter action as +223 road underdogs against the Wild.
