Kotkaniemi will draw right back into the Hurricanes lineup on Friday after sitting out Thursday's game against the Bruins. He will fill in for Andrei Svechnikov, who is a late scratch due to an illness.
Svechnikov was a late scratch on Friday, with the team only announcing his absence at the start of warmups. Jesperi Kotkaniemi will likely draw back into the lineup after being a healthy scratch on Thursday.
The Rangers will turn to Quick for the second time in the last four games as the Rangers visit the Detroit Red Wings. Quick struggled in his last outing, allowing five goals on 32 shots (.844 SV%), but received adequate offensive support from his team in an eventual 8-5 win over the Arizona Coyotes. The Rangers enter on Friday as -137 road favourites.
The Sabres will turn to Luukkonen for the third straight game on Friday against the Philadelphia Flyers. Luukkonen was solid in his last outing, snapping a two-game losing skid by saving 23 of 25 shots (.920 SV%) in a 6-2 victory over the Washington Capitals. The Sabres enter action as -122 home favourites.
Blankenburg will begin his second stint in Columbus this season on Friday after being recalled on an emergancy basis from Cleveland (AHL). The 25-year-old failed to pick up a point across his six games played earlier in the season but had three SOG while averaging 17:52 TOI.
With Columbus unsure of the status of both Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov heading into Saturday, they have recalled 30-year-old Malcolm Subban from Cleveland (AHL) on an emergency basis. The well-traveled goaltender last appeared in the NHL with Buffalo in 2021-22 and has played for four teams across seven NHL seasons and has a 36-33-9 record, 3.10 GAA and .898 SV% in 86 games played.
Fix-Wolansky just surpassed a career-high in games played with 10 on Thursday but has been reassigned to Cleveland (AHL) on Friday. The 24-year-old failed to produce during his short stint with the Blue Jackets, with only one assist, 14 SOG and a -2 plus/minus in 10 games played.
Kuemper left practice early on Wednesday due to an undisclosed injury but appears good to go as he is scheduled to start on Friday vs. Carolina. The 33-year-old Stanley Cup-winning veteran has struggled in his second season in Washington, with his ugly 13-13-3 record, 3.32 GAA and .888 SV%. He'll be looking to snap Washington's four-game losing streak as he heads to Carolina on Friday, who has won eight of their last 10 games and are eighth in the NHL in goals per game (3.34).
Kochetkov will appear in his team-leading 40th game this season as he starts and takes on the Washington Capitals in Raleigh on Friday. The 24-year-old sophomore picked up his 20th win of the season in his last appearance and holds an impressive 20-13-4 record with a 2.38 GAA and .911 SV% on the season. He will host Washington on Friday, who despite being in the middle of a heated playoff race have lost their last four games.
Vaakanainen has appeared in 65 games this season for Anaheim but will head to the press box on Friday as he is replaced by Radko Gudas, who is returning from injury. The 25-year-old played in 68 career NHL games across six separate seasons before sticking with the Ducks this year and has taken a massive step forward with his 14 points (1G/13A), 66 SOG and 26 PIMs in 65 games in 2023-24.
Bellemare has not played since March 22nd, missing the last six games, but will draw back into the lineup on Friday against the Anaheim Ducks. The 39-year-old Bellemare has six points (4G / 2A) in 36 games this season.
Larsson will not play on Friday against the Anaheim Ducks due to personal reasons. The 31-year-old Larsson has 18 points (4G / 14A), 119 shots, 149 hits, and 143 blocks in 75 games this season.
Fresh off a disappointing 5-0 loss to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, the Oilers will switch to Skinner between the pipes on Friday against the Colorado Avalanche. Skinner has allowed three or more goals in five of his last six (3-1-2), including allowing three on 29 shots (.897 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 3-2 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues. The Oilers enter action as -137 home favourites.
Matt Rempe will be a healthy scratch on Friday, allowing Brodzinski to draw back into the lineup. Brodzinski has been held off the scoresheet in five of the last six games.
Jonny Brodzinski will draw back into the lineup on Friday, making Rempe a healthy scratch. Rempe was ejected from Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils after receiving a fighting major only two seconds into the contest.
McTavish scored a goal before exiting Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Calgary Flames with only 6:32 of ice time due to a lower-body injury. McTavish had goals in back-to-back games after being held without a point for 10 straight.
Gudas has not played since March 14th, missing 10 games, but will return to the lineup on Friday against the Seattle Kraken. The heavy-hitting defenseman has 16 points (6G / 10A), 208 hits, and 142 blocks in 60 games this season.
Nesterenko was the sixth-round pick of the Minnesota Wild in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. The 22-year-old played nine games with the Ducks last season and has 33 points (15G / 18A) in 63 games with the San Diego Gulls (AHL).
The Ducks will turn to Dostal between the pipes for his third straight game. Dostal has allowed three or more goals in four straight (1-2-1), but was victorious in his last outing, saving 21 of 24 shots (.875 SV%) in a 5-3 win over the Calgary Flames. The Ducks enter action as +152 home underdogs against a Seattle Kraken club that shut them out 4-0 on March 26th.
Wagner scored his first goal as a member of the Colorado Avalanche on Monday and earned himself a one-year contract extension the following day for the 2024-25 season. The 32-year-old veteran should compete for Colorado's fourth-line centre role next year but will hope to build off of his two points (1G/1A) in 10 games this season.
