Merzlikins will start Friday vs. New Jersey. After not playing for six straight games, a strong outing in the Blue Jackets last contest on Tuesday has prompted them to turn to Merzlikins again on Friday. The Latvian netminder saved 27 of 30 shots (.900 SV%) in a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, his first win since December 14th. Merzlikins and the Blue Jackets are +134 home underdogs against a struggling and injury-depleted New Jersey Devils squad that has lost two straight, being outscored 6-2. Source: Jeff Svoboda
Fleury will start Friday in Florida. Fleury will take the Minnesota crease back for the second time in three games after backing up Filip Gustavsson in a 7-3 loss last time out. The 39-year-old legendary goaltender has improved his overall numbers as of late but still carries an ugly 8-9-3 record, 2.97 GAA and .897 SV% on the season. He draws the tough task of taking on the Florida Panthers on the road Friday, who have surprisingly lost three straight games but rank second in the NHL in shots on goal per game (34.1) after leading the NHL in the same category in 2022-23. Source: Sarah McLellan
Bobrovsky will start Friday vs. Minnesota. The Panthers have lost three straight after seeing their nine-game winning streak end last week and will turn to Bobrovsky between the pipes on Thursday to get back into the win column. Bobrovsky has allowed three or more goals in three of his last four games (2-2-0), posting a subpar .890 SV% in the process. The Panthers will be facing a Minnesota Wild club that has been shut out in two of their last five games (1-3-1) but is coming off an impressive 5-0 victory over the New York Islanders. Source: Jameson Olive
Lyon will start Friday in Carolina. Lyon will start for the ninth time in the last 10 games as he has been a driving force in the Red Wings' push for the playoffs. In his last contest, Lyon saved 32 of 34 shots (.941 SV%) in a 3-2 win over his former team, the Florida Panthers. Lyon has been a calming presence between the pipes for the Red Wings, providing stability while allowing three or fewer goals in each of his last six games (5-0-1), boasting a stellar .927 SV%. That said, the Red Wings are +180 road underdogs on Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes, coming off a 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. Source: Helene St James
Sorokin will start Friday in Chicago. Sorokin will start the eighth straight game on Friday and attempt to snap a three-game losing streak. Sorokin has only one win in his last six outings (1-5-0), allowing three or more goals five times, posting a pedestrian .900 SV%. That said, Sorokin is coming off a great performance in a losing effort, saving 40 of 43 shots (.930 SV%) in a 4-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. The Islanders have a favourable matchup as they are -250 road favourites against a Chicago Blackhawks club that played last night and was shut out 3-0 by the Buffalo SabresSource: New York Islanders
Mrazek will start against the Islanders on Friday. Mrazek will be back between the pipes for the Blackhawks on Friday after getting Thursday night off in favour of back-up netminder Arvid Soderblom. Mrazek has been in good form of late, posting a .929 SV% across his last five starts, though a predictable lack of goal support from his fellow Blackhawks means he's only been able to scrape together a pair of wins across that stretch. The 12-year-veteran has managed to post a respectable .907 SV% and an 11-16-1 record on the season despite playing behind one of the most underwhelming lineups in the league. As per usual, Mrazek and the Blackhawks find themselves as big underdogs on Friday, even on home ice, with the Islanders being favoured at -250 in Chicago. Source: Scott Powers