The Hurricanes remain committed to their three-goalie rotation, and will turn to Bussi on Friday against the Winnipeg Jets. Bussi struggled in his most recent outing, allowing four goals on 20 shots (.800 SV%), but salvaged a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 27-year-old first-year NHLer has a 2.60 GAA and .898 SV% in five games (4-1-0). The Hurricanes enter Friday's contest as -143 road favorites against a Jets team on a two-game winning streak.

Evans was on the receiving end of a high hit from Washington's Tom Wilson in Thursday's 8-4 loss. Evans did not return to the game, exiting in the second period, but seems to have avoided a serious injury, as he could be an option to play on Saturday. The 29-year-old Evans has six points (3G / 3A) in 20 games this season.

Cole Koepke will draw back into the Jets' lineup on Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes, resulting in Pearson being a healthy scratch. The 33-year-old Pearson is averaging 11:03 time-on-ice and has four points (1G / 3A) in 19 games this season.

Tanner Pearson will be a healthy scratch on Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes, allowing Koepke to re-enter the lineup for the first time since November 7th. The 27-year-old Koepke is averaging 10:16 time-on-ice and has two assists in 14 games this season.

The start to Sturm's tenure in Minnesota was delayed due to an injury that needed surgery before the start of the season, but he should make his Minnesota debut shortly, now that he has been activated from Injured Reserve. After winning a cup with Florida in 2024-25, Sturm signed a two-year, $4 million contract with Minnesota in the offseason. He is coming off a seven-goal, 14-point campaign across 62 games with both San Jose and Florida in 2024-25.

With Zach Bogosian activated from Injured Reserve, Minnesota has reassigned Jiricek to the Iowa Wild (AHL). The 21-year-old Jiricek scored zero points and recorded a -3 plus/minus in 12 games with Minnesota.

The Hurricanes remain committed to their three-goalie rotation, and will turn to Bussi on Friday against the Winnipeg Jets. Bussi struggled in his most recent outing, allowing four goals on 20 shots (.800 SV%), but salvaged a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 27-year-old first-year NHLer has a 2.60 GAA and .898 SV% in five games (4-1-0). The Hurricanes enter Friday's contest as -143 road favorites against a Jets team on a two-game winning streak.

Edwards was drafted in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Entry by the Devils and went on to play collegiate hockey for four years with the University of Michigan. The 23-year-old made his professional debut last season with the Utica Comets (AHL) and is awaiting his NHL debut. He has five points (1G / 4A) in 13 games with Utica this season.

Polin has nine NHL games to his name and will be hopefully to make his Avalanche debut this season after being recalled from the AHL. The 26-year-old right winger spent the majority of last season with the Colorado Eagles (AHL) where he had 11 goals and 19 points in 39 games played.

Benson has not played since October 30th due to a lower-body injury, but has returned to practice. He should return to the lineup shortly, but will miss one more game, beginning with Friday’s contest against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 20-year-old Benson was off to a hot start before his injury, scoring eight points (0G / 8A) through eight games.

With Zach Bogosian (lower body) activated from Injured Reserve, Hunt will head to the sidelines as a healthy scratch on Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 23-year-old Hunt has been a regular for Minnesota the previous two weeks, averaging 11:53 time-on-ice and scoring one assist in seven games.

Bogosian has not played since October 17th due to a lower-body injury, but will draw back into the lineup on Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Through five games this season, the 35-year-old Bogosian is averaging 13:53 time-on-ice, recording zero points and a +3 plus/minus.

The Penguins return to action for the first time since playing in Sweden last weekend, and will turn to Silovs to tend the twine on Friday against the Minnesota Wild. Silovs played well in his most recent outing, saving 28 of 30 shots (.933 SV%), but did not receive ample goal support in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Nashville Predators. The 24-year-old Latvian goalie has been impressive in his first season with the Penguins, posting a 2.44 GAA and .918 SV% in 10 games (4-2-4). The Penguins enter Friday's contest as -120 home favorites against a Wild team with points in six straight games (5-0-1).

Minnesota is playing its best hockey of the season, 5-0-1 in its last six, largely due to the elite play of goalie Jesper Wallstedt, but the team will turn to Gustavsson on Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 27-year-old Gustavsson has a subpar 2.99 GAA and .897 SV% in 14 games this season (5-7-2), but has played much better lately, posting a 2.50 GAA and .909 SV% in his last six (3-2-1). Minnesota enters Friday's contest as +109 road underdogs against a rested Penguins team that has not played since Sunday.

With Connor Hellebuyck out for 4-6 weeks after undergoing a minor Arthroscopic knee procedure, the Jets have recalled Milic from the Manitoba Moose (AHL). The 22-year-old Milic has yet to play an NHL game and has a 2.14 GAA and .921 SV% in nine games (5-2-2) with Manitoba this season. Milic likely won't see much playing time at the NHL level, as he is expected to back up Eric Comrie during Hellebuyck's absence.

On Friday morning, the Jets surprisingly announced that Hellebuyck will be sidelined for four to six weeks after undergoing a minor Arthroscopic knee procedure. The 32-year-old Hellebuyck has been a workhorse for the Jets for the previous several seasons, missing minimal time and being among the league leaders for games played. His impending absence likely lessens his chances of repeating as the winner of the Vezina Trophy for a third consecutive season despite another good start in 2025-26, with a 2.51 GAA and .913 SV% through 14 games (8-6-0). Expect Eric Comrie to see a heavy workload between the pipes for the Jets during Hellebuyck's absence.

Minnesota is playing its best hockey of the season, 5-0-1 in its last six, largely due to the elite play of goalie Jesper Wallstedt, but the team will turn to Gustavsson on Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 27-year-old Gustavsson has a subpar 2.99 GAA and .897 SV% in 14 games this season (5-7-2), but has played much better lately, posting a 2.50 GAA and .909 SV% in his last six (3-2-1). Minnesota enters Friday's contest as +109 road underdogs against a rested Penguins team that has not played since Sunday.

Skinner drew into the Blues' lineup for his NHL debut last week, playing one game, but has been assigned back to the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL). The 24-year-old defenseman scored 23 points (8G / 15A) in 71 games with Springfield last season.