Kessel will play in place of Logan Mailloux, who is a healthy scratch for Thursday's game in Buffalo. Kessel is yet to register a point through five games this season.

Mailloux will take a seat on Thursday in favour of Matthew Kessel, who draws back into the Blues lineup. Mailloux is yet to register a point through nine games this season.

Kozak has not played since October 24th, recovering from a lower-body injury, but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the St. Louis Blues. The 22-year-old Kozak is averaging 9:52 time-on-ice, recording 19 hits and two goals in seven games.

Despite Darcy Kuemper shutting out Winnipeg in Los Angeles' previous contest, Anton Forsberg will take the crease on Thursday vs. Florida. The 32-year-old backup netminder has struggled at times during his first season with the Kings, with his 2-1-1 record, 3.19 GAA and .894 SV%. The Kings host the struggling Florida Panthers on Thursday, who have lost seven of their last 10 contests.

Kulich exited Buffalo's most recent game, a 4-3 shootout win over the Washington Capitals, after only 11:19 time-on-ice due to an undisclosed injury. The 21-year-old Czech forward has five points (3G / 2A) in 12 games this season.

Lindgren has been significantly outplayed by counterpart Logan Thompson early in the 2025-26 season, but will take the crease for the fifth time on Thursday on the tail end of a back-to-back. The 31-year-old Lindgren has a 1-2-1 record, posting a 3.46 GAA and .880 SV% in four games. He recorded an impressive 35-save shutout in his first game of the season, but has allowed four goals on 82 shots (.829 SV%) in three games since (0-2-1).

With K'Andre Miller returning from an injury on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild, Legault will likely be the odd man out as a healthy scratch. The 22-year-old, in his first NHL season, is averaging 13:26 time-on-ice and has zero points through six games.

Pyotr Kochetkov (lower-body) made an impressive season debut in Carolina's most recent game, securing a 3-0 shutout win over the New York Rangers, but will serve as the backup to Frederik Andersen on Thursday as the team will seemingly return to the goalie rotation they have showcased over the past several seasons. Andersen has been serviceable, but unspectacular this season, posting a 2.96 GAA and .894 SV% in seven games (4-3-0). He saved 20 of 22 shots (.909 SV%) in his previous outing, a 2-1 loss to the Boston Bruins. The Hurricanes enter Thursday's contest as -190 home favorites against a Minnesota Wild team riding a two-game winning streak.

McCann has not played since October 20th and few details have been shared about the severity of his injury. The 29-year-old McCann has four points (3G / 1A) in five games this season and has no concrete timeline on when he may return.

Evans suffered an injury towards the end of September and has yet to play this season, but is approaching his original six-to-eight week recovery timeline and could draw into the lineup in one of the team's next two games. The 23-year-old is entering his third season with the Kraken after posting career highs across the board in 2024-25 with five goals, 25 points and 59 SOG in 73 games played.

Misa continues his recovery from an undisclosed injury and will miss at least two more games, beginning on Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets. Injuries aside, the Sharks have been easing the 18-year-old Misa into gameplay this season, limited to only seven games, scoring three points (1G / 2A).

Ostapchuk was drafted 39th overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, but has yet to become a full-time presence at the NHL level. The 22-year-old forward played 56 games last season, split between the Senators and Sharks, but started the 2025-26 campaign in the AHL, where he has three points (2G / 1A) in nine games with the Barracuda.

Pesce has not played since suffering an upper-body injury on October 26th and has retroactively been place on Injured Reserve. The 30-year-old defenseman has been a stabilizing force on New Jersey's blueline, averaging 19:39 time-on-ice and scoring three points (0G / 3A) in nine games.

Misa continues his recovery from an undisclosed injury and will miss a third consecutive game on Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets. Injuries aside, the Sharks have been easing the 18-year-old Misa into gameplay this season, limited to only seven games, scoring three points (1G / 2A).

Akira Schmid is coming off an impressive 24-save shutout in Vegas' most recent game, a 1-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings, but the team will turn to Lindbom to tend the twine on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 22-year-old Lindbom has seen limited action in his first NHL season, but has been solid when called upon, posting a 2.50 GAA and .906 SV% in two games (0-1-1). The Golden Knights enter the action on Thursday as -114 home favorites against a Lightning team whose five-game winning streak was snapped in their last game, a 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

Logan Mailloux will be a healthy scratch on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres, allowing Kessel to re-enter the lineup. The 25-year-old Kessel has appeared in five games this season, averaging 10:30 time-on-ice and scoring zero points.

The Blues have had a terrible start to the season, and Logan Mailloux has been a byproduct of their poor team defense. The 22-year-old Mailloux has played sheltered minutes, averaging only 12:33 time-on-ice, but has still managed a woeful -12 plus/minus and zero point through nine games this season. Matthew Kessel will draw into the lineup as Mailloux's replacement.

The Blues have been abysmal defensively this season, allowing a league-worst 59 goals through 14 games (4.21 GA / GP). Jordan Binnington was between the pipes last night in another blowout loss, 6-1 to the Washington Capitals. The team will hope for some stability on Thursday when Hofer tends the twine against the Buffalo Sabres. The 25-year-old Hofer is showcasing an ugly 5.02 GAA and .836 SV% in six appearances this season (1-3-0). The Blues enter Thursday's contest as +113 road underdogs against a Sabres team with points in seven straight games (3-0-4).