Pionk has not played since March 11th but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Dallas Stars. The 29-year-old Pionk was having an impressive season on the Jets' blueline before his injury, averaging 22:09 time-on-ice, recording 37 points (9G / 28A) and 109 hits in 66 games.
Ehlers did not play Winnipeg's previous two games but he will draw back into the lineup on Thursday against the Dallas Stars. The 29-year-old Ehlers is averaging 15:56 time-on-ice and has 63 points (24G / 39A) in 67 games this season. He is one point away from the career-high 64 points (25G / 39A) he has in the 2016-17 season.
The Jets will unsurprisingly turn to their star netminder for a pivotal matchup in Dallas on Thursday. Hellebuyck secured yet another victory in his last start, stopping 14 of the 15 shots he faced in a 3-1 win over the Blues on Monday. Winnipeg's franchise netminder is well on his way to a second consecutive Vezina Trophy, leading the NHL with 44 wins, a .924 SV%, a 2.02 GAA, and seven shutouts. The Jets enter action on Thursday at +105 on the money line.
Jones will sit out in order to make way for the return of K'Andre Miller (illness). Jones has one goal and ten assists in 44 games this season.
Miller will draw back into the lineup after sitting out Wednesday's game against the Flyers. Zac Jones will sit in his place.
Parssinen will look to provide a spark on Thursday for the tail-end of New York's back-to-back. Brennan Othmann will sit in his place.
Othmann will take a seat on Thursday for the tail-end of New York's back-to-back. Juuso Parssinen will draw into the lineup in his place.
McIlrath will slot in for John Carlson, who is out with an illness. McIlrath has zero goals and two assists in 13 games this season.
Morrow will draw in for Shayne Gostisbehere, who was a late scratch due to an upper-body injury. Morrow has one goal and four assists in nine games this season.
Gostisbehere was a surprise scratch on Thursday, with the team not announcing his absence prior to warmups. Scott Morrow will draw into the lineup in his place.
The Hurricanes are coming off a disappointing 3-0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres and will hope for a better result, with Andersen tending the twine against the Washington Capitals. Andersen struggled in his most recent outing, allowing five goals on 27 shots (.815 SV%) in a 5-1 loss to the Boston Bruins. The 35-year-old goalie has a 2.11 GAA and .914 SV% in 19 games this season (13-6-0). The Hurricanes enter Thursday's contest as -150 road favorites against a Capitals team that has lost five of their last seven games (2-4-1).
Ilya Sorokin was not at New York's morning skate on Thursday, tending to an upper-body injury, leaving the crease to Hogberg. The 30-year-old Hogberg struggled in a relief performance on Tuesday, allowing three goals on nine shots (.667 SV%) in a 7-6 overtime loss to the Nashville Predators. He has a 2.62 GAA and .907 SV% in 12 appearances this season (2-4-2). The Islanders enter Thursday's contest as -120 home favorites against a New York Rangers team coming off a disappointing 8-5 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers last night.
Watson will slot in for Elmer Soderblom, who is out with an undisclosed injury. Watson has appeared in eight games this season, registering two goals and zero assists.
Chychrun was a surprise scratch on Thursday, with the Capitals announcing his absence about five minutes prior to the start of warmups. Dylan McIlrath will draw into the lineup in his place.
Soderblom has battled some injuries lately, playing only four games since March 18th, and will miss another contest on Thursday against the Florida Panthers. The 23-year-old Soderblom is averaging 13:22 time-on-ice and has 11 points (4G / 7A) in 26 games this season.
Lettieri will be the odd-man out on Thursday in order to make room for Riley Duran's NHL debut. Lettieri has three goals and two assists in 24 games this season.
The Sabres are among the hottest teams in the NHL, with an 8-2-0 record in their last 10 games, and will turn to Reimer, one of the NHL's hottest netminders. Reimer was tremendous in his most recent outing, saving all 33 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season in a 3-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. The 37-year-old veteran netminder has a solid 2.40 GAA and .921 SV% in his last seven games (7-0-0). The Sabres enter Thursday's contest as +123 road underdogs against a Columbus Blue Jackets team coming off a 5-2 win over the Ottawa Senators.
With Elvis Merzlikins (undisclosed) unavailable, the Blue Jackets will turn to Greaves for Thursday's game against the Sabres. Greaves has not appeared in an NHL game since March 17th, when he allowed two goals on 20 shots in a 2-1 loss to the Devils. The 23-year-old netminder has made 16 career starts across three seasons, posting a lowly 5-9-2 record despite an impressive .910 SV%. Greaves and the Blue Jackets enter action on Thursday at -140 on the money line.
The Bruins will turn to Swayman between the pipes for the 57th time this season when they host the Blackhawks on Thursday. Swayman turned in a solid performance in his last start, stopping 19 of the 21 shots he faced in a 7-2 win in New Jersey on Tuesday. It was just the 22nd win of the season for the 26-year-old netminder, who has struggled on his way to an .895 SV% on the year. Luckily for Swayman, he's a good bet to stay in the win column on Thursday, as the Bruins enter action at -180 on the money line.
Zadorov did not practice on Wednesday due to personal reasons and his status for Thursday's game against the Chicago Blackhawks is up in the air. The 29-year-old Zadorov is averaging 20:35 time-on-ice, recording 19 points (4G / 15A) and a team-best +21 plus/minus rating in 78 games. No other player on the Bruins has better than a +3 plus/minus.
