Mitchell is an undrafted 26-year-old defenseman that has spent the previous three seasons playing exclusively in the AHL with the Bridgeport Islanders. The 25-year-old Mitchell has three points (0G / 3A) in 12 games with Bridgeport this season. He has never played an NHL game.

The Kings have struggled offensively lately, scoring only eight goals in their last five games, but have salvaged a serviceable 2-1-2 record thanks to strong goaltending. Kuemper saved 27 of 28 shots (.964 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 2-1 win over the Ottawa Senators. The 35-year-old netminder returns to the crease on Friday against the Anaheim Ducks, looking to build on a solid 2.30 GAA and .910 SV% through 16 games (8-4-4).

Petr Mrazek struggled replacing an injured Lukas Dostal (upper body) in Wednesday’s 5-4 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, and the Ducks will test their luck with Husso between the pipes on Friday against the Los Angeles Kings. The 30-year-old Husso is no stranger to the NHL, appearing in 145 games (71-46-19) with a 3.05 GAA and .901 SV%. That said, he has spent the entirety of the 2025-26 season in the AHL, where he has a 2.49 GAA and .908 SV% in 13 games (6-4-3) with the San Diego Gulls.

Tolopilo was solid in his season debut in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks, saving 37 of 41 shots (.902 SV%), and has earned himself another start on Friday against the San Jose Sharks. Tolopilo made his NHL debut last season, playing two games (1-1-0) with the Canucks and posting a 2.15 GAA and .885 SV%. He has a 3.35 GAA and .901 SV% in five games (1-3-1) with the Abbotsford Canucks (AHL).

The Sabres are at the bottom of an ultra-tight Eastern Conference with a 9-10-4 record, and hope to return to .500 on Friday with Lyon tending the twine against the New Jersey Devils. The 32-year-old Lyon has not played since allowing two goals on three shots (.333 SV%) in a 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on November 13th. He has a 3.07 GAA and .907 SV% in 12 games this season (3-5-3).

The Devils have struggled with Jack Hughes (hand) out of the lineup, but two strong performances from Jacob Markstrom, saving 53 of 58 combined shots (.914 SV%), have led them to a two-game winning streak. That said, the Devils will flip the script, turning to 35-year-old Jake Allen to tend the twine on Friday against a Buffalo Sabres team that has scored four or more goals in five of their last six games (4-2-0). Allen has not played since allowing six goals on 29 shots (.793 SV%) in a 6-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on November 22nd. He has a 2.46 GAA and .908 SV% in 12 games this season (7-4-0).

Schmid only has one regulation loss, but has not been at his best in his last two outings (0-0-2), allowing seven goals on 56 combined shots (.875 SV%). That said, he has given his team a chance on most nights, posting a serviceable 2.47 GAA and .900 SV% in 14 games (9-1-4). It’s unclear what Schmid’s workload will look like, or whether he stays in the NHL, when Carter Hart makes his debut, and Adin Hill (lower body) returns from injury. Still, the 25-year-old Schmid has proven himself as a reliable netminder for Vegas this season.

Stolarz, originally considered day-to-day, has been sidelined since suffering an upper-body injury on November 11th. The team has not revealed concrete details about his injury, but this latest development suggests he is not close to returning. The 31-year-old Stolarz struggled before his injury, posting a 3.51 GAA and .884 SV% in 13 games (6-5-1). Expect Joseph Woll to continue seeing most of the action while Stolarz is sidelined.

Woll is coming off his best performance of the season, saving 35 of 36 shots (.972 SV%) in a 2-1 overtime win over the Blue Jackets. He returns to the crease on Friday against a Washington Capitals team on a two-game winning streak, looking to get his record above .500 for the first time this season. The 27-year-old netminder has a 2.74 GAA and .914 SV% in five games this season (2-2-1).

Nylander is battling an illness and will miss his fourth game of the season after only missing one game in his previous four seasons combined. The 29-year-old Nylander is leading the Maple Leafs offensively with 31 points (11G / 20A) in 20 games. The Maple Leafs will likely welcome a defenseman back onto their top powerplay unit with the absence of Nylander.

After a poor start to the season, Minnesota has won six straight and skyrocketed up the Western Conference standings, led by superfluous goaltending. Wallstedt will tend the twine of Friday against the red-hot Colorado Avalanche, looking to improve on an outstanding run in November, where he has a near-perfect 0.99 GAA, .970 SV%, and three shutouts in five games (3-0-0). The 23-year-old rookie has a 1.94 GAA and .935 SV% in eight games this season (6-0-2).

Colorado has outscored their opposition 10-0 in their last three games (3-0-0), with two shutouts from Mackenzie Blackwood and one from Scott Wedgewood. The 33-year-old Wedgewood has been sensational for Colorado this season, and he will return to the crease on Friday against a Minnesota Wild team on a six-game winning streak. Wedgewood, a career backup, has never won more than 16 games in a season, but already nearing that total through 17 starts in 2025-26 (13-1-2), posting a solid 2.09 GAA and .918 SV%.

Dowd has missed five straight games due to an undisclosed injury, and will remain out of the lineup on Friday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was recently placed on Injured Reserve, but is eligible to be activated at any time. The 35-year-old Dowd is averaging 15:08 time-on-ice and has five points (1G / 4A) in 19 games this season.

Matthew Kessel will draw back into the lineup on Friday against the Ottawa Senators, sending Tucker to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 25-year-old Tucker is has four points (1G / 3A) and a -5 plus/minus through 23 games this season.

Tyler Tucker will be a healthy scratch on Friday against the Ottawa Senators, allowing Kessel to re-enter the lineup. The 25-year-old Kessel is averaging 11:3 time-on-ice and has one goal in 13 games this season.

Trevor van Riemsdyk will draw back into the lineup on Friday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, sending McIlrath to the press box as a healthy scratch. The 33-year-old McIlrath has seen very limited action this season, averaging 11:35 time-on-ice in three games.

Dylan McIlrath will be a healthy scratch on Friday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, allowing van Riemsdyk to re-enter the lineup. The 34-year-old van Riemsdyk is averaging 15:03 time-on-ice, down 2:37 from last season, and has two points (1G / 1A) in 17 games.

With Pyotr Kochetkov (lower body) sidelined, the Hurricanes are relying on the services of Frederik Andersen and Brandon Bussi, who will tend the twine on Friday against the Winnipeg Jets. The 27-year-old Bussi has been serviceable since making his NHL debut earlier this season, posting a 2.67 GAA and .897 SV% in six games (5-1-0). If Kochetkov's injury lingers, Bussi has an opportunity to see an increased workload if he can outduel his counterpart, Frederik Andersen.

The Capitals have been an offensive juggernaut lately, outscoring their opposition 27-17 in their last five games (4-1-0). They will turn to Thompson to tend the twine on Friday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 28-year-old Thompson was excellent in his most recent game, saving 22 of 23 shots (.957 SV%) in a 5-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. He has an impressive 2.16 GAA and .912 SV% in 16 games this season (9-6-1). That said, despite a solid record, his six regulation losses already match his total from 43 games last season (31-6-6).

The Blues have been far more competitive lately, but have still lost seven of their last 10 (3-2-5). Binnington has helped the Blues collect at least a point in five straight outings (2-0-3) while posting a solid 2.80 GAA and .912 SV%. The 32-year-old goalie has a 3.11 GAA and .881 SV% in 16 games this season (5-5-5). The Blue enter Friday's contest as slight -103 home underdogs against an Ottawa Senators team that will welcome Brady Tkachuk back into the lineup.