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.

The Islanders have scored only two goals in their last three games (1-2-0) and will turn to Rittich on Friday against the Philadelphia Flyers. The 33-year-old Czech goalie has been outstanding lately in a supporting role to Ilya Sorokin, winning three straight starts while saving 69 of 73 combined shots (.945 SV%). He has a 2.59 GAA and .905 SV% in eight games this season (6-2-0).

Warren Foegele (upper body) will not play on Friday against the Anaheim Ducks, allowing Malott to re-enter the lineup. The 29-year-old Malott is averaging 7:55 time-on-ice and has two goals in 16 games this season.

Foegele is battling an undisclosed injury and will not play in Friday's game against the Anaheim Ducks. The 29-year-old Foegele had a career-high 46 points (24G / 22A) in 82 games last season, but is off to a slow start in 2025-26 with only four points (4G / 0A) through 18 games. Jeff Malott will draw into the lineup as Foegele's replacement.

Aube-Kubel has 80 points (32G / 48A) in 304 career NHL games, but has spent the entirety of the 2025-26 season in the AHL. The 29-year-old forward has eights points (2G / 6A) in 17 games with the Iowa Wild (AHL) this season.

Greenway has not play Buffalo's previous three games, but he will return to the lineup on Friday against the New Jersey Devils. The 28-year-old Greenway has three points (1G / 2A), 13 hits, and a -7 plus/minus in 11 games this season.

Kapanen has been on long-term Injured Reserve since suffering an undisclosed injury on October 19th, and has apparently suffered a setback, exiting Thursday's practice early. Before his injury, the 29-year-old Kapanen had two assists in six games.

The Oilers have struggled this season, 10-10-5 through 25 games, and received more bad news on Friday, announcing that Roslovic will be sidelined on a week-to-week basis due to a lower-body injury. The 28-year-old Roslovic has been a terrific fit with the Oilers since signing with them at the beginning of October, scoring 18 points (10G / 8A) in 23 games.

Hartman has not played since suffering a lower-body injury on November 16th, but he will return to the lineup on Friday against the high-flying Colorado Avalanche. Before his injury, the 31-year-old Hartman recorded seven points (4G / 3A) and 19 hits in 20 games this season.

Tkachuk suffered an injury in the third game of the season, underwent thumb surgery, and has been sidelined since. The Senators' Captain will return to the lineup on Friday against the St. Louis Blues, giving a boost to his team that has fared reasonably well without him, going 12-7-4 through 23 games. The 26-year-old Tkachuk scored points (0G / 3A) through three games this season prior to his injury.