Emberson will make his first appearance since March 16th, slotting in for Derek Ryan as the Oilers opt to dress seven defencemen on Thursday. Emberson has zero goals and ten assists in 65 games this season.
Klingberg will make his first appearance since March 4th when the Oilers travel to Seattle on Thursday. He will slot in for Mattias Ekholm, who was a late scratch due to an undisclosed injury.
Ekholm was a surprise scratch on Thursday, with the team not announcing his absence prior to warmups. John Klingberg will draw into the lineup in his place.
On the tail-end of a back-to-back, Pickard will be between the pipes on Thursday against the Seattle Kraken. The 32-year-old Pickard was excellent in his most recent start, saving 29 of 30 shots (.967 SV%) in a 7-1 win over the Utah Hockey Club. He has a 2.63 GAA and .901 SV% in 27 appearances this season (17-7-1).
Blackwell will take a seat on Thursday as the Stars opt to get some fresh legs into their lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Mavrik Bourque will draw into the lineup in his place.
Bourque will slot in as the Stars opt to get some fresh legs into their lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Colin Blackwell will sit in his place.
The Stars will turn to DeSmith for the tail-end of their back-to-back when they travel to Calgary on Thursday. DeSmith was unfortunate not to pick up his seventh straight victory in his last start, stopping 36 of the 38 shots he faced in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Lightning last Thursday. The 33-year-old netminder has been excellent when called upon this season, posting a 12-6-1 record and a .916 SV%. DeSmith and the Stars enter action on Thursday as slight favourites at -130 on the money line.
The Predators will turn to Saros for the 53rd time this season when they host the Blues on Thursday. Saros was excellent in his last outing, allowing just one goal on 35 shots in a 3-1 victory in Carolina on Tuesday. It was a second consecutive victory and a bright spot in what's been a very difficult season for Nashville's franchise netminder. Saros and the Predators enter action on Thursday at +120 on the money line.
Foligno has not played since March 15th due to an upper-body injury but will draw back into Minnesota's lineup on Thursday against the Washington Capitals. The 33-year-old Foligno has zero points, a -7 plus/minus, and 37 hits in his last 10 games.
Dunne will slot in for Jason Zucker, who is out due to a personal matter. Dunne has appeared in just one other game for the Sabres this season and is yet to register a point through 15 career NHL games.
Lafferty did not play in Buffalo's previous game and will be held out again on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 30-year-old forward is averaging 9:43 time-on-ice and has five points (2G / 3A) in 50 games this season.
Petry recently returned to the lineup from a nearly three-month absence due to an injury, and was a game-time decision on Thursday as he is battling an undisclosed ailment. The 37-year-old defenseman is averaging 19:07 time-on-ice and has six points (1G / 5A) in 35 games this season.
Imama was a late scratch on Thursday, with the team not announcing his absence prior to warmups. Imama has one goal and zero assists in 16 games this season.
The Sabres are riding a two-game winning streak courtesy of two solid efforts from James Reimer, and he will return to the crease on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 37-year-old Reimer has saved 63 of 65 shots (.926 SV%) in his last two games (2-0-0). He has a 2.93 GAA and .900 SV% in 16 appearances this season (4-8-2). The Sabres enter Thursday's contest as -135 home favorites against a Penguins squad coming off a disastrous 6-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Vasilevskiy had light work in Tuesday's one-side 6-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, saving 14 of 15 shots (.933 SV%), and will return to the crease on Thursday against the Utah Hockey Club. The 30-year-old Vasilevskiy has an excellent 2.22 GAA and .919 SV% through 56 games this season (34-19-3). Tampa Bay enters Thursday's contest as -188 home favorites against a Utah team coming off a disappointing 5-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
Whitehead was a fourth-round pick, 128th overall, of the Golden Knights in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old goalie has spent the last two seasons playing collegiate hockey with Northeastern University (H-East). He posted a 2.74 GAA and .911 SV% in 35 games this season (13-17-3).
The Blues have been outstanding lately, outscoring their opposition 34-10 during a seven-game winning streak, as they attempt to secure a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. Hofer will tend the twine on Thursday against the Nashville Predators, looking to improve his 2.64 GAA and .905 SV% through 28 games this season (14-7-3). The 24-year-old Hofer has been excellent since the beginning of March, posting a 3-0-1 record, a 1.77 GAA, and a .922 SV%. The Blues enter Thursday's contest as -142 road favorites against a Predators team coming off an impressive 3-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
In their first game with Brad Shaw as their new head coach, the Flyers will turn to Ersson between the pipes and hope to snap a six-game losing skid (0-5-1). The 25-year-old Ersson had a rough performance in his previous outing, allowing seven goals on 37 shots (.767 SV%) in a 7-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has a 3.10 GAA and .882 SV% in 42 games this season (19-15-5). The Flyers enter Thursday's contest as +113 home underdogs against a Montreal Canadiens team coming off a disappointing 6-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues.
Carrick did not play New York's previous game due to personal reasons but has rejoined the team. The 33-year-old Carrick is averaging 11:49 time-on-ice and has 18 points (6G / 12A) in 71 games this season.
Rempe has been a regular in New York's lineup lately, but he will be sidelined week-to-week due to an upper-body injury. The 22-year-old Rempe is averaging 7:59 time-on-ice, recording five points (2G / 3A), 63 penalty minutes, and 103 hits in 36 games this season.
