Howden has not played since October 11th, sidelined with a lower-body injury, but returned to practice on Wednesday and is hopeful of returning to Vegas' lineup on Saturday against Florida. The 27-year-old Howden had one point (1G / 0A) and six hits in three games before his injury.

On the tail end of a back-to-back, the Canadiens will turn to Momtemeault between the pipes on Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers. Montembeault has failed to be spectacular early in the 2025-26 season, often outdueled by counterpart Jakub Dobes, but has remained serviceable, winning two of four games (2-2-0) despite a pedestrian 3.26 GAA and .857 SV%. The 28-year-old Montembeault faces arguably his toughest competition of the season, facing off against Connor McDavid and the Oilers.

Kesselring left the Sabres' preseason game on October 1st after aggravating an injury that he'd been dealing with throughout camp and has been sidelined since. The 25-year-old Kesselring was acquired with Josh Doan in a trade that sent JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth in the offseason. Kesslering has the potential to be a top-four defenseman as shown by his seven goals, 29 points, 89 PIMs and 150 SOG in 82 GP with Utah in 2024-25.

The Canadiens have alternated goalies early in the 2025-26 season, a trend that will continue on Wednesday with Dobes tending the twine against the Calgary Flames. The 24-year-old Czech goalie has been outstanding through three games (3-0-0), posting a stellar 1.63 GAA and .939 SV%. Dobes had a similar start to the 2024-25 season, winning his first five contests while posting a .940 SV%. The 5-2-0 Canadiens enter Wednesday's contest as -115 road favorites against a Flames team desperate to stop a six-game losing skid (0-6-0).

Barron has been productive early in the 2025-26 season for the Jets, scoring five points (3G / 2A) in six games. The 26-year-old forward scored a career-high 21 points (8G / 13A) in 70 games in the 2022-23 season. It's unclear if Barron will be ready to play when the Jets return to action on Thursday against the Seattle Kraken.

Alex Lyon has started every game for the Sabres in the 2025-26 season, but the team will turn to Ellis for his first career start on Wednesday against the Detroit Red Wings. The 25-year-old Ellis was drafted 93rd overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He spent the entire 2024-25 season in the AHL, where he posted a solid 2.63 GAA and .922 SV% in 42 games (22-14-3). The Sabres enter Wednesday's contest with even-105 odds against one of the NHL's hottest teams, the Detroit Red Wings, who are riding a five-game winning streak.

Tanev was limited to only 5:57 time-on-ice in Toronto's 5-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, exiting the contest due to an upper-body injury. The 35-year-old Tanev has one point (0G / 1A) and eight blocks through seven games this season. It seems unlikely that he will play in either of Toronto's games this weekend.

Hague was acquired from Vegas in the offseason and then signed to a four-year, $22 million contract with the Predators. He suffered an upper-body injury earlier in the preseason and has been sidelined for Nashville's first seven games this season. Hague was originally paired with Roman Josi to start training camp but it's unclear if he will return there when he makes his season debut. The 26-year-old is entering his seventh NHL season after putting up five goals, 12 points and 40 PIMs in 68 games played last season.

Marchessault did not play in Nashville's previous two games but is nearing a return after practicing on Wednesday. The 34-year-old forward has four points (2G / 2A), 15 shots, and 11 hits in five games this season. Nashville returns to action on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks.

Six game into his NHL career, Shabanov has been effective in a sheltered role, scoring three points (1G / 2) while averaging only 11:43 time-on-ice. The 25-year-old Russian forward is coming off a sensational season with Traktor Chelyabinsk (KHL) where he had 23 goals and 67 points in 65 games played. He will be a game-time decision on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings.

Rossi showed no signs of an injury in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, playing 18:01 time-on-ice and scoring one point (0G / 1A), but did not play on Monday against the New York Rangers. The 24-year-old forward played 82 games in each of the previous two seasons. He has five points (1G / 4A) in six games this season.

Gustavsson started the season with a sensational 26-save shutout in a 5-0 win over the St. Louis Blues, but has seen his numbers fall off since, posting a 3.04 GAA and .899 SV% in five games (2-3-0) this season. That said, the 27-year-old goalie was solid in his most recent outing, saving 23 of 24 shots (.958 SV%) in a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers. Minnesota enters Wednesday's contest as +117 road underdogs against a red-hot Devils team that played last night and is riding a five-game winning streak.

Engvall had offseason hip surgery and just underwent ankle surgery, likely sidelining him for the remainder of the regular season. The 29-year-old Engvall is the third year of a seven-year contract worth $21 million ($3.0M AAV). He had 15 points (8G / 7A) in 62 games with the Islanders last season.

After a poor season-opening performance for Gibson, allowing five goals on 13 shots (.615 SV%) in a 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, Cam Talbot has led the way between the pipes for the Red Wings, leading them during a five-game winning streak. That said, Gibson has been much better lately, saving 47 of 50 shots (.940 SV%) in his last two games (2-0-0), and will return to the crease on Wednesday against the Buffalo Sabres. The Red Wings enter Wednesday's contest with even -105 odds against a 2-4-0 Sabres team.

The Flames continue to struggle, riding a six-game losing skid (0-6-0), but continue to roll with Wolf, who will tend the twine on Wednesday against the Montreal Canadiens. Wolf has failed to live up to the high standards he set for himself as last season's runner-up for the Calder Trophy, but is coming off his best performance of the season, saving 25 of 27 shots (.926 SV%) in a 2-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. The 24-year-old Wolf has a 3.91 GAA and .866 SV% in six games (1-5-0). Calgary enters Wednesday's contest as +107 home underdogs against a 5-2-0 Montreal team.

Megna has played sparingly at the NHL level over the previous several seasons, but has 27 points (4G / 23A) in 193 career games. The 32-year-old defenseman spent most of the 2024-25 season in the AHL, tallying 16 points (2G / 14A) in 64 games with the Charlotte Checkers.

Adin Hill suffered a lower-body injury and could not finish the Golden Knights' most recent game. Akira Schmid should see the majority of the action while Hill is sidelined, but the Golden Knights have recalled Lindbom from the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL). The 22-year-old Lindbom played his first professional season in North American in 2024-25, posting a 2.65 GAA and .912 SV% in 36 games (18-15-2) with Henderson.

Harris played 15:20 time-on-ice in Boston's 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday and suffered an undisclosed injury, landing himself on Injured Reserve; sidelined for at least one week. The 25-year-old Harris has two points (1G / 1A) in five games this season. In a corresponding move, Boston recalled Michael Callahan from Providence (AHL).

Callahan made his NHL debut last season, scoring one goal in 17 games with Boston. The 26-year-old defenseman has primarily been an AHL player, but could be due for a more prominent NHL role this season if the injury to Jordan Harris (undisclosed) proves to significant.