A fourth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Duke is yet to make his NHL debut. He is enjoying a fairly productive first AHL season with Syracuse, registering nine goals and 13 assists in 36 games.

Imama suffered the injury in the first period of Friday's game and was unable to return. We should receive an update on his status of ahead of Pittsburgh's game in Philadelphia on Saturday.

After serving as a healthy scratch on Thursday, Middleton will get the chance to play on Friday as the Avalanche opt to get some fresh legs into the lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Oliver Kylington will sit in his place.

Kylington will take a seat on Friday as the Avalanche opt to get some fresh legs into the lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Keaton Middleton will play in his place.

Blackwood will start his second game in as many nights when the Avalanche travel to Edmonton on Friday. Blackwood turned in a stellar performance last night, stopping 27 of the 29 shots he faced in a 4-2 victory in Calgary. The 28-year-old netminder has been spectacular between the pipes for the Avs since being acquired from the Sharks earlier this season, registering a 13-6-2 record and a .926 SV%. He will need to be at his best again on Friday as the Avalanche enter action at +150 on the money line against Connor McDavid and the Oilers.

Barron will slot in for Adam Wilsby, who was a late scratch due to an upper-body injury. Barron has two goals and three assists in 16 games with the Predators this season.

Wilsby was a surprise scratch on Friday, with the team not announcing his absence prior to warmups. He is considered day-to-day with the injury.

Bemstrom has 228 games of NHL experience, including scoring five points (2G / 3A) in 24 games with Pittsburgh last season, but has spent the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL. The 25-year-old forward has an impressive 41 points (19G / 22A) in 37 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL). He replaces the injured Sidney Crosby (upper-body) in the Penguins lineup.

Saros will be looking to secure his first win since January 18th when the Predators travel to Chicago on Friday. Saros was tagged with his fourth-consecutive defeat in his last start, allowing four goals on 38 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Senators on Monday. The 29-year-old netminder owns a disappointing 11-22-6 record on the season to go along with a .901 SV%. Thankfully, Saros has a great chance of finally getting back in the win column on Friday as the Predators enter action at -190 on the money line.

Friedman has 93 games of NHL experience but has primarily been an AHL player the past several seasons. The 29-year-old defenseman played five games with Vancouver this season, regularly being an option on the blueline whenever an injury arises. He has six points (1G / 5A) in 20 games with the Abbotsford Canucks (AHL) this season.

Kostin has not played since January 10th due to a lower-body injury but could draw back into the lineup on Saturday against the Dallas Stars. The 25-year-old Kostin is averaging 10:32 time-on-ice and has four points (1G / 3A) in 26 games this season.

Bourque has not played since taking a puck to the face on Sunday but willreturn to action on Friday against the Los Angeles Kings. The 23-year-old Bourque has started to find his game at the NHL level, with seven points (4G / 3A) in his last 14 games after only scoring seven (2G / 5A) in his first 33. Colin Blackwell will be a healthy scratch to accommodate Bourque's return to the lineup.

Mavrik Bourque will return to the lineup from an upper-body injury, sending Blackwell to the press box as a healthy scratch against the Los Angeles Kings. Blackwell has two points (1G / 1A) in his last two games and has been an effective contributor from a fourth-line role this season. He has 12 points (5G / 7A) in 47 games.