Projected lineups, starting goalies for today
Latest line combinations, defense pairs, injury news from NHL.com writers
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NHL.com @NHLdotcom
DEVILS (25-15-3) at RANGERS (18-20-2)
7 p.m. ET; MSGSN, MSG
Devils projected lineup
Ondrej Palat -- Jack Hughes -- Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier -- Nico Hishier -- Stefan Noesen
Paul Cotter -- Justin Dowling -- Dawson Mercer
Kurtis MacDermid -- Curtis Lazar -- Nathan Bastian
Brenden Dillon -- Dougie Hamilton
Jonas Siegenthaler -- Johnathan Kovacevic
Luke Hughes -- Brett Pesce
Jacob Markstrom
Jake Allen
Scratched: Tomas Tatar
Injured: Santeri Hatakka (shoulder), Erik Haula (ankle)
Rangers projected lineup
Artemi Panarin -- Vincent Trocheck -- Alexis Lafreniere
Will Cuylle -- Mika Zibanejad -- Reilly Smith
Arthur Kaliyev -- Jonny Brodzinski -- Brett Berard
Adam Edstrom -- Sam Carrick -- Matt Rempe
Ryan Lindgren -- Adam Fox
K’Andre Miller -- Will Borgen
Urho Vaakanainen -- Braden Schneider
Igor Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Scratched: Zac Jones, Jimmy Vesey
Injured: Chris Kreider (upper body), Filip Chytil (upper body)
Status report
Shesterkin will return and start after missing four games on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. ... The Rangers returned goalie Louis Domingue to Hartford of the American Hockey League on Thursday. ... Rempe will also return following an eight-game suspension for boarding and elbowing Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen during a 3-1 win Dec. 20; he will replace Vesey, a forward. … Kaliyev will make his Rangers and season debut after being claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. … Chytil, a forward, participated in an optional morning skate Thursday but will not play after being injured during a 5-4 overtime loss to the Stars on Tuesday; Kaliyev will replace Chytil in the lineup and Brodzinski will take his spot as the center on the third line. ... Cuylle will move up to the second line, where Brodzinski played left wing the past two games. … Kreider will miss his third straight game; the forward is on injured reserve.
OILERS (25-12-3) at PENGUINS (17-17-8)
7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, SN, TVAS
Oilers projected lineup
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Connor McDavid -- Connor Brown
Vasily Podkolzin -- Leon Draisaitl -- Viktor Arvidsson
Jeff Skinner -- Adam Henrique -- Zach Hyman
Corey Perry -- Mattias Janmark -- Kasperi Kapanen
Darnell Nurse -- Evan Bouchard
Mattias Ekholm -- Troy Stecher
Brett Kulak -- Ty Emberson
Stuart Skinner
Calvin Pickard
Scratched: Derek Ryan, Joshua Brown, Alec Regula
Injured: None
Penguins projected lineup
Rickard Rakell -- Sidney Crosby -- Bryan Rust
Michael Bunting -- Cody Glass -- Anthony Beauvillier
Drew O’Connor -- Kevin Hayes -- Jesse Puljujarvi
Matt Nieto -- Blake Lizotte -- Noel Acciari
Marcus Pettersson -- Kris Letang
Matt Grzelcyk -- Erik Karlsson
Owen Pickering -- P.O Joseph
Alex Nedeljkovic
Tristan Jarry
Scratched: Ryan Shea, Ryan Graves
Injured: Philip Tomasino (lower body), Evgeni Malkin (upper body)
Status report
The Oilers rearranged their top two defense pairs during their morning skate Thursday with Nurse joining Bouchard and Ekholm moving next to Stecher. ... Malkin, a forward, will be a game-time decision after being a late scratch for a 4-3 shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday; he was one of the final three skaters on the ice for the Penguins optional morning skate Thursday. ... Tomasino, who is week to week, skated on an individual basis; the forward will miss his third straight game.
KRAKEN (17-21-3) at BLUE JACKETS (18-17-6)
7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, KHN, KONG
Kraken projected lineup
Jaden Schwartz -- Matty Beniers -- Kaapo Kakko
Jared McCann -- Chandler Stephenson -- Andre Burakovsky
Eeli Tolvanen -- Shane Wright -- Oliver Bjorkstrand
Tye Kartye -- Mitchell Stephens -- Brandon Tanev
Vince Dunn -- Adam Larsson
Jamie Oleksiak -- Brandon Montour
Josh Mahura -- Ryker Evans
Joey Daccord
Philipp Grubauer
Scratched: Gustav Olofsson
Injured: Jordan Eberle (pelvis), Yanni Gourde (lower body)
Blue Jackets projected lineup
Dmitri Voronkov -- Adam Fantilli -- Kirill Marchenko
James van Riemsdyk -- Luca Del Bel Belluz -- Kent Johnson
Zach Aston-Reese -- Owen Sillinger -- Mathieu Olivier
Mikael Pyyhtia -- Sean Kuraly -- Kevin Labanc
Zach Werenski -- Dante Fabbro
Denton Mateychuk -- Ivan Provorov
Damon Severson -- Jake Christiansen
Elvis Merzlikins
Daniil Tarasov
Scratched: Jordan Harris, Jack Johnson (illness), Cole Sillinger (illness)
Injured: Yegor Chinakhov (upper body), Justin Danforth (lower body), Sean Monahan (wrist)
Status report
The Kraken held an optional morning skate. ... Daccord could start; he was activated off injured reserve Wednesday after missing five games with an upper-body injury. ... Monahan, a forward, was placed on injured reserve Thursday and will miss at least three games after leaving in the third period of a 4-3 shootout win at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. ... Fantilli moves up from the third line to replace Monahan. … Del Bel Belluz will make his season debut after being recalled from Cleveland of the American Hockey League on Wednesday. ... Cole Sillinger is a game-time decision; if the forward doesn’t play, his older brother, Owen, 27, will make his NHL debut after an emergency recall from Cleveland. “The ironic thing is if 'Silly' can’t go, 'Silly' is going to go,” Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said.
STARS (25-13-1) at FLYERS (17-19-5)
7 p.m. ET; Victory+, NBCSP
Stars projected lineup
Jason Robertson -- Roope Hintz -- Evgenii Dadonov
Jamie Benn -- Matt Duchene -- Wyatt Johnston
Sam Steel -- Mavrik Bourque -- Logan Stankoven
Oskar Back -- Arttu Hyry -- Colin Blackwell
Miro Heiskanen -- Ilya Lyubushkin
Esa Lindell -- Nils Lundkvist
Thomas Harley -- Matt Dumba
Casey DeSmith
Jake Oettinger
Scratched: Brendan Smith
Injured: Tyler Seguin (hip), Mason Marchment (face)
Flyers projected lineup
Owen Tippett -- Ryan Poehling -- Travis Konecny
Scott Laughton -- Morgan Frost -- Matvei Michkov
Tyson Foerster -- Noah Cates -- Bobby Brink
Joel Farabee -- Sean Couturier -- Garnet Hathaway
Cam York -- Travis Sanheim
Egor Zamula -- Rasmus Ristolainen
Nick Seeler -- Jamie Drysdale
Samuel Ersson
Ivan Fedotov
Scratched: Erik Johnson, Olle Lycksell, Aleksei Kolosov
Injured: Nicolas Deslauriers (upper body)
Status report
Dumba will play after being scratched for a 5-4 overtime win at the New York Rangers on Tuesday and will replace Smith, a defenseman. ... Lyubushkin will play after leaving during the second period Tuesday because of an upper-body injury. ... Marchment is expected to be out 3-4 weeks after having surgery to repair facial injuries the forward sustained when he was hit in the face by a puck during a 3-2 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 27. ... Ersson will start after missing three games because of a lower-body injury.
SABRES (15-21-5) at SENATORS (19-17-3)
7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN5, MSG-B
Sabres projected lineup
Jason Zucker -- Dylan Cozens -- Tage Thompson
JJ Peterka -- Ryan McLeod -- Alex Tuch
Zach Benson -- Peyton Krebs -- Jack Quinn
Nicolas Aube-Kubel -- Tyson Kozak -- Sam Lafferty
Rasmus Dahlin -- Bowen Byram
Owen Power -- Connor Clifton
Mattias Samuelsson -- Henri Jokiharju
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
James Reimer
Scratched: Dennis Gilbert, Jacob Bryson
Injured: Jordan Greenway (middle body), Beck Malenstyn (illness), Jiri Kulich (lower body)
Senators projected lineup
Brady Tkachuk -- Shane Pinto -- Ridly Greig
Claude Giroux -- Tim Stutzle -- Drake Batherson
Nick Cousins -- Josh Norris -- Adam Gaudette
Cole Reinhardt -- Zack Ostapchuk -- Noah Gregor
Jake Sanderson -- Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot -- Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven -- Nikolas Matinpalo
Anton Forsberg
Leevi Merilainen
Scratched: Maxence Guenette
Injured: David Perron (upper body), Michael Amadio (concussion), Jacob Bernard-Docker (high ankle sprain), Linus Ullmark (back)
Status report
The Sabres held an optional morning skate Thursday. … Malenstyn, a forward, will miss his second straight game; Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said one other player is ill and will be a game-time decision. … Forwards Perron and Amadio, who each wore a yellow no-contact jersey during the Senators morning skate Thursday, are “closer to playing,” Ottawa coach Travis Green said.
BRUINS (20-18-5) at LIGHTNING (21-15-2)
7 p.m. ET; FDSNSUN, NESN
Bruins projected lineup
Morgan Geekie -- Pavel Zacha -- David Pastrnak
Brad Marchand -- Elias Lindholm -- Charlie Coyle
Oliver Wahlstrom -- Trent Frederic -- Justin Brazeau
John Beecher -- Mark Kastelic -- Cole Koepke
Nikita Zadorov -- Charlie McAvoy
Parker Wotherspoon -- Brandon Carlo
Mason Lohrei -- Andrew Peeke
Jeremy Swayman
Joonas Korpisalo
Scratched: Mark McLaughlin, Jordan Oesterle
Injured: Hampus Lindholm (lower body)
Lightning projected lineup
Jake Guentzel -- Brayden Point -- Nikita Kucherov
Brandon Hagel -- Anthony Cirelli -- Conor Geekie
Mitchell Chaffee -- Nick Paul -- Michael Eyssimont
Gage Goncalves -- Luke Glendening -- Zemgus Girgensons
Victor Hedman -- Darren Raddysh
Ryan McDonagh -- Erik Cernak
Emil Lilleberg -- Nick Perbix
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Jonas Johansson
Scratched: Cam Atkinson
Injured: J.J. Moser (upper body)
Status report
Zadorov and Wotherspoon will switch places on the defense pairs. ... The Lightning are expected to dress the same lineup they used in a 3-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.
MAPLE LEAFS (27-13-2) at HURRICANES (24-15-2)
7:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+, TSN4
Maple Leafs projected lineup
Matthew Knies -- Auston Matthews -- Mitch Marner
Bobby McMann -- John Tavares -- William Nylander
Nicholas Robertson -- Max Domi -- Steven Lorentz
Connor Dewar -- David Kampf -- Pontus Holmberg
Morgan Rielly -- Philippe Myers
Oliver Ekman-Larsson -- Chris Tanev
Simon Benoit -- Conor Timmins
Joseph Woll
Dennis Hildeby
Scratched: Max Pacioretty, Ryan Reaves, Marshall Rifai
Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body), Calle Jarnkrok (lower body), Anthony Stolarz (lower body), Jake McCabe (upper body)
Hurricanes projected lineup
Seth Jarvis -- Sebastian Aho -- Jack Roslovic
Eric Robinson -- Jesperi Kotkaniemi -- Martin Necas
Andrei Svechnikov -- Jordan Staal -- Jordan Martinook
Juha Jaaska -- Jack Drury -- Jackson Blake
Jaccob Slavin -- Brent Burns
Dmitry Orlov -- Jalen Chatfield
Ty Smith -- Sean Walker
Pyotr Kochetkov
Dustin Tokarski
Scratched: Ty Smith
Injured: Tyson Jost (lower body), Frederik Andersen (knee), Shayne Gostisbehere (upper body), William Carrier (lower body)
Status report
Holmberg enters the lineup after missing five games with an illness. … The Hurricanes did not hold a morning skate Thursday. ... Andersen, a goalie, practiced with Carolina on Wednesday for the first time since having knee surgery Nov. 22; there is no timetable for his return.
AVALANCHE (25-16-1) at WILD (26-11-4)
8 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNOX, ALT
Avalanche projected lineup
Artturi Lehkonen -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Mikko Rantanen
Joel Kiviranta -- Parker Kelly -- Logan O’Connor
Tye Felhaber -- Juuso Parsinen -- Jere Innala
Ross Colton -- Casey Mittelstadt
Devon Toews -- Cale Makar
Samuel Girard -- Josh Manson
Keaton Middleton -- Sam Malinski
Calvin de Haan
Mackenzie Blackwood
Trent Miner
Scratched: None
Injured: Scott Wedgewood (lower body), Valeri Nichushkin (lower body), Ivan Ivan (upper body), Oliver Kylington (upper body), Miles Wood (upper body), Gabriel Landeskog (knee), Tucker Poolman (head), Jonathan Drouin (upper body)
Wild projected lineup
Matt Boldy -- Marco Rossi -- Mats Zuccarello
Marcus Johansson -- Joel Eriksson Ek -- Ryan Hartman
Marcus Foligno -- Frederick Gaudreau -- Yakov Trenin
Devin Shore -- Marat Khusnutdinov -- Ben Jones
Jake Middleton -- Zach Bogosian
Jon Merrill -- Declan Chisholm
Travis Dermott -- David Jiricek
Filip Gustavsson
Marc-Andre Fleury
Scratched: None
Injured: Jakub Lauko (upper body), Kirill Kaprizov (lower body), Jared Spurgeon (lower body), Jonas Brodin (lower body), Brock Faber (upper body)
Status report
Colorado did not conduct a morning skate Thursday following a 3-1 loss at the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday. … Drouin took part in the skate Wednesday and did not play; Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said then he was “hoping” the forward can play Thursday. …Fleury is a game-time decision because of an illness. ... Brodin, a defenseman, is day to day after blocking a shot during the third period of a 6-4 win against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. ... Faber, a defenseman, left in the first period Tuesday; there is no timeline for his return. ... Kaprizov, a forward, skated the past two days but remains day to day and will miss his seventh straight game. ... Jiricek will make his Wild debut.
DUCKS (17-18-5) at BLUES (19-19-4)
8 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, Victory+, KCOP-13
Ducks projected lineup
Frank Vatrano -- Ryan Strome – Sam Colangelo
Isac Lundestrom -- Leo Carlsson -- Alex Killorn
Cutter Gauthier -- Mason McTavish -- Robby Fabbri
Nikita Nesterenko -- Jansen Harkins -- Brett Leason
Brian Dumoulin -- Jacob Trouba
Jackson Lacombe -- Radko Gudas
Pavel Mintyukov -- Drew Helleson
Lukas Dostal
John Gibson
Scratched: Olen Zellweger, Ross Johnston, Troy Terry
Injured: Trevor Zegras (knee), Brock McGinn (lower body)
Blues projected lineup
Brandon Saad -- Robert Thomas -- Pavel Buchnevich
Dylan Holloway -- Brayden Schenn -- Jordan Kyrou
Jake Neighbours -- Oskar Sundqvist -- Zack Bolduc
Alexey Toropchenko -- Radek Faksa -- Nathan Walker
Cam Fowler -- Colton Parayko
Philip Broberg – Justin Faulk
Ryan Suter -- Tyler Tucker
Joel Hofer
Jordan Binnington
Scratched: Scott Perunovich, Mathieu Joseph, Alexandre Texier
Injured: Nick Leddy (lower body)
Status report
Terry, a forward, will miss his second straight game for the birth of his second child. … Faksa will play for the second time in 14 games and first after missing seven games with a skate cut near the groin area.
ISLANDERS (15-18-7) at GOLDEN KNIGHTS (28-9-3)
10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, MSGSN2, MSGSN, SN, TVAS
Islanders projected lineup
Anders Lee -- Brock Nelson -- Mathew Barzal
Anthony Duclair -- Bo Horvat -- Kyle Palmieri
Maxim Tsyplakov -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Casey Cizikas
Matt Martin -- Kyle MacLean -- Pierre Engvall
Alexander Romanov -- Noah Dobson
Adam Pelech -- Ryan Pulock
Dennis Cholowski -- Scott Mayfield
Ilya Sorokin
Marcus Hogberg
Scratched: Grant Hutton
Injured: Semyon Varlamov (lower body), Isaiah George (upper body), Mike Reilly (heart surgery), Simon Holmstrom (upper body), Hudson Fasching (upper body)
Golden Knights projected lineup
Tanner Pearson -- Jack Eichel -- Mark Stone
Tomas Hertl -- William Karlsson -- Pavel Dorofeyev
Victor Olofosson -- Brett Howden -- Keegan Kolesar
Jonas Rondbjerg -- Cole Schwindt -- Alexander Holtz
Noah Hanifin -- Alex Pietrangelo
Brayden McNabb -- Shea Theodore
Nicolas Hague -- Zach Whitecloud
Adin Hill
Ilya Samsonov
Scratched: Ben Hutton, Kaedan Korczak, Tanner Laczynski
Injured: Ivan Barbashev (upper body), Nicolas Roy (upper body)
Status report
The Islanders recalled Grant Hutton, a forward, from Bridgeport of the American League on Tuesday. … The Golden Knights will dress the same lineup they used in a 4-2 win at the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. ... Forwards Barbashev and Roy remain out, but Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said "they're not that far away" from returning; each will miss his 10th straight game.
