Dahlin returned to Sweden to be with his fiancée, who recently underwent a heart transplant, during the Christmas break, and did not make it back in time for Saturday's game. Expect him to play Monday in St. Louis.
Carrier missed Tuesday's game vs. the Panthers due to illness, but is expected to play Saturday vs. the Red Wings. Carrier, who has seven points (3G / 4A) in 29 games this season, is expected to be back on the third line with Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook.
Martinook missed the last three games with a lower-body injury, but was back on the ice for Saturday's morning skate. Martinook, who has 11 points (4G / 7A) in 33 games, is expected to skate in his usual spot on the third line next to Jordan Staal.
Miller blocked a shot during the Hurricanes' final game before the Christmas break and is being re-evaluated prior to Saturday's game. He missed the morning skate and is considered a game-time decision. Expect Mike Reilly to remain in the lineup as the No.6 defenseman if Miller can't go.
Slaggert has split his 2025-26 season between the AHL and NHL. During his time with the Blackhawks, he has one goal in 10 games, while tallying four points (2G / 2A) in eight AHL games.
Oettinger allowed a single goal on 28 shots in the Stars' 5-1 win over the Maple Leafs last Sunday. Oettinger has been absolutely terrific in December, going 5-2-0 with a 1.86 GAA, .933 SV% and one shutout. He's an obvious must-start on Saturday as the Stars host a banged-up Blackhawks team as massive home favourites. Oettinger has the highest implied win% (75.8%) and lowest implied goals against (2.0) on the 13-game slate.
Hofer stopped 27 of 29 shots in the Blues' 6-2 win in Florida last Saturday. Hofer has been one of the NHL's best goalies since November 29th, going 5-2-0 with a sparkling 1.85 GAA, .933 SV%, and two shutouts. Hofer and the Blues are -105 on home-ice tonight and the Predators are third for the third-lowest implied total, so Hofer is a great option on Saturday.
Allen turned aside 22 of 24 shots in the Devils' loss to the Sabres last Sunday. He may have taken the loss, but Allen has now stopped 88 of 92 shots (.957 SV%) in his last three outings. He'll look to stay hot on Saturday against the Capitals, where New Jersey are -119 home favourites. Allen is 6-3-0 with a 2.49 GAA and .906 SV% on home-ice this year.
Gilbert has played in just one game with the Senators since being acquired from the Flyers in mid-November. He's spent most of his time with Belleville, where he has five assists in seven games.
Bourgault is second on Belleville in scoring this season, picking up 27 points (9G / 18A) in 32 games. The 23-year-old was a first-round pick in 2021 but did not make his NHL debut with the Oilers and has yet to play for the Senators.
Eller was set to miss his seventh straight game on Saturday, so his move to IR simply created a roster spot for Xavier Bourgault to be recalled from the AHL. Eller is expected to miss at least a couple more weeks with a broken foot.
Samoskevich missed the last two games with a lower-body injury, but is trending towards playing Saturday vs. the Lightning. Samoskevich, who is expected to start the game on the third line, has 17 points (4G / 13A) in 34 games, while averaging 2.2 SOG and 1.9 Hits per game this season.
Vasilevskiy stopped 23 of 24 shots that he faced in the Lightning's 4-1 win over the Blues on Monday. Since returning to the Lightning crease last Thursday, Vasilevskiy has gone 2-1-0 with an .894 SV%. Tonight he'll start in Florida in a coin-flip game (-105 each side). Vasilevskiy has gone 4-2-2 with a 2.38 GAA and .917 SV% in eight road games this season.
Miller played 12:48 TOI in last Sunday's game in Utah, but will come out of the lineup on Saturday vs. the Wild. Luke Schenn will draw back into the lineup to replace Miller.
Schenn has been a healthy scratch for the last two games but is expected to replace Colin Miller in the lineup vs. the Wild. Schenn provides very little offence, having just four assists in 24 games this season, but averages 2.5 hits and 1.2 blocked shots per game.
Shesterkin allowed three goals on 32 shots in the Rangers' 7-3 win in Washington on Tuesday. Shesterkin comes into Saturday riding a three-game winning streak, having sopped 83 of 91 shots (.912 SV%) in the process. Tonight he will face the Islanders for the second time this season--he allowed four goals on 25 shots in a 5-0 loss in early-November.
Bobrovsky allowed two goals on 19 shots in the Panthers' win in Carolina on Tuesday. Bobrovsky comes into Saturday riding a six-game winning streak, despite posting a pedestrian 2.62 GAA and .895 SV% during that stretch. Tonight he'll face the Lightning for the third time this season--he is 1-1-0 with a 2.04 GAA and .915 SV% in the first two meetings.
Santini has split his time between the AHL and NHL this season, totalling one assist in eight games with the Lightning. It's unclear if he'll draw into the lineup on Saturday or if he'll serve as a reserve defenseman vs. the Panthers.
Sabourin comes up from the AHL, potentially to suit up vs. the Panthers, who the Lightning have injury issues against this year. The veteran tough guy, has three points (1G / 2A) in seven NHL games this season.
With Bo Horvat returning to the Islanders' lineup on Saturday, Duclair will sit vs. the Rangers. Head coach Patrick Roy called it "heartbreaking" when deciding who to take out of the lineup and added that Duclair has "played well." Duclair has not scored in 10 games, picking up just three assists during that stretch.
