Aube-Kubel has 80 points (32G / 48A) in 304 career NHL games, but has spent the entirety of the 2025-26 season in the AHL. The 29-year-old forward has 13 points (5G / 8A) in 23 games with the Iowa Wild (AHL) this season.
Yaroslav Askarov has been battling an illness and, though he appears to be back to full health, will serve as the backup to Nedeljkovic on Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 29-year-old Nedeljkovic has had an up-and-down season with San Jose, posting a 3.02 GAA and .899 SV% in 14 games (4-6-2). That said, he has played well lately, allowing three or fewer goals in nine of his last 10 games (3-6-1) while posting a .911 SV%. The Sharks enter Thursday's contest as +171 road underdogs against a surging Maple Leafs team with points in five straight games (4-0-1).
With Gustav Nyquist drawing back into the lineup, Pearson will be the odd man out as a healthy scratch. The 33-year-old Pearson has five points (4G / 1A) in 27 games this season.
Mukhamadullin has not played in over a week, but he will re-enter the lineup on Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 23-year-old Mukhamadullin is averaging 16:29 time-on-ice and has five points (1G / 4A) in 14 games this season.
Carter Hart has started the previous two games for the Golden Knights, but head coach Bruce Cassidy wants to keep Schmid in the rotation and will turn to him on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers. The 25-year-old Schmid was excellent in his most recent outing, saving all 24 shots he faced in a 3-0 win over the New Jersey Devils for his second shutout of the season. Schmid has a 2.35 GAA and .903 SV% in 16 games (10-2-4). The Golden Knights enter Thursday's contest as -143 road favorites against a Flyers team that is 7-3-0 in their last 10 games.
With Booner Jenner (upper body) expected to return on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators, Del Bel Belluz will be the odd man out and immediately assigned to the Cleveland Monsters (AHL). The 22-year-old Del Bel Belluz has one assist in 11 games with Columbus this season.
Hunt has been a healthy scratch for the last four games and will head back to the AHL, where he has 16 points (5G / 11A) in 15 games this season. During his time with the Flames, the veteran winger had no points in two games.
Middleton was limited to 16:34 time-on-ice in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Seattle Kraken, and has been placed on Injured Reserve due to an upper-body injury. The 29-year-old defenseman is averaging 18:08 time-on-ice and has six assists in 28 games this season.
Zuccarello missed the first month of the season with a lower-body injury and now returns to the sidelines, placed on Injured Reserve due to an upper-body injury. The 38-year-old Zuccarello has been effective when healthy, with 12 points (2G / 10A) in 15 games.
Minnesota has steadily rotated its goalies over the past month, but will give Gustavsson rare consecutive starts on Thursday when he tends twine against their divisional rivals, the Dallas Stars. Jesper Wallstedt has deservedly received a lot of praise for his goaltending abilities lately for Minnesota, but Gustavsson has been no slouch himself. The 27-year-old Gustavsson has posted excellent numbers lately, with a 2.15 GAA and .924 SV% in 10 games since the beginning of November (6-2-2). Minnesota enters the action on Thursday as a +127 home underdog against a Dallas team that has been cruising lately, going 9-0-2 in its last 11 games.
Markstrom has been unreliable and inconsistent between the pipes this season, but the Devils are hoping he can build momentum off a solid 35-save performance (.921 SV%) in their most recent game, a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators. The 35-year-old Markstrom has an ugly 3.48 GAA and .880 SV% in 15 games (8-6-1) and is sporting a career-worst 29 percent quality start rate. The Devils enter Thursday's contest as +120 home underdogs against a Tampa Bay Lightning team that erupted for a 6-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens in their last game after being shut out in two straight.
If not for an injury to Pyotr Kochetkov to start the 2025-26 season, Bussi would likely not be in the mix for the Hurricanes, but excellent play has earned him his third start in the last four games. The 27-year-old Bussi, a first-year NHLer, has a 2.09 GAA and .909 SV% in 10 games this season (9-1-0). He has a 1.35 GAA and .933 SV% in his last four games (4-0-0). The Hurricanes enter Thursday's contest as -113 road favorites against a Washington Capitals team that is 10-1-2 in its last 13 games.
Connor Hellebuyck (knee) returned to practice on Wednesday, but Comrie will continue to occupy the crease on Thursday against the Boston Bruins. The 30-year-old Comrie has struggled, as have the Jets, since Hellebuyck's injury, posting a concerning sub- .800 SV% in three of his last five games (1-3-1). He has a 3.16 GAA and .892 SV% in 14 games this season (6-7-1). The Jets enter Thursday's contest as -148 home favorites against a Bruins team that has scored four or more goals in four straight games (3-1-0).
Nyquist was acquired in the offseason to help mitigate the loss of Nikolaj Ehlers, but he has struggled finding his footing with the Jets. The 36-year-old Nyquist only has six points (0G / 6A) in 20 games, and has been held off the scoresheet in six straight. He was a healthy scratch for the last week, but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Boston Bruins.
Husso stopped 44 of 47 shots in the Ducks shootout win in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Husso has won three straight starts while stopping 81 of the 88 shots that he's faced, filling in admirably for the injured Lukas Dostal and Petr Mrazek. Tonight, he's expected to face the Islanders, where the Ducks are +111 road underdogs. With 13 games on the schedule on Thursday, you probably don't need to risk streaming Husso against an Islanders team that has won four of their last five games.
Arber Xhekaj will be a healthy scratch on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, allowing Engstrom to re-enter the lineup. The 22-year-old Engstrom is averaging 12:06 time-on-ice through his first two career NHL games.
Xhekaj is averaging a career-low 11:59 time-on-ice this season and will head to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. He has one assist in 27 games. Adam Engstrom will draw back into the lineup as Xhekaj's replacement.
Fowler will be making his first career NHL start on Thursday, after starting the AHL season at 10-5-0 with a 2.09 GAA and .919 SV% in 15 games with Laval. With Sam Montembeault and Jakub Dobes struggling, the Canadiens will turn to Fowler for a spark between the pipes. The 2023 third-round pick will face the Penguins on the road, and Montreal enters play as +110 road underdogs. He's a below-average stream on Thursday, but could be a worthwhile pickup if he plays well and earns more playing time in Montreal.
Carlsson has not played since December 2nd, regularly a game-time decision in games since, but could return to the lineup on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 35-year-old Carlsson was putting together an impressive campaign before his injury, with 23 points (6G / 17A) in 26 games.
After a rough end to November, posting a 3.05 GAA and .857 SV% in two games (1-1-0), Jarry has returned to his early-season form to start December, with a stellar 1.95 GAA and .935 SV% in three games (2-0-1). The 30-year-old Jarry has a solid 2.54 GAA and .913 SV% in 13 games this season (9-2-1). The Penguins enter the action on Thursday as -118 home favorites against a Montreal Canadiens team coming off an embarrassing 6-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
