Nosek suffered a knee injury during the offseason and has yet to play in 2025-26, but appears to be nearing his debut after being a full participant at practice on Wednesday. Nosek is entering his 11th NHL season after winning his first Stanley Cup with Florida last season in a complementary role, which saw him put up a goal and nine points in 59 games played.
Kulikov has not played since the second game of the season due to an upper-body injury, but is nearing a return after being a full participant at practice on Wednesday. The 35-year-old defenseman had 13 points (4G / 9A), 71 blocks, and 114 hits in 70 games last season.
Lundell missed Finland's final preliminary game due to an illness, but he was back at practice on Tuesday and is expected to play on Wednesday. Lundell has picked up one goal in two Olympic games so far.
At 37-years-old, Team Canada will give the veteran a breather on the second half of a back-to-back, inserting Seth Jarvis onto the fourth line. Expect Marchand to be back in the lineup on Sunday.
On the tail end of a back-to-back, heading into their final game before the Olympic Break, the Panthers will undergo numerous lineup changes. Regulars Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues, and Aaron Ekblad will exit the lineup in favour of Luke Kunin, Jesper Boqvist, and Donovan Sebrango. The 29-year-old Ekblad is averaging 22:25 time-on-ice, recording 21 points (3G / 18A), 67 hits, and 88 blocks in 55 games this season.
On the tail end of a back-to-back, heading into their final game before the Olympic Break, the Panthers will undergo numerous lineup changes. Regulars Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues, and Aaron Ekblad will exit the lineup in favour of Luke Kunin, Jesper Boqvist, and Donovan Sebrango. Brad Marchand returned from a one-week absence in Florida's previous game and is likely just out for maintenance before he joins Team Canada at the Olympics. The 37-year-old Marchand is having an outstanding season, with 50 points (25G / 25A) in 46 games.
Hovorka is an undrafted Czech defenseman that has yet to play an NHL game. The 24-year-old Hovorka has spent the past two seasons in the AHL and has 10 points (2G / 8A) through 30 games with the Charlotte Checkers (AHL) this season.
On the tail end of a back-to-back, heading into their final game before the Olympic Break, the Panthers will undergo numerous lineup changes. Regulars Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues, and Aaron Ekblad will exit the lineup in favour of Luke Kunin, Jesper Boqvist, and Donovan Sebrango. The 27-year-old Boqvist is averaging 10:52 time-on-ice and has seven points (3G / 4A) in 50 games this season.
On the tail end of a back-to-back, heading into their final game before the Olympic Break, the Panthers will undergo numerous lineup changes. Regulars Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues, and Aaron Ekblad will exit the lineup in favour of Luke Kunin, Jesper Boqvist, and Donovan Sebrango. The 24-year-old Sebrango has not played in over three weeks and has two assists in 18 games this season.
On the tail end of a back-to-back, heading into their final game before the Olympic Break, the Panthers will undergo numerous lineup changes. Regulars Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues, and Aaron Ekblad will exit the lineup in favour of Luke Kunin, Jesper Boqvist, and Donovan Sebrango. The 32-year-old Rodrigues has 25 points (10G / 15A) in 56 games this season.
On the tail end of a back-to-back, heading into their final game before the Olympic Break, the Panthers will undergo numerous lineup changes. Regulars Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues, and Aaron Ekblad will exit the lineup in favour of Luke Kunin, Jesper Boqvist, and Donovan Sebrango. The 28-year-old Kunin has four points (2G / 2A) in 42 games this season.
On the tail end of a back-to-back, the Panthers will turn to Tarasov on Thursday to tend the twine against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 26-year-old Tarasov has played well lately, but allowed five goals on 31 shots (.839 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 5-4 loss to the St. Louis Blues. Before that, he was riding a four-game winning streak, posting a stellar 1.25 GAA and .946 SV%. The Panthers enter Thursday's contest as +160 road underdogs against a Lightning team that leads the Eastern Conference.
Hovorka is an undrafted Czech defenseman that has yet to play an NHL game. The 24-year-old Hovorka has spent the past two seasons in the AHL and has 10 points (2G / 8A) through 30 games with the Charlotte Checkers (AHL) this season.
Bjornfot only played 8:27 time-on-ice in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Boston Bruins and emerged on Injured Reserve on Thursday due to an undisclosed injury. The 24-year-old defenseman is averaging 11:20 time-on-ice and has three points (2G / 1A) in 10 games this season.
It's unclear when Vilmanis suffered the injury, but he managed to play just 2:35 of ice time before exiting the game for good. Vilmanis caused a stir earlier in the game when he was penalized for an illegal hit to the head of Bruins defenceman Charlie McAvoy. McAvoy left the game but was able to return for the start of the second period.
Marchand appears to be a surprise presence in Florida's lineup on Wednesday after taking full part in warmups. The Panthers previously said he was expected to miss Wednesday's game against his former team due to an undisclosed injury. The 37-year-old Marchand has been a key offensive contributor for the Panthers, scoring 50 points (25G / 25A) in 45 games
Lundell has not played since exiting last Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Utah Mammoth in the second period because of an upper-body injury. The 24-year-old Finnish forward is averaging 19:10 time-on-ice and has 36 points (15G / 21A) through 52 games this season.
Bobrovsky's miserable season continued on Monday when he allowed five goals on 20 shots (.750 SV%) in a 5-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. The 37-year-old Bobrovsky has lost eight of his last 11 games (3-8-0), posting an abysmal 3.83 GAA and .829 SV%. Still, the Panthers, desperate to climb back into the playoff race, enter Wednesday's contest as -134 home favourites against a Boston Bruins team with points in six straight games (4-0-2).
Bennett exited Monday's 5-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres in the first period due to an upper-body injury, but is apparently no worse for wear and will return to the lineup on Wednesday against the Boston Bruins. The 29-year-old Bennett is having a tremendous offensive season, pacing for career highs, with 42 points (19G / 23A) through 55 games. Bennett was rewarded for his strong season on Tuesday, being announced as a late addition to Team Canada at the upcoming World Olympics to replace an injured Anthony Cirelli.
