Brayden Pachal drew back into the Golden Knights' lineup on Tuesday as Korczak was unavailable due to a lower-body injury that will keep him out on a week-to-week basis. The 22-year-old Korczak has quietly had a productive season from the Vegas blue line, posting seven points (1G / 6A) in 15 games while averaging 16:29 time-on-ice.
Hill has not played since November 30th when he exited the game with a lower-body injury, but appears to be nearing a return about participating in practice on Thursday and will travel on the teams upcoming road trip. Jiri Patera was recalled in Hill's absence but has played only one of six games for the Golden Knights since, with the other five going to Logan Thompson.
Brayden Pachal will draw back into the Golden Knights' lineup on Tuesday as Korczak will be unavailable due to a lower-body injury. The 22-year-old Korczak has quietly had a productive season from the Vegas blue line, posting seven points (1G / 6A) in 15 games while averaging 16:29 time-on-ice.
Schmid will take over the Devils' crease for the third time in four games after dropping his previous start surprisingly vs. San Jose after allowing five goals on 17 shots (.706 SV%). The 23-year-old has been a strong contributor to New Jersey's horrific goaltending numbers this season as he is 3-5-1 with a 3.27 GAA and .891 SV%. He will faces the struggling Seattle Kraken, who are in midst of a five-game losing streak and are 29th in the NHL in goals per game (2.65).
Megna has yet to appear this season for Seattle after being a healthy scratch on most nights and has been loaned to Coachella Valley (AHL) for a conditioning assignment. The 30-year-old defensemen only appeared in six games for the Kraken in 2022-23 after being acquired from San Jose, where he had a goal and 11 assists, in 48 games played. He returns to the AHL for the first time since 2020-21 when he was the captain of the San Jose Barracuda (AHL).
Schmid will take over the Devils' crease for the third time in four games after dropping his previous start surprisingly vs. San Jose after allowing five goals on 17 shots (.706 SV%). The 23-year-old has been a strong contributor to New Jersey's horrific goaltending numbers this season as he is 3-5-1 with a 3.27 GAA and .891 SV%. He will faces the struggling Seattle Kraken, who are in midst of a five-game losing streak and are 29th in the NHL in goals per game (2.65).
Hart was tremendous, saving 31 of 32 shots (.969 SV%) in a 2-1 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday and will start again on Thursday against the red-hot Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes have won five straight, outscoring their opposition 19-5, but even so, the Flyers are slight -108 road favourites. Hart has had some spells of bad play this season but has been mostly solid, posting a 2.55 GAA and .913 SV% through 15 games (7-6-1) as the Flyers look for a third straight victory.
Hill is listed as day-to-day but will miss at least the next two games as he will not travel with the Golden Knights on their upcoming two-game road trip. Logan Thompson will presumably start both games for the Golden Knights, who have also recalled Jiri Patera from Henderson (AHL).
The Flyers have struggled lately with Hart between the pipes but will try to reverse that trend on Monday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hart has lost his last four starts (0-3-1), allowing three or more goals in each contest, posting a .886 SV%. Additionally, each of the Flyers' last three victories have come with Hart on the bench, including Saturday's 4-3 shootout victory against the Penguins. The Flyers are +106 home underdogs against a Penguins team that has scored more than three goals only once in their last six outings (2-2-2).
Schmid gets the rare start on back-to-back nights as he will be the surprise yet deserved starter for the Devils on Friday. The Devils' starting job has swung firmly in Schmid's favour for the first time this season, as the 23-year-old netminder stopped all eight shots he faced in relief of Vitek Vanecek on Tuesday before allowing just three goals on 47 shots in Thursday's 4-3 victory over the Flyers. After a slow start to the season, Schmid currently boasts a .904 SV% thanks to his recent hot streak, and he couldn't ask for a better matchup to keep things rolling with the Devils being massive -500 favourites over the Sharks on Friday.
Hill had a shutout going when he exited the game during the second intermission in an eventual 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. A concrete update has not been provided, making his status uncertain for the Golden Knights' next game on Saturday.
Hill will return to the Golden Knights' crease on Thursday after Logan Thompson got the nod in Tuesday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Oilers. Hill was stellar in a losing effort his last time out, stopping 34 of the 36 shots he faced as Vegas fell to the Flames in overtime. The 27-year-old netminder is enjoying an outstanding season, posting a 9-2-2 record, a.933 SV%, and a 1.96 GAA. He draws a challenging matchup on Thursday as the Golden Knights travel to Vancouver to take on the Canucks.
