NHL Player News

Grubauer will protect the road net versus the Blues on Thursday, Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Grubauer will handle the second half of a back-to-back set. The 34-year-old went 2-2 over four appearances for Germany during the Olympics. The Kraken had an unpredictable distribution of work between the pipes prior to the break, so it's not clear how Grubauer and Joey Daccord will share the crease moving forward just yet.

Kaliyev was recalled from AHL Belleville on Thursday, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports.

Kaliyev appears to be insurance at forward for the Senators. He's been excellent in the AHL this season, so it wouldn't be surprising if he gets a look in the lineup at some point.

Stutzle (illness) is expected to play Thursday against Detroit.

Stutzle represented Germany during the 2026 Winter Games, but he was a game-time decision for Ottawa's first game after the NHL pause because of an illness. He has 28 goals and 61 points in 57 appearances with the Senators in 2025-26. Stutzle is projected to play on a line with Drake Batherson and Claude Giroux on Thursday.

McAvoy (not injury related) is expected to play Thursday versus the Blue Jackets, Scott McLaughlin of WEEI reports.

McAvoy was probable to play after returning from the Olympics, and his presence on the ice for warmups essentially confirms that. The 28-year-old should see top-pairing minutes and power-play time.

Gibson is slated to start on the road against Ottawa on Thursday.

Gibson has a 22-12-2 record, 2.62 GAA and .904 save percentage in 37 outings with Detroit this season. He had a rough start to the campaign that's dragged down his overall numbers -- Gibson's 16-5-1 with a 1.98 GAA and a .927 save percentage across his past 22 appearances. Ottawa is playing in its first game since the Olympic break, but the Senators were red hot with a 5-1-0 record across their last six games before the pause.

Markstrom is expected to start on the road against Pittsburgh on Thursday, according to Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site.

Markstrom has a 15-13-1 record, 3.20 GAA and .882 save percentage in 30 appearances in 2025-26. This will be his first start since posting a 1.97 GAA and a .936 save percentage across three outings with Sweden in the 2026 Winter Games. Pittsburgh ranks fifth in goals per game with 3.41 this season, but the Penguins are missing superstar forward Sidney Crosby (lower body).

Bussi will protect the home net versus the Lightning on Thursday, Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News reports.

Bussi will get the start in the first game after the Olympic break. Prior to the pause in the schedule, Bussi won seven straight outings, allowing just 12 goals on 152 shots (.921 save percentage). The Lightning are one of the hottest teams in the league, so this will be a high-stakes battle for Bussi.

Johansson will protect the road goal versus the Hurricanes on Thursday, Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News reports.

Johansson will handle the second half of a back-to-back after Andrei Vasilevskiy earned a 4-2 win over the Maple Leafs on Wednesday. Johansson played just three times in January, allowing 10 goals on 70 shots. He's got a tough matchup ahead, especially since he hasn't played since Jan. 24.

Woll is expected to start on the road against Florida on Thursday, per David Alter of The Hockey News.

Woll has won his past two starts while turning aside 56 of 60 shots (.933 save percentage), but due in large part to the Olympic break, he hasn't played between the pipes since Feb. 2. He has a 13-7-4 record, 2.92 GAA and .908 save percentage in 25 appearances this season. Florida is set to play in its first game since the break. The Panthers were struggling before the Olympics, going 1-5-0 across their past six games.

Kuemper is slated to defend the home crease against the Oilers on Thursday, John Hoven of SiriusXM NHL Network Radio reports.

Kuemper largely struggled heading into the Olympic break, going 2-2-0 with a 3.37 GAA and .866 save percentage over his last five outings. He'll face a tough test in the second half of a back-to-back set Thursday, as the Oilers rank fourth in the NHL with 3.44 goals per game.