Joseph exited Thursday's tilt against Buffalo because of a lower-body injury and won't return.

Joseph logged 5:59 of ice time before he left the game. He went into Thursday's action with an assist, 23 PIM, seven hits and eight blocks through 12 appearances in 2024-25. If Joseph can't play Saturday versus Boston, then Leo Loof, who was recalled from the AHL on Wednesday, might make his NHL debut.

Cernak (undisclosed) is expected to be in the lineup since the Lightning will dress seven defensemen for their game versus the Jets on Thursday, Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun reports.

Cernak left the Lightning's last game after blocking a shot, but it appears a week-long break in the team's schedule has worked in his favor to avoid missing additional time. The 27-year-old could see fewer minutes than usual given the Lightning playing seven blueliners, but he should still see significant defensive usage.

Smith was summoned from AHL Chicago on Thursday.

Smith hasn't appeared in a game with Carolina, but he has been a healthy scratch on seven occasions with the Hurricanes this season. He also has three assists in four outings with the Wolves in 2024-25. Although he's back with Carolina, he figures to serve as the team's seventh defenseman, which means he's unlikely to draw into the lineup unless there's an injury.

Martinez (groin) was activated off injured reserve ahead of Thursday's matchup with Seattle, per the NHL media site.

Martinez was officially deemed a game-time decision by head coach Luke Richardson, but his removal from injured reserve clears the way for the blueliner to suit up versus the Kraken. Considering the Michigan native hasn't reached the 20-point mark in three consecutive seasons, fantasy players probably shouldn't be expecting a ton of offensive output by Martinez the rest of the way.

Martinez will be a game-time decision for Thursday's tilt against Seattle, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Martinez hasn't played since Oct. 15 due to the injury. He has an assist, one hit and 15 blocks in four appearances with Chicago in 2024-25. If he's ready to return Thursday, he'll likely serve on the top pairing alongside Seth Jones while Nolan Allan, who has dressed in Chicago's last 12 games, might shift the press box.

Romanov (upper body) is traveling with the Islanders but remains in a non-contact sweater, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports Thursday.

Romanov will have three more opportunities to return during the team's road trip, starting with Saturday's clash with Seattle. The 24-year-old defenseman has logged just one game in the team's last nine contests, registering two hits, two blocks and a plus-1 rating in 23:52 of ice time. Grant Hutton figures to continue featuring on the blue line with Romanov on the shelf.

Gostisbehere posted a power-play assist and two hits in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to Utah.

Gostisbehere snapped a five-game point drought with the assist. His production is likely to ebb and flow with the success of the Hurricanes' power play -- he's averaging 4:09 per game with the man advantage. He saw 10:28 of power-play time Wednesday as the Hurricanes had an extended opportunity in the third period, but they couldn't cash in during that stretch. The defenseman has 10 points (six on the power play), 26 shots on net, 16 hits, nine blocked shots, 10 PIM and a plus-4 rating through 15 appearances.

Petry logged an assist, two hits and two blocked shots in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Penguins.

Petry has a pair of helpers over his last six outings, accounting for all of his offense this season. The 36-year-old defenseman isn't a lock for the Red Wings' lineup each game, but he appears to have a bit more job security than Justin Holl or Albert Johansson. Petry has added 14 hits, 21 blocked shots, six shots on net and a minus-2 rating across 11 appearances.

Walman (upper body) will remain sidelined for Thursday's clash with the Rangers, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.

Walman will be out of the lineup for a fifth consecutive contest due to his lingering upper-body issue. The blueliner was originally deemed a game-time call versus New York, so it's possible he will be ready in time to face the Penguins on Saturday.

Sergachev scored a goal in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Hurricanes.

Sergachev scored his third goal of the season midway through the third period with a powerful shot from behind the right faceoff circle. He endured a relatively slow start to the season, but the 26-year-old has been playing well lately with five points (two goals, three assists) across his last six appearances.