NHL Player News
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Joey Daccord G | SEA
Kraken's Joey Daccord: Set to start Thursday
Daccord will protect the road goal in Thursday's game versus the Blackhawks, per the NHL media site.
Daccord has allowed four goals on 60 shots over his last two games, but he has gone 0-1-1 in that span since the Kraken have given him just one goal of support. He'll have a favorable matchup Thursday in his second straight start. Daccord has been the better of the Kraken's goalies, but he could use a good performance to build some momentum.
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Craig Smith C | CHI
Blackhawks' Craig Smith: Out Thursday
Smith (back) isn't available for Thursday's tilt against Seattle, per Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio.
Smith is set to miss his fourth consecutive game. He has six goals, 10 points, 20 PIM, 18 hits and 15 blocks in 26 outings this season. Smith's next chance to return will come Saturday versus Calgary.
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Kevin Lankinen G | VAN
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Set to face Vegas
Lankinen is expected to start in Thursday's road tilt against Vegas.
Lankinen earned a 27-save shutout over Florida in his previous start last Thursday. He was briefly unavailable after that game due to an illness, but Lankinen was healthy enough to dress as the backup netminder Wednesday. The 29-year-old goaltender has a 14-4-3 record, 2.52 GAA and .912 save percentage in 21 appearances in 2024-25. Vegas ranks sixth in goals per game with 3.45.
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Derek Forbort D | VAN
Canucks' Derek Forbort: Playing Thursday
Forbort (illness) is set to play Thursday versus the Golden Knights.
Forbort will draw into the lineup for Erik Brannstrom on the third pairing. The 32-year-old Forbort missed three games due to the illness, which followed a lengthy absence due to a knee injury. He has one assist and six blocked shots over five games this season.
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Juuse Saros G | NSH
Predators' Juuse Saros: Receiving start Thursday
Saros will guard the home goal versus the Penguins on Thursday, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.
Saros is coming off his third shutout of the season in a 2-0 win over the Rangers on Tuesday, which ended his eight-game losing streak. The 29-year-old will have a tougher challenge Thursday, as the Penguins have scored 23 goals over their last six games, winning half of them.
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Justin Danforth RW | CLB
Blue Jackets' Justin Danforth: Remains out Thursday
Danforth (lower body) won't return Thursday versus New Jersey.
It will be Danforth's fifth straight game on the shelf. He has three goals and eight points in 25 outings in 2024-25. When he's healthy, Danforth will probably serve in a middle-six role.
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Anthony Cirelli C | TB
Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Expected to play
Cirelli (undisclosed) is expected to play Thursday versus the Blues, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.
Cirelli took line rushes in his usual spot on the second line, while Cam Atkinson did not participate in that part of warmups. As such, it looks like Cirelli will avoid missing time after missing practice Wednesday. He has 27 points over 28 games this season.
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Philip Broberg D | STL
Blues' Philip Broberg: Won't play Thursday
Broberg is a late scratch for Thursday's game versus Tampa Bay because of an illness.
Broberg has two goals and 12 points in 21 appearances in 2024-25. Tyler Tucker, who was summoned from AHL Springfield on Thursday, will draw into the lineup as a result of Broberg's absence.
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Andrei Vasilevskiy G | TB
Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Facing Blues
Vasilevskiy will tend the twine at home versus the Blues on Thursday, Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun reports.
Vasilevskiy has allowed 11 goals over his last five games, winning four of them. He'll look to keep things rolling Thursday against a Blues team that has scored just 14 goals over the last six contests, winning just two of them.