NHL Player News

Hill is expected to start at home against Utah on Thursday, per Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Hill has a 2-2-0 record, 1.26 GAA and .943 save percentage across his past four appearances. He's 8-8-3 with a 2.94 GAA and an .875 save percentage in 20 outings overall in 2025-26. Utah dropped four straight games (0-2-2) from March 9-14, but the Mammoth ended that slump Monday with a 6-3 victory over Dallas to improve to 35-27-6 on the season.

Vejmelka will guard the road goal versus the Golden Knights on Thursday, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Vejmelka was not in goal for Monday's 6-3 win over the Stars. He had allowed at least three goals in four straight games prior to that, going 1-2-1 in that span. The Golden Knights have won just two of their last six games, scoring 15 goals over that stretch.

Kapanen (illness) is slated to be in the lineup Thursday versus the Panthers, Bob Stauffer of the Oilers Radio Network reports.

Kapanen was considered a game-time decision, but he took warmups in his usual third-line spot. He should continue to get ice time in all situations.

Couturier (upper body) won't play Thursday versus Los Angeles, per Kevin Kurz of The Athletic.

Couturier has seven goals and 29 points in 66 outings in 2025-26. It's not clear how long he'll be out, but head coach Rick Tocchet doesn't think it'll be a long-term absence. Carl Grundstrom might draw back into the lineup Thursday due to Couturier's injury.

Tolvanen (upper body) won't play Thursday versus the Predators, per the NHL media site.

Tolvanen is set to miss his second straight game due to the injury. The Kraken are also missing Ryan Winterton (illness), so Jani Nyman -- who was recalled Wednesday -- will slot into the lineup. Tolvanen's next chance to play is Saturday versus the Blue Jackets.

Winterton will miss Thursday's game against Nashville because of an illness.

Winterton has four goals and 18 points in 62 outings in 2025-26. Jani Nyman might draw into the lineup Thursday as a result of Winterton's absence.

Annunen will protect the home goal versus the Kraken on Thursday, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Annunen will get the nod since Juuse Saros (upper body) is unavailable. Over his last five outings, Annunen is 2-3-0 with a 2.46 GAA and a .910 save percentage. This is a big game for the wild-card race in the Western Conference, as the Predators are chasing the Kraken, who currently hold the final playoff spot.

Saros isn't available for Thursday's home game against Seattle because of an upper-body injury.

Matt Murray was summoned from AHL Milwaukee as a result of Saros' injury. Justus Annunen is expected to start Thursday, while Murray will serve as the understudy. Saros is considered day-to-day, so he hasn't been ruled out for Saturday's home game against Vegas.

Daccord will start in goal on the road versus the Predators on Thursday, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Daccord snapped a three-game losing streak with a 23-save effort against the Panthers in a 6-2 win Sunday. During his slump, he was in goal for a loss to the Predators in which he gave up three goals on 26 shots. This will be Daccord's fifth start in the Kraken's last seven games, so it looks like he has a slight edge for playing time over Philipp Grubauer.

Knight is expected to start on the road against Minnesota on Thursday, per Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News.

Knight has a 17-19-9 record, 2.67 GAA and .907 save percentage in 45 outings in 2025-26. He's dropped his past two starts (0-1-1) while allowing eight goals on 69 shots (.884 save percentage). Minnesota ranks 10th in goals per game with 3.28 this season, but the Wild will be without Kirill Kaprizov (lower body) on Thursday.