Ice Chips: Jets' Hellebuyck expected to go for win No. 300 vs. Ducks
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Winnipeg Jets
Connor Hellebuyck is expected to get the start against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday as he looks for his 300th career victory.
Hellebuyck, 31, enters the game with a career 299-178-42 record and is coming off a 22-save shutout against the Nashville Predators on Monday.
The 6-foot-4 netminder has won nine of his last 10 appearances and has a 24-5-1 record with a 2.00 goals-against average and .930 save percentage this season.
Defenceman Dylan DeMelo participated in the Jets' Thursday morning skate after he left the Jets' 5-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday early.
DeMelo, 31, skated 23:43 in the loss despite leaving the game after taking a puck off his leg.
The 6-foot-1 right shot defenceman has a goal and seven points in 39 games this season while averaging 21:20 of ice time.
Defenceman Dylan Samberg continues to skate in a non-contact jersey as he tries to gear up for a return to the lineup.
Samberg, 25, has been out since the Jets' 4-1 loss to the Nashville Predators on Nov. 23 with a lower-body injury and has missed the team's last 18 games.
The 6-foot-4 left-shot defenceman has three goals, six points, and a plus-12 rating in 21 games this season while averaging 20:17 of ice time.
Winnipeg used these line rushes during Thursday's morning skate prior to their game against the Ducks:
Toronto Maple Leafs
Captain Auston Matthews travelled with the team to New York and participated in Thursday's morning skate prior to their game against the New York Islanders, according to David Alter of The Hockey News.
Matthews, 27, is ruled out for Thursday's game which will mark his sixth straight game missed while recovering from an upper-body injury.
The 6-foot-3 centre has 11 goals and 23 points in 24 games this season.
Calgary Flames
Goaltender Dan Vladar was in the starters crease during the Flames' morning skate as they get set to take on the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday.
Vladar, 27, has a 6-7-5 record this season with a 3.02 goals-against average and .890 save percentage.
The Flames are projected to use these lines during their game against Utah on Thursday:
Huberdeau - Kadri - Pospisil
Coleman - Backlund - Coronato
Pelletier - Zary - Sharangovich
Lomberg - Rooney - Duehr
Bahl - Andersson
Hanley - Weegar
Bean - Pachal
Vladar
Ottawa Senators
Artem Zub and Anton Forsberg are expected to return to the lineup on Thursday when the Senators take on the Dallas Stars.
Zub, 29, has missed the team's last 16 games while recovering from a fractured foot.
The 6-foot-3 right-shot defenceman has two assists in 11 games this season while averaging 18:19 of ice time.
Forsberg has been out with a lower-body injury and hasn't played since the team's 4-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Dec. 8.
The 6-foot-3 netminder has a 4-6-0 record with a 2.95 goals-against average and .889 save percentage.
Leevi Merilainen is set to make his third start of the season on Thursday against the Stars.
The 22-year-old goaltender has a 2-1-0 record with a 2.68 goals-against average and .900 save percentage in his other three appearances.
He also has a 7-2-4 record in the AHL this season with a .901 save percentage and 2.43 GAA.
The Senators used these lines during Thursday's morning skate prior to their game against the Stars.
New York Rangers
Jonathan Quick will be in net on Thursday when the Rangers take on the Boston Bruins, according to head coach Peter Laviolette.
Quick, 38, is expected to take the lion's share of the goaltending load after Igor Shesterkin was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-1 netminder has a 5-4-0 record this season with a .907 save percentage and 2.68 goals-against average.
Florida Panthers
Sergei Bobrovsky will get the start in net when the Panthers take on the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, according to head coach Paul Maurice.
Bobrovsky, 36 has won four of his last five games and has a 17-7-1 record this season with a 2.81 goals-against average and .896 save percentage.
Dallas Stars
Jake Oettinger is expected to be in net on Thursday when the Stars take on the Ottawa Senators, according to broadcaster Bruce LeVine.
Oettinger, 26, has a 17-9-1 record this season with a 2.38 goals-against average and .909 save percentage.
The Stars have signed forward Oskar Back to a two-year contract extension on Thursday.
Back, 24, was drafted 75th overall in the 2018 draft and has a goal and nine points in 31 games in his rookie season.
The Stars recalled forward Arttu Hyry from the AHL's Texas Stars on Thursday.
Hyry, 23, joined the Stars organization as an undrafted free agent in April of 2024.
The 6-foot-3 winger has 14 goals and 26 points in 29 games in Texas this season.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks recalled forward Colton Dach from the AHL's Rockford IceHogs and assigned forward Joey Anderson to the IceHogs on Thursday.
Dach, 21, was drafted 62nd overall by the Blackhawks in the 2021 draft and has 12 goals and 25 points in 30 games in Rockford this season.
He is the brother of former Blackhawk and current Montreal Canadien forward Kirby Dach.
Anderson, 26, appeared in 18 games this season recording one assist while averaging 12:24 of ice time.
Defenceman Connor Murphy did not participate in practice due to a groin injury, the team told reporters on Thursday.
Murphy, 21, had 19:39 of ice time with a minus-2 rating during the Blackhawks' 6-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues at the Winter Classic on Tuesday.
The 6-foot-4 right-shot defenceman has a goal and 13 points in 38 games this season while averaging 20:33 of ice time.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes assigned defenceman Riley Stillman to the AHL's Chicago Wolves on Thursday.
Stillman, 26, appeared in nine games with the Wolves this season, recording a goal and four points.
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche signed defenceman Keaton Middleton to a two-year extension on Thursday.
Middleton, 26, appeared in 10 games with the Avalanche this season and has a plus-1 ranking while averaging 10:31 of ice time.
The 6-foot-6 left-shot defenceman also has four assists in 17 games with the AHL's Colorado Eagles this season.
Minnesota Wild
Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to be in net on Thursday when the Wild take on the Washington Capitals, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic.
Fleury, 40, is 6-3-1 this season with a 2.81 goals-against average and .898 save percentage.
Detroit Red Wings
Cam Talbot is expected to be in net when the Red Wings take on the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.
Talbot, 37, is 6-9-2 this season with a .906 save percentage and 2.98 goals-against average.
Boston Bruins
Jeremy Swayman is expected to start in net against the New York Rangers on Thursday, according to Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic.
Swayman, 26, has a 13-11-3 record with an .891 save percentage and 2.90 goals-against average this season.
Additionally, forward Oliver Wahlstrom will enter the Bruins' lineup on Thursday while Marc McLauglin will come out.
Wahlstrom, 24, was claimed off waivers from the New York Islanders on Dec. 14.
The 6-foot-2 winger has two goals and four points in 31 games split between the Islanders and Bruins.
Utah Hockey Club
Utah has placed defenceman Dakota Mermis on waivers on Thursday with the intent to assign him to the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners.
Mermis, 30, was claimed off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 12 and appeared in one game for Utah.
The 6-foot left-shot defenceman has four goals and 12 points in 75 career games split between the Arizona Coyotes, New Jersey Devils, Minnesota Wild, and Utah.
Philadelphia Flyers
Aleksei Kolosov will get the start in net when the Flyers take on the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday.
Kolosov, 22, has a 4-7-1 record with a 3.39 goals-against average and .872 save percentage.
Vegas Golden Knights
Ilya Samsonov is expected to start in net against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, according to Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Samsonov, 27, has a 9-3-1 record this season with a 2.74 goals-against average and .906 save percentage.
The Golden Knights recalled forward Tanner Laczynski from the AHL's Henderson Silver Knights on Thursday.
Laczynski has appeared in five games with the Golden Knights this season.
He also has six goals and 20 points in 18 games in the AHL.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Forward Jake Guentzel is a game-time decision as he continues to deal with a lower-body injury, head coach Jon Cooper told reporters on Thursday.
Guentzel missed Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens with the injury and is considered to be day-to-day.
The 5-foot-11 winger has 20 goals and 37 points in 33 games this season.
Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to start on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks, according to team reporter Gabby Shirley.
Vasilevskiy, 30, has a 16-10-1 record this season with a .914 save percentage and 2.39 goals-against average.
San Jose Sharks
Defenceman Marc-Edouard Vlasic will make his season debut on Thursday when the Sharks take on the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Vlasic, 37, has been dealing with an upper-body injury that has kept him out of the lineup since April of last season.
The 6-foot-1 left-shot defenceman had six goals and 12 points in 57 games last season while averaging 16:17 of ice time.