Kapanen has been on long-term Injured Reserve since suffering an undisclosed injury on October 19th, and has apparently suffered a setback, exiting Thursday's practice early. Before his injury, the 29-year-old Kapanen had two assists in six games.
The Oilers have struggled this season, 10-10-5 through 25 games, and received more bad news on Friday, announcing that Roslovic will be sidelined on a week-to-week basis due to a lower-body injury. The 28-year-old Roslovic has been a terrific fit with the Oilers since signing with them at the beginning of October, scoring 18 points (10G / 8A) in 23 games.
Hartman has not played since suffering a lower-body injury on November 16th, but he will return to the lineup on Friday against the high-flying Colorado Avalanche. Before his injury, the 31-year-old Hartman recorded seven points (4G / 3A) and 19 hits in 20 games this season.
Tkachuk suffered an injury in the third game of the season, underwent thumb surgery, and has been sidelined since. The Senators' Captain will return to the lineup on Friday against the St. Louis Blues, giving a boost to his team that has fared reasonably well without him, going 12-7-4 through 23 games. The 26-year-old Tkachuk scored points (0G / 3A) through three games this season prior to his injury.
The Senators are off to a solid 12-7-4 start to the season, largely without the services of Brady Tkachuk, but he will return from an injury on Friday against the St. Louis Blues. Merilainen will tend the twine, looking to rebound after a 2-1 loss in his most recent performance when he saved 20 of 22 shots (.909 SV%). The 23-year-old netminder has a 3.25 GAA and .875 SV% in five games (3-2-0). The Senators enter the action as -114 road favorites against the Blues.
Sergei Bobrovsky has strung together consecutive forgetful performances (0-2-0), allowing eight goals on 35 combined shots (.771 SV%). As such, the Panthers will turn to Tarasov on Friday against a Calgary Flames team in the bottom five of the NHL offensively (2.4 GF / GP). The 26-year-old Tarasov has strung together three solid outings (2-1-0), posting a 2.00 GAA and .934 SV%.
The Flyers have points in eight of their last 10 (6-2-2), largely due to Dan Vladar, but they will turn to Ersson on Friday against the New York Islanders. The 26-year-old Ersson allowed two goals on 17 shots (.882 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 3-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ersson has a subpar 3.13 GAA and .850 SV% in seven games this season (3-2-2). The Flyers are +127 road underdogs against an Islanders team that is 7-3-0 in their last 10.
Shakir Mukhamadullin and Vincent Desharnais will be healthy scratches on Friday against the Vancouver Canucks, allowing John Klingberg and Vincent Iorio to draw back into the lineup. The veteran Klingberg was acquired in the offseason to serve as a powerplay specialist and veteran presence on the Sharks' blueline, but he has had trouble staying in the lineup. The 33-year-old has six points (3G / 3A) while averaging 21:02 time-on-ice through 15 games this season.
Shakir Mukhamadullin and Vincent Desharnais will be healthy scratches on Friday against the Vancouver Canucks, allowing John Klingberg and Vincent Iorio to draw back into the lineup. Iorio was recently sent to the AHL for a conditioning loan, where has has seven points (0G / 7A) in six games with the San Jose Barracuda. The 23-year-old defenseman was drafted 55th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and is still working on becoming a full-time NHLer with the Sharks.
Shakir Mukhamadullin and Vincent Desharnais will be healthy scratches on Friday against the Vancouver Canucks, allowing John Klingberg and Vincent Iorio to draw back into the lineup. The 29-year-old Desharnais has played all but four games for the Sharks this season, scoring two points (0G / 2A) while averaging 16:33 time-on-ice.
Jared McCann just returned to Seattle's lineup from a multi-week injury absence in their most recent game, a game where another top-nine forward, Jaden Schwartz, was forced to leave due to a lower-body injury. The 33-year-old Schwartz was off to an impressive 2025-26 campaign before his injury, scoring 15 points (8G / 7A) in 23 games.
Shakir Mukhamadullin and Vincent Desharnais will be healthy scratches on Friday against the Vancouver Canucks, allowing John Klingberg and Vincent Iorio to draw back into the lineup. The 23-year-old Mukhamadullin has been solid in limited action this season, averaging 16:42 time-on-ice and scoring five points (1G / 4A) in 12 games.
Askarov's outstanding November came to an end in San Jose's most recent game, allowing four goals on 19 shots (.789 SV%) before being pulled in an eventual 6-0 loss to the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche. Before that, Askarov was nearly perfect on an eight-game stretch (7-1-0), posting a sensational 1.50 GAA and .955 SV%. The Sharks look to rebound on Friday against a struggling Vancouver Canucks team that snapped a three-game losing skid on Wednesday with a 5-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
Nugent-Hopkins has been sidelined since November 8th due to an undisclosed injury, but he will return to the lineup on Saturday against the Seattle Kraken. Despite a subpar start to the season for the Oilers, Nugent-Hopkins provided ample production before his injury, scoring 16 points (5G / 11A) in 16 games. The 32-year-old forward is pacing for only the second point-per-game season of his career.
Aatu Raty will be a healthy scratch on Friday against the San Jose Sharks, allowing Reichel to return from a three-game absence. The 23-year-old Reichel has one assist in 13 games since joining the Canucks earlier this season.
Lukas Reichel will draw back into Vancouver's lineup on Friday, sending Raty to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 23-year-old Raty has been a regular for Vancouver this season, playing all but two games, and has six points (1G / 5A) in 22 games.
Wilsby has played 15 games this season, often as a seventh defenseman, and will head to the press box as a healthy scratch on Friday against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 25-year-old Wilsby is averaging 16:31 time-on-ice and has two assists this season.
Schaefer was drafted in the first-round, 32nd overall, by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 22-year-old has yet to play an NHL game. He has 14 points (4G / 10A) in 15 games with the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) this season.
The last-place Nashville Predators (7-12-4) are coming off a 6-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings and will likely turn to Saros to tend the twine on Friday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Saros is winless in his last three games (0-3-0), posting a 3.00 GAA and .852 SV%. The 30-year-old Finnish goalie has a 3.08 GAA and .889 SV% in 18 games this season (6-9-3). The Predators enter Friday's contest as slight -107 road favorites against a Blackhawks team that has scored only eight goals in its last four games (0-3-1).
Scott Morrow will draw back into New York's lineup on Friday against Boston, sending Vaakanainen to the sidelines as healthy scratch. The 26-year-old Vaakanainen is averaging 14:33 time-on-ice and has three points (0G / 3A) in 16 games this season.
