The third day of the NHL regular season will see more teams play their first games, while some important players are already recovering from injuries.
All of that and more is covered in today's Around the NHL.
Winger Viktor Arvidsson has been moved to long-term injured reserve, one day after he missed the opening game of the season with a lower-body injury.
Head coach Todd McLellan said "Arvy isn't going to be with us for awhile, I'll break that news for you," after a 5-2 loss to the Avalanche.
Additionally, Kings centre Phillip Danault was fined $5,000 for slashing Avalanche forward Ross Colton.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are a young team on the rise, but some of those next-gen stars will be watching the home opener from the stands.
New head coach Pascal Vincent revealed that forwards Kent Johnson and Liam Foudy, as well as defenceman Adam Boqvist, will all be healthy scratches against the Flyers Thursday.
Johnson, who turns 21 next week, was the fifth-overall pick in 2021 and appeared in 79 games for the Blue Jackets last season, scoring 16 goals and 40 points. Foudy, 23, was the 18th overall pick in 2018 and appeared in 62 games for the Blue Jackets last season. And Boqvist, 23, was the key piece in the Seth Jones trade with Chicago who has been a staple on the blue line the last two seasons.
"We have to make decisions. We’re looking to play with a lot of pace," Vincent said of his decision, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. "K.J. will be a Blue Jacket for a very long time and he’s going to be a great player. But one game is not going to define his career if he doesn’t play that first game."
The game will be No. 3 overall pick Adam Fantilli's NHL debut, on his 19th birthday. Fantilli told reporters he received a text from Wayne Gretzky ahead of the game, wishing him good luck.
The Detroit Red Wings had a busy off-season and will looking to take another step as a result. That new-found depth means the Red Wings will be dressing a lineup that doesn't feature any rookies or second-year players when they open the season Thursday
The Red Wings will go with 12 forwards and six defencemen against the Devils, with head coach Derek Lalonde saying defenceman Olli Maatta will be a healthy scratch.
The game will be the Red Wings debut for Michigan native Alex DeBrincat, who will skate alongside Dylan Larkin on the top line. Other new additions include forwards J.T. Compher, Christian Fischer, Klim Kostin and Daniel Sprong, defencemen Shayne Gostisbehere, Justin Holl and Jeff Petry, and backup goaltender James Reimer.
Star centre Roope Hintz will not be in the lineup for the Stars in Thursday's season-opener against the Blues.
Hintz was limited during training camp with an upper-body injury.
"We're not going to jeopardize anything long-term to rush him in," head coach Peter DeBoer said Wednesday.
Hintz practised in a non-contact jersey on Monday but was a full participant in practice Wednesday.
Sam Bennett did not travel with the Panthers and will not play in Thursday's opener against the Wild.
Bennett is dealing with a lower-body injury but did play in three pre-season games.
The 27-year-old is coming off a season in which he 16 goals and 40 points, then added 15 points in 20 playoff games.
The Panthers will have two rookies making their NHL debuts in the game, forward Mackie Samoskevich and defenceman Uvis Balinskis.
Brandon Tanev will not be in the lineup when the Kraken visit the Predators Thursday.
Tanev was injured on a hit from Golden Knights forward Brett Howden on Tuesday. Howden was given a game misconduct on the play and later suspended two games for the hit.
In Tanvev's place, rookie Tye Kartye will make his NHL regular-season debut. Kartye had five points in 10 playoff games with the Kraken last spring.
Philipp Grubauer will make his second start of the season in net for the Kraken.
The Predators announced defenceman Luke Schenn would be out Thursday against Seattle because of a lower-body injury.
Schenn played 15:11 in the team's season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.
Schenn finished last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who acquired the veteran blue-liner in a deal with the Vancouver Canucks.
The Predators signed Schenn to a three-year deal in the off-season.
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