Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson aren't travelling to Columbus with the Washington Capitals, but there is still some fantastic fantasy news to shae regarding injuries on this busy Thursday slate.

While we won't see the two Caps forwards, there is a strong chance Max Pacioretty makes his debut for the Carolina Hurricanes and Jack Eichel is expected back for the Vegas Golden Knights.

If Pacioretty does make his return, it's a month sooner than expected after he had surgery for a torn Achilles tendon in the offseason. Where do the Hurricanes slot him in? It's a huge question with potential negative fantasy implications beyond the positive ones for his return. Seth Jarvis has been a mainstay for the better part of two seasons with Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen, but this is the spot for a top goal-scoring winger like Pacioretty to step into. Luckily, Jarvis doesn't do enough to be a lock on any fantasy roster, so this would be the easiest swap. Another option would be finding room on a line with Martin Necas and Andrei Svechnikov, which could mean pushing Necas back to center. That brings mild concern, as Necas has been doing very well for fantasy as a winger, so a potential change -- even with adding a plus winger like Pacioretty -- has to give us a moment of pause. That said, it could also be a net benefit if Necas can slide into the center role seamlessly.

Pacioretty definitely bumps sometimes-useful Stefan Noesen off the top power-play unit. At least, that's what the logic dictates. Pacioretty has more than 60 power-play goals in the past nine seasons while averaging 2:46 per game. He's not a weapon you bury on a second unit. Noesen has been a solid spot-start forward thanks to his net-front presence on the advantage so far this season, but that is unlikely to still be the case.

It's not the best matchup against the stalwart Nashville Predators, but Pacioretty is only rostered in 17.4% of leagues and should be a boon going forward.

As for the Golden Knights, a slew of injuries have allowed the team some fresh perspective on some players. It will be interesting to see how Michael Amadio, in particular, gets utilized with Eichel returning. Amadio has done more than any other forward on the team in stepping up with Eichel out. He has a point streak of seven games going on the top line with Chandler Stephenson and Mark Stone, with five goals and four assists in that span. The Knights may very well leave this line intact with the return of Eichel.

The Golden Knights host the Pittsburgh Penguins, who will be without starter Tristan Jarry, so this is a good spot for the Vegas offense. Eichel should be back in lineups right away, but so too should Amadio remain a useful stream.

These games are among 10 in the NHL on Thursday. The Arizona Coyotes, Predators, Capitals and New York Islanders will suit back up again on Friday. The New Jersey Devils are back home after winning in Detroit on Wednesday night and are expected to start Mackenzie Blackwood in goal.

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All times Eastern.

7 p.m., Scotiabank Arena, Watch live on ESPN+

Both teams are top-10 offenses at generating goals, so we should see a fair share in this one. Whether this game gets to the over in a balanced or unbalanced form depends on how the Leafs goaltender performs, as the Kraken will get their chances. William Nylander is questionable with an illness, so there is potential for a surprise performance from a bottom-six winger here that gets thrust into the limelight -- but good luck guessing which one. Besides, Nylander could be fine by game time. Either way, keep using Calle Jarnkrok where you can, as he was held off the score sheet for the first time on Tuesday since his semi-permanent assignment with John Tavares and Mitch Marner. On the other side, the line of Yanni Gourde, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen has connected in consecutive games since Tolvanen's Kraken debut on Sunday. But beware that their power play is ice cold (32nd in the league with three power-play goals in the past month).

7 p.m., Nationwide Arena, Watch live on ESPN+

Attack the Blue Jackets when you can. That's the rule. It helps that the Caps are tied for second in the league in five-on-five goals for per 60 in the past month. Erik Gustafsson, Conor Sheary, Dylan Strome, Sonny Milano; all in play for this one. Somewhat quietly, the Capitals have moved into being a top-10 defensive team, sitting ninth in goals against per 60 overall this season and fourth in goals against per 60 at five-on-five for the past month. Maybe skip anyone not named Johnny Gaudreau or Patrik Laine for the Blue Jackets.

9 p.m., Rogers Place, Watch live on ESPN+

Above I said the Capitals are tied for second in the league in five-on-five goals for per 60 in the past month. They are tied with the Islanders. It's strange to say, but the Isles are the ones who might do the heavy lifting if this game is going over. The Oilers play of late suggests they will need power plays -- and more than a few -- to stay in this one. Unfortunately for them, the Isles have only coughed up 2.64 opportunities per game in the past month, which is the third-fewest in the league. Sporting a few injuries, Casey Cizikas has been playing with Mathew Barzal on the top line and could be an interesting stream here.

10 p.m., Rogers Arena, Watch live on ESPN+

This is a tough matchup to assess. It could be an explosion of goals, or very few of them. The Avs have a bottom-feeding offense over the past month, but the injuries have decimated the club, and they have Nathan MacKinnon back now, so things aren't as bad as they seem on paper. The Canucks are actually a top-10 offense this season for goals and, while they are near the bottom of the league for allowing goals, they have the best penalty kill in the past month -- which has been the Avs' bread and butter all season. So, as I said, could be a lot of goals, or very few of them. It's tantalizing enough that certainly no one on my rosters from this game is getting benched. But I don't know that I'd be reaching for the J.T. Compher or Andrei Kuzmenko stream starts.

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Taylor Hall, W, Boston Bruins (79.3%): While he is rostered in most leagues, he might be on a lot of benches. With Jake DeBrusk not with the team, Hall probably jumps into the top six and onto the top power-play unit.

Brayden Schenn, C/W, St. Louis Blues (49.0%): That was a pretty good first game for Schenn following the injuries to Ryan O'Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko. He looks like the biggest beneficiary of their absence based on his 23 minutes of ice time and two points on Tuesday.

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Kaapo Kakko, W, New York Rangers (5.0%): Rolling on the top like with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider again, it's about time the Rangers gave this trio another opportunity. They remain a top-12 trio in the league for expected goals per 60 (per MoneyPuck.com).

Noah Cates, W, Philadelphia Flyers (0.3%): It's a good matchup against the Coyotes and Cates is taking on a big role for the team -- can we call him the No. 1 center? I think we can (eligibility in fantasy be damned). Playing with Travis Konecny and Joel Farabee, Cates has five points in his past four.

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K'Andre Miller, D, New York Rangers (17.1%): In seven of the past 13 games, Miller has gone over 2.0 fantasy points. This matchup with the Montreal Canadiens should help make it eight of 14.

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Ty Smith, D, Pittsburgh Penguins (0.6%): Still missing Kris Letang and Jeff Petry, Smith will bring his power-play quarterbacking skills from the AHL for another game here. He's been there for two games already with little to show for it, but don't say he doesn't have opportunity. His 11:10 of power-play time against the Devils on Dec. 30 was the most single-game minutes we've seen from a defenseman this season.

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Charlie Lindgren, G, Washington Capitals (16.7%): I don't think Lindgren's run of success moved him into a timeshare with starter Darcy Kuemper. That said, the schedule for the Caps works out in such a way that they have some softer opponents in their next five games by facing the Blue Jackets twice and the Flyers twice. There is some merit in doing what the Tampa Bay Lightning often do and giving their starter a night off when the competition looks to be less fierce. In that scenario, Lindgren is a good candidate to start Thursday and maybe again on Sunday when the Caps and Blue Jackets square off again -- letting Kuemper battle the more dangerous Nashville Predators in between. We would need confirmation ahead of time to make this a good stream start though.

Carter Hart, G, Philadelphia Flyers (49.4%): The team is on a three-game win streak thanks to the California teams and now returns home to face the Coyotes with Hart expected to return to the crease. It's as good a spot as any to use the talented goaltender.

Antti Raanta or Pyotr Kochetkov, G, Carolina Hurricanes (15.3% or 57.5%): The Hurricanes should, as they often do, dominate possession and give their goaltender a chance to win. I dare not predict which one of these goaltenders that will be as the team has been pretty whimsical with their choice lately. But one of them is a good option for streaming.

Mackenzie Blackwood, G, New Jersey Devils (3.5%): This is perhaps my favorite spot for a stream start though, not because it's the best matchup. But it's a good matchup as the Blues won't be at full strength and we know it's highly likely Blackwood starts in this second of two games in two nights.

Pheonix Copley, G, Los Angeles Kings (9.4%): I know he's won nine of 10 starts this season and is coming off a victory against the Dallas Stars, but the Boston Bruins are a different beast -- even on the road. Copley may be able to overcome as he continues to roll on his Hammington streak (yes, that's a portmanteau of Andrew Hammond and Jordan Binnington, and it means to come from the AHL and go on a heater in the crease unexpectedly), but why risk it with the Bruins?

Nashville Predators: Even a team like the Predators might have a hard time generating much offense against the smothering Hurricanes. But to make matters worse, the offense has been diluted across three lines of late. That may be great for the Predators, but it's not something we like to see in fantasy.