Konecny was already slated to miss 4-6 weeks, so his movement to IR was simply a formality to create a roster spot for the Flyers to recall Jordan Weal from Lehigh Valley (AHL). Konecny is expected to be out until at least early-to-mid March.
Weal, 24, leads the Phantoms with 47 points (15G / 32A) in 43 games and that ranks him second in the AHL. With Travis Konecny out for at least one month, Weal has been recalled and skated with Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek in Friday’s practice.
Howard left his second rehab start after suffering a minor setback to his knee injury. General Manager Ken Holland said it was irritation of scar tissue and will be recalled by Detroit shortly, so his conditioning assignment with Grand Rapids (AHL) is over.
Ericsson fractured his wrist when he was hit from behind by Nicklas Backstrom late in the first period of the Red Wings’ loss in Washington. Ericsson will miss at least six weeks, which means he may be back with only 10 games left in the season. Xavier Ouellet is expected to be back in the lineup on Saturday with Ericsson sidelined.
Dubnyk allowed two goals on 40 shots in the Wild’s win in Winnipeg on Tuesday. Darcy Kuemper got the nod on Wednesday, so there was no doubt that they would come back to Dubnyk tonight vs. the Lightning. Dubnyk has been sensational all season-long and he comes into Friday with a 15-50 record, 1.91 GAA and .927 SV% on home ice.
Hellebuyck stopped all 10 shots that he faced after replacing an injured Ondrej Pavelec in Tuesday’s loss to the Wild. Hellebuyck has had some rough patches this season, but he comes into tonight well rested and has stopped 48 of the last 51 shots (.941 SV%) that he has faced. He is also 4-0-0 with a 1.25 GAA and .961 SV% in four starts against the Blackhawks this season.
Crawford allowed three goals on 38 shots in the Blackhawks’ win in Minnesota on Wednesday. Crawford has won three in a row despite allowing three goals in each start and posting a .909 SV%. Crawford has gone 10-8-0 with a 2.91 GAA and .907 SV% in 18 starts on the road—those numbers are a far cry from his numbers at the United Center.
Lehtonen allowed four goals on 35 shots in the Stars’ loss to the Blackhawks last Saturday. Antti Niemi started on Tuesday, but it looks like they’ll come back to Lehtonen tonight in Ottawa. Lehtonen has lost two in a row while allowing four goals in each start and tonight he faces a Sens team that has lost four of five.
Budaj allowed five goals on 21 shots in the Kings’ 5-0 loss in Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Budaj followed up five straight wins with two rough losses—he has allowed a combined nine goals on the last 36 shots (.750 SV%) that he has faced. Tonight he’ll face the Panthers in Florida—he has gone 10-11-2 with a 1.98 GAA and .925 SV% on the road this season.
Saros allowed five goals on 37 shots in the Predators’ loss to the Sabres on January 24th. Pekka Rinne started the last five games, but it looks Saros will start tonight in New York. Saros was great in his first start vs. the Rangers, stopping 26 of 27 shots in an eventual 2-1 shootout loss.
Mason allowed five goals on 28 shots in the Flyers loss to the Hurricanes on January 31st. Michal Neuvirth started the last three games, but Mason will go tonight with Neuvirth feeling ill. Mason stopped 36 of 38 shots in a 3-2 OT win in Brooklyn in late-January and he’ll face them again tonight on home-ice.
Price gave up four goals on 26 shots in the Canadiens’ loss in Colorado on Tuesday. He has lost three in a row while allowing a combined nine goals on 79 shots (.886 SV%). Price has been struggling recently, but he draws a strong matchup in Arizona—he allowed two goals on 29 shots in a 5-2 win in his first start vs. the Coyotes.
