Brassard has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury but will be back on the Islanders' second line with Brock Nelson and Anthony Beauvillier on Tuesday. Brassard has scored 10 goals with 19 assists (29 points) in 59 games this season.
Tonight will be Schneider's first start since January 18th. He was pulled after giving up four goals on 17 shots in the Devils 5-0 loss in Columbus. Schneider is still looking for his first win of the season, going 0-6-1 with a 4.65 GAA and .852 SV% thus far. With that said, if he's going to get a win, his best chance would be tonight against the league's worst team.
Brossoit stopped 29 of 30 shots in the Jets’ win in Ottawa last Thursday. Brossoit has been terrific in his last two starts, going 2-0-0 while stopping 54 of the 57 shots (.947 SV%) that he has faced. Tonight he faces a Capitals team that has gone 2-4-1 while averaging 3.43 goals for and 4.29 goals against in their last seven home games.
Ritchie was acquired from the Ducks on Monday and will make his debut tonight vs. the Flames. Ritchie is coming off of a four-point performance in his last game with the Ducks and has 19 points (8G / 11A) in 41 games this season. He'll skate on the third line with Charlie Coyle and Anders Bjork.
Kase skated on the second line in Monday's practice but is not quite ready to make his Bruins debut. Look for Kase to play Thursday vs. the Stars.
Anthony Duclair was hurt last night and is not expected to play tonight, so Chlapik comes back up. The 22-year-old has two goals and three assists (five points) in 30 games this season.
Rask allowed was pulled after he allowed six goals on 27 shots in the Bruins surprising 9-3 loss to the Canucks on Saturday. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Rask, who is 5-2-0 with a 1.93 GAA, .930 SV% and one shutout in February. The Flames come in at 5-3-0 in their last eight while scoring an impressive 4.75 goals per game.
Stalock allowed three goals on 26 shots in the Wild's win in Edmonton last Friday. Stalock has played terrific in February, going 4-1-1 with a 1.81 GAA, .930 SV% and one shutout in six starts. Stalock comes in at 10-3-2 with a 2.12 GAA and .922 SV% on home-ice with a good matchup against a Blue Jackets team that played last night.
Duclair was forced to leave Monday's game in Columbus and is not expected to play tonight in Nashville. To fill that hole, the Senators have recalled Filip Chlapik from Belleville (AHL).
Meloche did not play a game during his call-up and returns to the AHL, where he has just six assists in 38 games this season.
Vasilevskiy gave up seven goals on 41 shots in the Lightning’s loss in Arizona on Saturday. Vasilevskiy has started struggling out of the blue, giving up 12 goals on the last 74 shots (.838 SV%) that he’s faced. In his first start vs. the Maple Leafs, Vasilevskiy stopped 25 of 28 shots in a 7-3 win in early-October.
Varlamov stopped 29 of 30 shots in the Islanders win over the Sharks on Sunday. Varlamov has won two straight while stopping 50 of the 52 shots (.962 SV%) that he’s faced. Tonight he faces the Rangers for the third time this season—he is 0-2-0 while giving up nine goals on 63 shots (.857 SV%) in the first two meetings.
Hart allowed two goals on 29 shots in the Flyers win over the Jets on Saturday. Since returning from injury, Hart has gone 4-1-0 with a 2.02 GAA and .929 SV% in five starts. He’s been outstanding on home-ice all season, going 16-2-3 with a 1.64 GAA, .942 SV% and one shutout and is a must-start vs. the Sharks.
Holtby allowed three goals on 35 shots in the Capitals win over the Penguins on Sunday. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Holtby, who is 3-3-1 with a 3.21 GAA and .899 SV% in February. Tonight he faces a Winnipeg team that has lost four of their last seven (3-4-0) while scoring 2.86 goals per game.
Bernier surrendered three goals on 30 shots in the Red Wings loss to the Flames on Sunday. Bernier's numbers have fallen off a bit lately, going 1-5-0 with a 3.27 GAA and .896 SV% in his last seven games (six starts). In his first two starts vs. the Devils, Bernier is 0-2-0 while giving up eight goals on 59 shots (.864 SV%).
Letunov had one goal in three games with the Sharks earlier this season. During his time in the AHL, the 24-year-old has scored 12 goals with 22 assists (34 points) in 43 games.
Bergmann has spent most of his first season in North America with the Barracuda, where he's scored eight goals with nine assists (17 points) in 31 games. He's appeared in eight NHL games, tallying one assist.
Merzlikins was hurt in a collision with Anthony Duclair midway through the second period and as taken out of Monday's game. The Blue Jackets announced that he will not return. Luckily, they just got Joonas Korpisalo back and he entered the game for the rookie netminder.
