MacKenzie Blackwood participated in the AHL All-Star game so the Devils have recalled Johnson to serve as Keith Kinkaid’s backup on Monday. Johnson has gone 6-9-0 with a 3.79 GAA and .869 SV% in 16 AHL games this season.
Rooney appeared in the final four games before the All-Star break but was sent back for the duration of the break. He returns to New Jersey, where he has one goal in nine games while averaging 9:24 TOI/gm.
Yakovlev has split his time evenly between the AHL and NHL. With New Jersey, he has one goal and three assists in 11 games while picking up 10 assists in 12 AHL contests.
Lovejoy’s move to IR is retroactive to January 15th, which means that he can return to the lineup whenever he is healthy. Lovejoy will miss his third straight game, so Egor Yakovlev was recalled from Binghamton (AHL).
Hall will miss 14th consecutive game with a lower-body injury but did skate in New Jersey prior to the Devils practice on Sunday. Skating is an encouraging sign that Hall shouldn’t be too far away but he certainly is not healing as quick as they originally expected.
Kinkaid allowed four goals on 34 shots in the Devils loss in Columbus on January 15th. Kinkaid will start Monday with MacKenzie Blackwood remaining in AHL after the All-Star break. Kinkaid has gone 0-4-0 with a 3.79 GAA and .891 SV% in his last four starts, making him a risky start in Pittsburgh—however, Kinkaid is 2-0-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .955 SV% in two starts against the Penguins this season.
Vorobyev was with the Flyers earlier this season, collecting two points (1G / 1A) in seven games. The 22-year-old has been solid with the Phantoms, ranking sixth on the team in assists (16) and seventh in points (22) through 31 games. He is expected to centre the Flyers fourth line coming out of the All-Star break.
Stolarz is expected to make his first NHL appearances since December 15th after Carter Hart started on Monday. The 25-year-old has gone 2-3-2 with a 3.90 GAA and .880 SV% in nine NHL appearances this season. During his time in the minors, Stolarz is 2-0-0 while allowing 16 goals on 161 shots (.901 SV%) in five games.
Hart allowed one goal on 35 shots in the Flyers win in Montreal on January 19th. Hart finished strong before the bye week, winning three in a row while stopping 106 of 115 shots (.922 SV%). Tonight he faces the Jets on home-ice, where he is 5-2-1 with a 2.51 GAA and .923 SV% in eight games this season.
Niku was sent down over the All-Star break but is expected to draw right back into the Jets lineup in Philadelphia on Monday. Niku played the final five games before the break because the Jets are without Dustin Byfuglien and Ben Chiarot on the blue line. Niku, who has great AHL numbers, has just two assists, six shots and a plus-3 rating while playing 12:21 TOI/gm in 10 games with Winnipeg.
Coming out of the All-Star break, Byfuglien remained in Winnipeg to receive treatment while the team headed east. Byfuglien will not play Monday in Philadelphia or Tuesday and Boston but head coach Paul Maurice was also non-committal about him playing when the team returns home to face the Blue Jackets on Thursday.
Hellebuyck allowed four goals on 39 shots in the Jets loss in Dallas on January 19th. Hellebuyck is 4-3-0 with a 2.71 GAA and .917 SV% through seven starts in January and tonight he faces a Bruins team that has won seven of their last 11 (7-3-1). The 25-year-old has gone 8-8-0 with a 2.92 GAA and .910 SV% on the road this season.
Brossoit stopped 43 of 44 shots in the Jets win over the Golden Knights on January 15th. Brossoit is riding an impressive seven-game personal winning streak, posting a 2.26 GAA, .938 SV% and one shutout in the process. Brossoit has been fantastic this season and is a worthwhile spot start in Philadelphia—the Flyers are 4-1-0 in their last five.
Del Zotto has appeared in 23 NHL games this season, picking up one goal and three assists. Tonight he is expected to replace Andy Welinski on the Ducks third pairing.
