Budaj surrendered two goals on 27 shots in the Kings’ shootout loss in Columbus on Tuesday. Budaj has gone 2-1-2 with a 2.20 GAA and .920 SV% in seven December starts and tonight he’ll take on the Predators for the second time. The Predators have won their last two, but Budaj stopped 24 of 26 shots in a 3-2 OT win in their first meeting.
Rinne stopped 31 of 32 shots in the Predators’ shootout win in Philadelphia on Tuesday. It was a great outing in what has been an otherwise bad month for Rinne and the Predators. The Finnish netminder has gone 3-3-1 with a 3.50 GAA and .870 SV% in December and tonight he will face the Kings for the second time—he allowed three goals on 45 shots a 3-2 OT loss in the first meeting.
Hutchinson gave up four goals on 29 shots in the Jets’ loss in Calgary on December 10th. Connor Hellebuyck started the last four games, including Tuesday’s loss in Vancouver. With the Jets in Vancouver again tonight, Hutchinson will get a shot at the Canucks. The 26-year-old has gone 2-4-2 with a 3.11 GAA and .898 SV% on the road this season.
Emelin's wife is expecting, so Emelin will likely be replaced by Joel Hanley, who was recalled from St. John’s (AHL).
The Canadiens have recalled Hanley because Alexei Emelin’s wife is expecting, so Hanley is expected to replace him in the lineup vs. the Wild. Hanley has no points in five games with Montreal.
Miller allowed four goals on 25 shots in the Canucks’ loss to the Blue Jackets on Sunday. Jacob Markstrom started on Tuesday, but Miller will get back in goal tonight vs. the Jets. Miller has gone 5-3-1 with a 2.41 GAA and .914 SV% on home ice this season. Markstrom got the win vs. the Jets on Tuesday, so Miller could conceivably do the same tonight.
With Marian Hossa (upper-body) not playing on Friday, Kero has been recalled and will make his season debut. The 24-year-old forward has seven goals and 13 assists (20 points) in 28 games with Rockford this season.
Hossa was injured in Tuesday’s game and will miss Friday’s game with an upper-body injury. With Hossa out, the Blackhawks placed Artem Anisimov on IR to call-up Tanner Kero from Rockford (AHL) to take Hossa’s spot. Monitor the winger's status after the Christmas break.
Anisimov will miss his third consecutive game on Friday, but head coach Joel Quenneville said he is hopeful that Anisimov will be able to play Tuesday after the Christmas break. His move to IR was simply to create a roster spot to call-up Tanner Kero for Friday’s game.
Crawford has been sidelined since December 1st, but will get back in the cage tonight vs. the Avalanche. Scott Darling was superb in Crawford’s absence, going 6-3-1 with a 2.12 GAA and .930 SV% in the 10 games Crawford missed. The 31-year-old has played very well this season and should be activated in all formats vs. a struggling Avalanche team.
Budaj surrendered two goals on 27 shots in the Kings’ shootout loss in Columbus on Tuesday. Budaj has gone 2-1-2 with a 2.20 GAA and .920 SV% in seven December starts and tonight he’ll take on the Predators for the second time. The Predators have won their last two, but Budaj stopped 24 of 26 shots in a 3-2 OT win in their first meeting.
Varlamov allowed two goals on 33 shots in Colorado’s win in Minnesota on Tuesday. It was a solid return to the crease for Varlamov, who missed the three previous games with a groin injury. Varlamov has now stopped 82 of the last 85 shots (.965 SV%). One of those starts games against the Maple Leafs, who he faces tonight—Varlamov stopped 51 of 52 shots in a win.
Rinne stopped 31 of 32 shots in the Predators’ shootout win in Philadelphia on Tuesday. It was a great outing in what has been an otherwise bad month for Rinne and the Predators. The Finnish netminder has gone 3-3-1 with a 3.50 GAA and .870 SV% in December and tonight he will face the Kings for the second time—he allowed three goals on 45 shots a 3-2 OT loss in the first meeting.
Megan, 26, was a fifth round pick (No.138 overall) in 2009 and tonight will be his NHL debut. Megan has picked up 13 goals and 11 assists (24 points) in 28 games with Chicago (AHL) this season. He is expected to centre the Blues’ third line with Robby Fabbri and Dmitrij Jaskin on his wings.
Vatrano, 22, appeared in 39 games with the Bruins last season, collecting eight goals with three assists (11 points). During his conditioning stint, Vatrano picked up two goals in two games with Providence. Vatrano will skate with Austin Czarnik and Riley Nash.
Pastrnak has missed the last two games after undergoing an elbow procedure, but is surprisingly expected to return to the lineup tonight. Pastrnak has been great this season, scoring 19 goals with seven assists (26 points) in 27 games. He will skate with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand.
Bobrovsky allowed three goal on 17 shots in the Blue Jackets’ win in Vancouver on Sunday. Bobrovsky has won eight consecutive starts while posting a 1.50 GAA and .941 SV%. The 28-year-old has been outstanding in 2016-17, but draws a tough matchup against a Penguins team that has gone 8-0-2 while averaging 4.70 goals for per game in their last 10.
Rask was yanked after he allowed three goals on 13 shots in the Bruins’ loss to the Islanders on Tuesday. It was a rough outing for Rask, who is now 4-2-2 with a 2.51 GAA and .907 SV% in eight December starts. Tonight will be his third start vs. the Panthers—in the first two, he has gone 2-0-0 with a 1.98 GAA and .938 SV%.
Murray allowed just two goals on 28 shots in the Penguins’ 7-2 win over the Rangers on Tuesday. The 22-year-old has gone 6-0-1 with a 1.63 GAA and .947 SV% in December, but draws a stiff test tonight vs. the Blue Jackets. Columbus comes into play on a 10-game winning streak and possess the NHL’s top power play.
Schneider surrendered five goals on 32 shots in the Devils’ 5-1 loss to the Predators on Tuesday. Schneider has lost five in a row while posting an terrible 4.16 GAA and .876 SV%. It has been a rough season for Schneider, who will face the Flyers tonight. Philadelphia has been great as of late and the way Schneider is struggling…look elsewhere tonight.
