Mayfield was a healthy scratch in the first two games of the season but will draw in for Luca Sbisa this afternoon. Mayfield is a physical defenseman who is coming off of a career-high 12 points (2G / 10A) in 47 games last year.
Sbisa had one assist, a minus-1 rating and two PIMS in the first two games of the season. The Islanders will try to get all of their bodies into the lineup early in the year, so Scott Mayfield will replace Sbisa this afternoon.
Fritz sat during the first game of the season, played in the second and will sit again in the third game. Tom Kuhnhackl will draw into the lineup for Fritz.
Kuhnhackl was a healthy scratch during the first two games of the season, but will make his debut this afternoon vs. the Sharks. Kuhnhackl has just 39 career points (11G / 28A) in 168 games with the Penguins.
Dzingel left Sunday’s practice early and his status for Monday’s game is up in the air. Monitor his status when the Senators hit the ice for warmups at 12:30pm ET. He is projected to play with Matt Duchene and rookie Brady Tkachuk if he is able to play.
Tkachuk missed the first two games of the season with a mild groin injury, but will be on the Senators first-line with Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel this afternoon. This summer’s No.4 overall pick had 31 points (8G / 23A) in 40 games at Boston University last year.
Nordstrom appeared in the first two games of the season, averaging 14:22 TOI and registering three shots. He will be replaced by Chris Wagner this afternoon and Anders Bjork will remain in the bottom-6.
Wagner played 13:10 TOI in the Bruins season debut but was a healthy scratch in their second game. Wagner will be re-inserted for Joakim Nordstrom.
During his three seasons with the Sabres, Lehner posted a 2.77 GAA and .916 SV% in 133 games. Lehner saw a ton of rubber in Buffalo and that won’t change behind an Islanders team that allowed the most shots on goal last season. He draws a rough matchup in his Islanders debut with a loaded Sharks team in town.
Condon appeared in 31 games for the Senators last season, going 5-17-5 with a 3.25 GAA and .902 SV%. It was a rough year for the Senators No.2 netminder, who will be making his first start of the year this afternoon. He was 0-2-0 with a 4.04 GAA and .897 SV% in two starts against Boston a year ago.
Rask was yanked after allowing five goals on 19 shots in the Bruins blowout loss in Washington on opening night. After sitting and watching Jaroslav Halak in the Bruins second-game, Rask will get the call against the Senators this afternoon. Rask was 3-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA, .959 SV% and one shutout vs. Ottawa last year.
Kronwall did not travel to California, so he will mis this third straight game to start the season. The Red Wings will continue to play three rookies on their blueline with Kronwall, Jonathan Ericsson, Mike Green and Trevor Daley all out.
Ericsson will miss his third straight game with a lower-body injury. Ericsson stayed in Detroit while the team headed to California, so the Red Wings will continue to roll with a very inexperienced blueline against the Ducks.
Butler scored a goal in Saturday’s game against the Blackhawks, but will return to San Antonio. The 31-year-old defenseman had eight goals and 21 assists (29 points) in 61 games with the Rampage as season ago.
Gambrell had a sensational season debut with the Barracuda, scoring two goals and one assist. With Joe Thornton landing on IR, Gambrell has been recalled and will be a bottom-6 option on Monday afternoon vs. the Islanders.
Thornton’s injury is not structural but rather an infection in his knee. This should come as a relief for Thornton owners, as the veteran will be put on antibiotics and hopefully make a quick recovery. Joe Pavelski will shift to centre and Melker Karlsson will be bumped to the top-line for the time being.
Budaj was placed on waivers in order to send him to Ontario, but was quickly recalled after Jonathan Quick (lower-body) landed on IR. Budaj will backup Jack Campbell tonight and for the foreseeable future while Quick is sidelined.
Quick has been ruled out for Sunday’s game vs. the Red Wings and his move to IR means that he will have to miss at least one week. Jack Campbell will step in as the Kings’ temporary No.1 netminder with Peter Budaj serving as his backup until Quick is set to return. There’s no word on how long the Kings expect their veteran netminder to be sidelined.
Campbell appeared in five games for the Kings last season, going 2-0-2 with a 2.48 GAA and .924 SV%. He has spent most of his career in the AHL and was 11-10-1 with a 2.83 GAA and .912 SV% in his most recent season. With a soft opponent on home-ice, Campbell is an intriguing spot-start for owners desperate for some goaltending help on the final night of the week.
