Hajek suffered a sprained knee Thursday night in Columbus and will miss at least three weeks. Luckily for the Rangers, they will get Marc Staal back after a lengthy absence to replace Hajek on the third pair.
Jarry stopped all 28 shots that he faced in the Penguins shutout win over the Blues on Wednesday. Jarry has won five of his last six starts while posting a 1.86 GAA, .941 SV% and one shutout. Tonight he faces a Coyotes team that has played well on the road, going 8-1-2 while scoring 3.09 goals per game in their last 11 road games.
Crawford surrendered four goals on 30 shots in the Blackhawks loss to the Blues on Monday. Robin Lehner started last night, so Crawford will get the Devils in New Jersey on Friday evening. Crawford has struggled recently, going 0-2-0 while giving up 11 goals on 68 shots (.838 SV%) in his last three appearances.
Pateryn went to Iowa for a conditioning stint and must have suffered a setback. He heads back to IR with no timetable for a return.
Koivu missed last night's game in Tampa Bay and his move to IR means he will have to miss two more games. Placing him on IR opened up a roster spot to call-up Nico Sturm from Iowa (AHL).
Sturm has 11 points (6G / 5A) in 23 AHL games this season and comes up to take Mikko Koivu's spot on the roster. Sturm failed to register a point in two NHL games last year.
Holtby allowed two goals on 25 shots in the Capitals win in San Jose on Tuesday. Holtby has won three in a row while stopping 87 of the 95 shots (.916 SV%) that he has faced. Holtby has been tremendous this season, going 14-2-4 with a 2.82 GAA and .909 SV% and draws a great matchup in Anaheim on Friday. He stopped 32 of 34 shots in a 5-2 win the first time he faced the Ducks (Nov.18).
Shaw is set to miss his third straight game with a concussion on Friday. Shaw's move to IR is retroactive to November 30th, so he's eligible to be activated whenever he is back to 100 percent.
Keith is set to miss his fourth straight game with a groin injury on Friday. Keith's move to IR is retroactive to November 29th, so he's eligible to be activated whenever he is back to 100 percent.
Andersen allowed two goals on 29 shots in the Maple Leafs' loss to the Avalanche on Wednesday. After starting 4-0 under Sheldon Keefe, Andersen has lost two straight while allowing seven goals on 57 shots (.877 SV%). Tonight he faces the Blues for the second time this season--he allowed three goals on 30 shots in a 3-2 loss in the first meeting (Oct.7).
Werenski is expected to miss one month with a sprain AC joint, so his move to IR opens up a roster spot to recall reinforcements if the Blue Jackets need them.
Hart allowed one goal on 28 shots in the Flyers' win over the Maple Leafs on Tuesday. Hart has been excellent in recent games, winning three in a row while stopping 75 of the 78 shots (.962 SV%) that he faced. This afternoon he faces the Senators for the second time this season-he allowed two goals on 19 shots in a 2-1 loss in Ottawa in mid-November.
Bobrovsky gave up four goals on 20 shots in the Panthers' loss in Washington last Wednesday. Chris Driedger started the last two games but they'll go back to Bobrovsky against his former team on Saturday. Bobrovsky is 6-2-2 with a 3.42 GAA, .893 SV% and one shutout on home-ice and the Blue Jackets come in on a three-game losing streak.
Trenin made his season debut earlier in the year but has spent most of the season in the AHL. The former second-round pick (No.55 in 2015) leads all Admirals players with 26 points (14G / 12A) in 19 games this season.
Trotman returns to the AHL because Justin Schultz is set to return to the lineup on Friday. Trotman has no points in five NHL games but has five points (2G / 3A) in eight games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Kotkaniemi suffered a concussion in an awkward collision with Nikita Zadorov on Thursday and will not play Thursday vs. the Rangers. With Kotkaniemi out, Charles Hudon is expected to draw back into the Canadiens lineup.
Koskinen was pulled after he allowed three goals on 12 shots in the Oilers loss to the Senators on Wednesday. Despite the tough outing, the Oilers will stick with Koskinen tonight vs. the Kings. He is 4-1-2 with a 2.78 GAA, 910 SV% and one shutout on home-ice and allowed two goals on 18 shots in relief of Mike Smith in the Oilers 5-1 loss in their first game vs. Los Angeles.
Staal has missed the last 13 games after undergoing a surgical procedure for an infection in his ankle. Staal, who has one goal and one assist in 11 games, will likely replace Libor Hajek on the Rangers' third-pair.
Koskinen was pulled after he allowed three goals on 12 shots in the Oilers loss to the Senators on Wednesday. Despite the tough outing, the Oilers will stick with Koskinen tonight vs. the Kings. He is 4-1-2 with a 2.78 GAA, 910 SV% and one shutout on home-ice and allowed two goals on 18 shots in relief of Mike Smith in the Oilers 5-1 loss in their first game vs. Los Angeles.
Henrik Lundqvist was originally slated to start the second-half of the Rangers' back-to-back, but Georgiev was outstanding last night. Georgiev stopped 45 of the 47 shots that he faced in New York's win in Columbus. He has now stopped 78 of the last 80 shots (.975 SV%) that he has faced and draws a solid matchup on Friday. Montreal hast lost four of their last five road games while scoring just 2.20 goals per game.
