Darling allowed four goals on 32 shots in the Blackhawks’ win in Brooklyn on Thursday. Darling has won three in a row while posting a 2.00 GAA and .933 SV%. Darling is expected to start both games of the Blackhawks’ weekend back-to-back, starting tonight in St. Louis. The 27-year-old has gone 3-1-1 with a 2.48 GAA and .916 SV% on the road this season.
Ward allowed three goals on 26 shots in the Hurricanes’ shootout loss to the Capitals last night. Despite the loss, Ward will go again tonight vs. the Sabres. Ward has lost his last three starts while posting a 4.04 GAA and .844 SV%. Tonight he faces a Buffalo team that has gone 5-2-1 in eight games since Jack Eichel returned to the lineup.
Smith gave up two goals on 46 shots in the Coyotes’ shootout win in Toronto on Thursday. Smith has won two in a row while turning aside 81 of 84 shots (.964 SV%). Smith has played very well since returning from injury and has gone 3-3-2 with a 2.62 GAA and .935 SV% in December. This afternoon he will take on a Coyotes team that has won six consecutive games.
Price was pulled after he gave up four goals on 18 shots in the Canadiens’ loss to the Sharks last night. Al Montoya was scheduled to start tonight, but they’ll go back with Price after a short night on Friday. Price has gone 3-2-0 with a 2.17 GAA and .928 SV% in his five starts outside of Montreal this season.
Eakin will miss three games before the Christmas break and the first game after the break for his hit on Lundqvist on Thursday. Eakin is eligible to return to the lineup on December 29th vs. the Avalanche.
Hoffman will miss both games of the Senators’ back-to-back this weekend after being suspended for his cross-check to the back of Couturess head/neck. With Hoffman out, Zack Smith will move up the lineup and Casey Bailey has been recalled from Binghamton (AHL).
Reimer stopped all five shots that he faced after replacing Roberto Luongo in the Panthers’ loss in Minnesota on Tuesday. Luongo started and lost again last night, so Reimer will get the call tonight in Colorado. It has been a rough year for Reimer so far, but he draws a good matchup vs. an Avalanche team that has lost eight of their last 10 while averaging 2.40 goals per game.
Bobrovsky allowed a single goal on 34 shots in the Blue Jackets’ win in Edmonton on Tuesday. Bobrovsky has won six straight starts while posting a 1.34 GAA and .951 SV%. Goalie Bob has been sensational this season and currently ranks first in the NHL in wins (17), tied for fifth in SV% (.934) and sixth in GAA (1.94). Tonight he will face a Flames team that has won six of their last seven while averaging 3.86 goals for and 2.14 goals against per game.
Mason allowed three goals on 29 shots in the Flyers’ win in Colorado on Wednesday. Mason extended his winning streak to eight games—he has posted a 2.33 GAA and .926 SV% over that stretch. After a tough start to the season, Mason has been red-hot in December and tonight he will make his second start vs. Dallas—he stopped 21 of 23 shots in a 4-2 win vs. the Stars last Saturday.
Vasilevskiy allowed four goals on 37 shots in the Lightning’s loss to the Penguins last Saturday. Ben Bishop got the win on Wednesday, but Vasilevskiy will get the Canucks tonight. Vasilevskiy has struggled as of late, but the matchup is a strong one—he is 3-2-0 with a 2.45 GAA and .924 SV% on the road this season.
Allen allowed two goals on 26 shots in the Blues’ win over the Devils on Thursday. Allen has gone 4-3-0 with a 2.77 GAA and .898 SV% in December and has been so much better on home-ice in the first two-plus months of the season. Tonight will be his third start vs. Chicago—he has gone 1-0-1 with a 1.99 GAA and .918 SV% in the first two meetings.
Gudbranson is banged up and will be evaluated before Friday’s game, which leaves him as a game-time decision. Luckily for the Canucks, they will be getting Chris Tanev (ankle) back tonight.
Tanev has been sidelined since November 2nd because of an ankle injury, but will play tonight vs. the Lightning. Tanev has averaged 20:10 TOI/GM and collected one assist in seven games this season.
Miller was yanked after he gave up six goals on 30 shots in the Canucks’ loss in Carolina on Tuesday. It was a ridiculous game for everyone involved, so the Canucks will try and get him back on track tonight vs. the Lightning. Miller is 4-3-0 with a 2.25 GAA and .922 SV% on home ice and won his only start vs. the Lightning this season.
