Forsberg missed the last two days of practice but said the plan is for him to play against Carolina. Forsberg has cooled off a bit recently, scoring just two goals with two assists in his last 10 games.
Grundstrom was acquired from the Maple Leafs in the trade that sent Jake Muzzin to Toronto. The 21-year-old, former second-round pick (2016) has scored three goals with seven assists (10 points) in 13 games Ontario since the trade—giving him 16 goals and 23 assists (39 points) in 55 AHL games this season. He is expected to make his NHL debut tonight in Arizona, skating on a line with Adrian Kempe and Tyler Toffoli.
Staal has been battling an illness as of late and will not play Saturday vs. the Devils. Head coach David Quinn said that Staal is feeling better but probably shouldn’t have played in the last two games, so he will get the night off and Kevin Shattenkirk will replace him on the blueline.
Shattenkirk was a healthy scratch in Detroit on Thursday but will replace Marc Staal in the lineup on Saturday. Offensively, Shattenkirk has actually performed well as of late, picking up eight assists in his last 11 games, giving him 22 points (2G / 20A) in 58 games on the season.
Khudobin allowed three goals on 40 shots in the Stars win in Los Angeles on February 28th. Ben Bishop started the last three games but Khudobin gets the nod vs. Chicago and comes in on a three game winning streak—stopping 114 of the 122 shots (.934 SV%) that he has faced.
Bernier allowed four goals on 34 shots in the Red Wings loss in Colorado on Tuesday. Bernier has not registered a win since he shutout the Senators on February 2nd, going 0-3-3 with a 3.55 GAA and .890 SV% in five starts and three relief appearances since. He should be left on the waiver wire for his start in Tampa Bay.
Murray stopped all 25 shots that he faced in the Penguins shutout win over the Blue Jackets on Thursday. Murray extended his winning streak to three games, stopping 93 of the 96 shots (.969 SV%) that he faced in the process. Tonight he faces Columbus again and comes in at 2-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .958 SV% in two games against them this season.
Saros allowed two goals on 26 shots in the Predators win in Minnesota last Sunday. Saros has played very well in his last two outings, stopping 66 of the last 69 shots (.957 SV%) that he has faced. Tonight he faces a Hurricanes team that was destroyed last night. Saros is 6-3-1 with a 2.61 GAA, .912 SV% and one shutout on home-ice.
Read replaced Luke Kunin (upper-body) in the lineup on Friday but the Wild are off until Monday, so Read will go back to AHL for at least a couple of days and will either return next week or Luke Kunin will be ready to play.
DeBrusk will not play Saturday vs. the Senators and will likely miss Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh as well. Lee Stempniak was recalled from Providence (AHL) and is expected to play in DeBrusk’s usual spot with David Krejci.
Greiss allowed two goals on 37 shots in the Islanders win in Ottawa on Thursday. With Robin Lehner still out, Greiss will start for the second straight game. The 33-year-old netminder has gone 10-6-2 with a 2.35 GAA, .920 SV% and two shutouts on home-ice this season and faces a Philly team that is 4-1-1 in their last six while averaging 4.17 goals for per game.
Rask allowed three goals on 25 shots in the Bruins win over the Panthers on Thursday. Rask has won three in a row and nine of his last 10 (9-0-1) with a 1.96 GAA, .925 SV% and two shutouts. He is a must-start in his fourth start vs. the Senators—Rask is 3-0-0 with a 1.64 GA and .949 SV% in their first three meetings of the year.
Erne is banged up with an upper-body injury and will be replaced by Ryan Callahan on Saturday.
Girardi will not play Saturday vs. the Red Wings, so Jan Rutta was recalled from the AHL and will replace Girardi on the third-pairing.
Lundqvist allowed two goals on 45 shots in the Rangers shootout loss in Detroit on Thursday. It was an outstanding outing for King Henrik, earning him another start tonight vs. the Devils. Lundqvist allowed three goals on 22 shots in a 4-3 win in his first start New Jersey—tonight’s matchup is even juicier with the Devils banged up and on the tail-end of a back-to-back.
Domingue allowed four goals on 41 shots in the Lightning’s loss in Boston on February 28th. Domingue has only started three of the last 16 games but draws a great spot-start matchup tonight vs. a Dylan Larkin-less Red Wings team. The 27-year-old netminder has gone 8-1-0 with a 2.46 GAA and .923 SV% on home-ice this season.
Hutton allowed four goals on 45 shots in the Sabres loss in Chicago on Thursday. Hutton has lost three straight starts while allowing a combined 11 goals on 101 shots (.891 SV%). This afternoon he faces Colorado for the second time this season—he allowed six goals on 30 shots in a 6-1 loss in their first meeting of the season.
Domingue allowed four goals on 41 shots in the Lightning’s loss in Boston on February 28th. Domingue has only started three of the last 16 games but draws a great spot-start matchup tonight vs. a Dylan Larkin-less Red Wings team. The 27-year-old netminder has gone 8-1-0 with a 2.46 GAA and .923 SV% on home-ice this season.
Andersen allowed three goals on 31 shots in the Maple Leafs overtime loss in Vancouver on Wednesday. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for Andersen, who will make his 50th start of the season in Edmonton. One of those five wins came against the Oilers in late-February—he stopped 34 of 36 shots in a 6-2 win.
