Ennis has missed the last four games and could be out until mid-January after undergoing surgery on a double sports hernia. The injuries keep mounting for the Sabres and this is now the second straight season that Ennis has missed a lengthy period of time.
Reimer gave up three goals on 28 shots in the Panters’ loss to the Sharks last Thursday. Reimer has gone 2-2-1 with a 2.72 GAA and .905 SV% in five starts with the Panthers. Tonight he will make his return to Toronto as he faces his former team at the Air Canada Centre. The 28-year-old played with the Maple Leafs for six seasons, so it will be a big night for him. He was 1-1-1 with a 2.60 GAA and .907 SV% on the road this season.
Andersen allowed two goals on 34 shots in the Maple Leafs’ win over the Predators on Tuesday. It was another strong outing for Andersen, who has won five of his seven starts in November, while posting a 2.94 GAA and .926 SV%. Andersen will continue to see a heavy amount of work and tonight he faces the Panthers for the second time this season—he allowed two goals on 31 shots in a 3-2 win in the first meeting.
Smith has missed the last 12 games with a lower-body injury, but will return to the lineup tonight in Calgary. Smith has stopped 54 of 60 shots (.900 SV%) in his two appearances and the Coyotes went 4-8-0 without Smith, so his return should certainly help. Smith makes for a solid option tonight—the Flames have lost four of their last five games and will be without Johnny Gaudreau.
Virtanen was a healthy scratch for the last two games and will return to Utica, where he has no points in two games. The former No.6 overall pick (2014) has struggled in the first 65 games of his NHL career—collecting just 14 points (7G / 7A). Expect Virtanen to stay in Utica until his game gets back on track.
Rinne missed Tuesday’s game in Toronto, but returned to practice on Wednesday and could be back in the crease on Thursday in Ottawa. Monitor his status during the morning skate, but it looks like Juuse Saros was sent to Milwaukee (AHL), which is a good sign for Rinne’s availability.
Gaudreau fractured his finger on a slash on Tuesday and will be out for the foreseeable future. The Flames confirmed that he will undergo surgery, but they didn’t announce a timetable for his return. With Gaudreau out on Wednesday, look for Sam Bennett to move to the Flames’ top-line.
Murray stopped 35 of 36 shots in the Penguins’ win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday. Murray has gone 4-0-0 with a 1.25 GAA and .961 SV% in his first four starts since returning from a broken hand. Murray has picked up right where he left off in 2015-16 and has taken over as the Penguins’ No.1 netminder. Tonight he faces a Capitals team that has lost three of their last four.
Murray stopped 35 of 36 shots in the Penguins’ win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday. Murray has gone 4-0-0 with a 1.25 GAA and .961 SV% in his first four starts since returning from a broken hand. Murray has picked up right where he left off in 2015-16 and has taken over as the Penguins’ No.1 netminder. Tonight he faces a Capitals team that has lost three of their last four.
Gaudreau was injured on a slash during last night’s shutout win over the Wild. Following the game, head coach Glen Gulutzan did not have an update on Gaudreau’s status, but expect to see on later this afternoon before the Flames take on the Coyotes.
Stamkos appeared to twist his knee in the first period of the Lightning's win in Detroit on Tuesday. Stamkos was unable to put any weight on his right leg as he left the ice and headed down the tunnel. Stamkos did not return to the game and returning to Tampa Bay for further evaluation suggests the injury could force him to miss some time.
Helm is expected to miss an extended period of time with an upper-body injury that he suffered on a hit by Lightning defenseman Nikita Nesterov. Expect the Red Wings to move Helm to IR or even LTIR in order to make room for them to recall a forward.
Gibson was pulled after he allowed four goals on 18 shots in the Ducks’ loss in Nashville on Saturday. Gibson has been terrible in his last two starts, allowing a combined seven goals on 36 shots (.806 SV%). The 23-year-old is 3-2-0 with a 2.77 GAA and .904 SV% on home ice this season and is a risky start against Connor McDavid and the Oilers.
Holtby allowed two goals on 34 shots in the Capitals’ win in Chicago last Friday. The way the schedule was laid out, Philipp Grubauer got the nod for the last two games, but Holtby will start tonight vs. the Penguins. Holtby is 3-2-0 with a 2.20 GAA and .908 SV% on home ice and allowed two goals on 30 shots in a shootout loss to the Penguins in their only other meeting this season.
Budaj allowed two goals on 29 shots in the Kings’ shootout loss in Winnipeg on Saturday. Budaj has gone 3-3-1 with a 2.13 GAA and .912 SV% in the month of November, which puts him at 7-5-1 with a 2.06 GAA and .914 SV% on the season. He’s a solid option vs. a Colorado team that has lost three of four playing without Matt Duchene.
Bishop allowed three goals on 20 shots in the Lightning’s loss to the Sharks on Saturday. With Andrei Vasilevskiy starting last night, look for Bishop to face the Red Wings tonight. Bishop hasn’t had the best first 10 games, posting a 5-5-0 record with a 2.93 GAA and .903 SV%. However, he has a good matchup against a Red Wings team that is struggling to score right now.
Bobrovsky allowed four goals on 37 shots in the Blue Jackets’ win vs. the Blues on Saturday. It wasn’t Bobrovsky’s best outing of the year, but the Blue Jackets scored eight in front of him, so it didn’t matter. Bobrovsky is now 4-1-0 with a 2.84 GAA and .918 SV% in the month of November and has gone 5-2-0 with a 2.44 GAA and .930 SV% in seven starts on home ice.
Lundqvist allowed one goal on 36 shots in the Rangers win in Calgary on Saturday. Antti Raanta started on Sunday, so naturally they’ll come back to Lundqvist tonight in Vancouver. He is an impressive 4-1-0 with a 1.95 GAA and .937 SV% in November. His lone lone lost this month surprisingly came versus these Canucks, but don’t let that stop you from starting him tonight.
Talbot allowed three goals on 27 shots in the Oilers’ loss to the Rangers on Sunday. Talbot has lost his last three starts while allowing a combined 10 goals on 88 shots (.886 SV%). It has been a struggle for the entire Oilers’ team lately, but Talbot has a good chance to bounce-back tonight vs. Anaheim.
Niemi allowed four goals on 20 shots in the Stars loss in Winnipeg last Tuesday. Kari Lehtonen started the last three games, but Niemi will go tonight vs. New Jersey. He’s had a rough go this season, but tonight’s matchup is great, especially since the Devils will be without Taylor Hall and Mike Cammalleri. You won’t have many good chances to start Niemi, use this one.
