Athanasiou was hurt in the Red Wings’ win vs. the Canucks on Thursday. Athanasiou, who had arguable his best game as a Red Wing on Tuesday, will miss the next 1-2 weeks, which means he will likely land on IR and another prospect will be recalled from Grand Rapids (AHL).
Eichel is nearly four weeks into a 6-8 week timetable, but his return to the ice on Thursday is a great sign that he is recovering on schedule. It appears as if Eichel is on-pace to return to the lineup in late November/early-December. Monitor Eichel’s progression over the next few weeks.
Varlamov allowed five goals on 25 shots in Colorado’s loss in St. Louis on Sunday. Calvin Pickard started on Tuesday, but Varly will go tonight vs. the Jets. The veteran netminder has struggled recently, losing his last five starts while posting a 4.32 GAA and .858 SV%. Varlamov is a risky option on Friday, with the Jets in town—they’re tied for eighth in the NHL in scoring (3.00 G/PG).
Andersen was yanked after allowing four goals on 26 shots in the Maple Leafs’ 7-0 loss to the Kings on Tuesday. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Andersen, who is now 3-1-0 with a 2.88 GAA and .929 SV% in four starts in November. His numbers are on the rise, but tonight he faces a Flyers team that is third in the NHL in scoring (3.36 G/PG).
Lehner allowed one goal on 29 shots in the Sabres’ shootout loss to the Senators on Wednesday. Anders Nilsson started last night, so Lehner will face the Devils on the road this season. Lehner has won three of his last six starts with a 1.65 GAA and .950 SV%. The 25-year-old has also been impressive on the road, going 4-2-1 with a 2.14 GAA and .934 SV%.
Nilsson stopped all 33 shots in the Sabres’ shutout win over the Panthers on October 29th. Robin Lehner started the last six games, but Lehner will start tonight vs. the Devils. Nilsson has posted a 1.95 GAA and .937 SV% in three starts this season and he makes for a solid spot-start option on Friday.
Schneider allowed two goals on 33 shots in the Devils’ win over the Hurricanes on Tuesday. Keith Kinkaid started the first game of the Devils-Sabres home-and-home, so Schneider will get the call tonight. The 30-year-old netminder has been unbeatable at the Prudential Center, going 5-0-0 with a 1.57 GAA and .947 SV% in his first five starts on home-ice.
Kinkaid allowed one goal on 34 shots in the Devils’ win in Carolina on Sunday. It was an excellent outing for Kinkaid, who will make his third start of the season tonight in Buffalo. Kinkaid has only allowed four goals on 63 shots (.937 SV%) so far and makes for a nice spot-start option tonight in Buffalo.
Lehtonen was yanked after allowing four goals on 11 shots on Tuesday. Lehtonen has been awful recently, allowing a combined 12 goals on 59 shots (.797 SV%) in his last three starts. Despite the recent struggles, Lehtonen will start in Calgary tonight. The Flames aren’t playing the best hockey either and are currently tied for 21st in scoring (2.50 G/PG).
Budaj stopped all 19 shots that he faced in the Kings’ 7-0 shutout win in Toronto on Tuesday. Budaj has now won three in a row and has posted back-to-back shutouts entering play in Montreal. Budaj played with the Habs from 2012-2014, so it will be a bit of a homecoming for the veteran netminder. Budaj has a 1.86 GAA and .919 SV% in 10 starts this season.
Rask stopped all 32 shots that he faced in the Bruins’ shutout win over the Sabres on Monday. Zane McIntyre started on Tuesday, so they’ll go back to Rask tonight vs. the Blue Jackets. Rask has won four of his last five starts while posting a 1.77 GAA, .938 SV% ad two shutouts. He’s been impressive in the first month of the season and makes for a strong start tonight.
Fleury allowed three goals on 27 shots in the Penguins’ loss in Los Angeles last Thursday. Matt Murray started the last two games, but the Penguins will go with Fleury tonight vs. the Wild. Fleury has won six of 10 starts while posting a 3.07 GAA and .908 SV%—tonight he faces a Wild team that is tied for eighth in scoring (3.00 G/PG).
Ward allowed two goals on 41 shots in the Hurricanes’ shootout loss in New Jersey. Ward has gone 1-0-2 with a 1.86 GAA and .940 SV% in his last three starts. The veteran netminder has improved over the last few starts and tonghthe draws a solid matchup vs. the Ducks—Anaheim is 6-5-3 while averaging 2.64 goals per game (16th in the NHL).
Reimer allowed three goals on 34 shots in the Panthers’ win vs. the Devils last Thursday. Reimer has won each of his last two starts while posting a 2.42 GAA and .929 SV%. His last two starts went better than his first two starts and tonight he will play vs. the team he finished 2015-16 with. The Sharks are currently tied for 25th in scoring (2.31 G/PG).
Crawford allowed one goals on 28 shots in the Blackhawks’ win in St. Louis on Wednesday. Crawford has won each of his last six starts while posting an impressive 1.00 GAA, .970 SV% and two shutouts. Crawford is as hot as any netminder in the NHL and tonight he faces the Capitals on home-ice, where he is 4-1-1 with a 1.65 GAA and .948 SV% this season.
