Matheson was a surprising healthy scratch on Thursday but head coach Joel Quenneville said that he'll be back in the lineup vs. the Bruins. After posting back-to-back 27-point seasons, Matheson is on pace for just nine points in 2019-20.
Francouz allowed one goal on 33 shots in Colorado's win over the Flyers on Wednesday. Philipp Grubauer is available tonight but they will start Francouz for the fifth straight game. Francouz has won four of his last five starts (4-0-1) while posting an impressive 2.11 GAA and .937 SV%. He has settled into the NHL very nicely and and is a terrific start against a New Jersey team that has lost six in a row.
Bishop stopped all 26 shots that he faced in the Stars' shutout win over the Devils on Tuesday. Bishop has not allowed more than two goals in a game in six straight starts and currently sits third in the NHL in GAA (2.03) and SV% (.934). Bishop is outstanding and tonight the Stars host a Vegas team that has lost three of their last four and played last night in St. Louis.
DeMelo broke his finger late in Wednesday's game in Montreal and will be out until early-January. This is a huge blow for the Senators, who lose arguably their most consistent/reliable defenseman of 2019-20. Erik Brannstom could be summoned from the AHL to replace DeMelo.
Poganski only played in one game during his call-up and his demotion suggests that Zach Sanford and/or Alex Steen will be ready for Saturday's game vs. the Blackhawks.
Grubauer has missed the last two games but practiced on Thursday and will at least backup Pavel Francouz on Friday. If he starts, Grubauer comes into the game at 5-2-1 with a 2.87 GAA and .910 SV% on home-ice.
Makar will miss his third straight game with an upper-body and remains day-to-day. The Avalanche did say that it's possible that Makar will be back for Monday's game in St. Louis, so monitor his status over the weekend.
Peca suffered a strange-looking injury against Pittsburgh on Tuesday. He got tangled up in the neutral zone with Evgeni Malkin and Malkin ended up on top of Peca and bent his knee awkwardly. The recently recalled winger will miss at least a month and a half.
Mrazek gave up two goals on 24 shots in the Hurricanes win over the Wild last Saturday. James Reimer started Tuesday in Edmonton but it looks like Mrazek will start Thursday in Vancouver. He's won two straight and is 3-3-1 with a 3.24 GAA and .891 SV% on the road this year, so he's not a great option against a quality Canucks offence.
Quick allowed one goal on 30 shots in the Kings win over the Rangers on Tuesday. It was one of the best performances of the season for Quick, who snapped a three-game losing skid in the process. The 33-year-old has had a really difficult time on the road this year, going 1-8-0 with a 4.20 GAA and .850 SV% in nine starts this year.
Markstrom allowed three goals on 25 shots in the Canucks' loss to the Maple Leafs on Tuesday. Markstrom has lost two straight to start December and has just two wins in eight home games while posting a 2.84 GAA and .903 SV%. The Hurricanes come in on a three-game winning streak and have scored an impressive 15 goals (5.00 goals per game) in those wins.
Bernier allowed four goals on 23 shots in the Red Wings' loss to the Penguins last Saturday. Bernier has lost each of his last seven starts and has allowed at least three goals in each game--he's 0-5-1 with a 3.78 GAA and .885 SV% in that span. The Red Wings could be without Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou up front tonight, so it's hard to envision Bernier giving up less than three goals and getting enough goal support to win.
Saros stopped 24 of 25 shots in the Predators win over the Sharks on Tuesday. Saros has won three of his last five starts (3-1-1) while posting a 2.35 GAA and .910 SV%. Tonight he makes his seventh road start of the year and comes in at 2-3-1 with a 3.30 GAA and .894 SV% away from home.
Kaski signed with the Red Wings this summer after three years in Finland. He was the third highest-scoring defenseman in SM-liiga history last year, posting 51 points (19G / 32A) in 59 games. He hasn't had the same success in North America, scoring two goals with three assists (five points) in 19 AHL games.
Wood was originally a third-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2014. The 23-year-old was already been traded three times in his career--first from Colorado to Arizona (2016), then from Arizona to San Jose (2018) and then from San Jose to Carolina in August. Now he heads to Detroit, where he will likely report to Grand Rapids initially. He has five points (3G / 2A) in 14 games with Charlotte (AHL) this season.
The Penguins did not hold a morning skate but head coach Mike Sullivan announced that Malkin will miss tonight's game due to an illness. The Penguins will be in tough without Malkin or Sidney Crosby. Joseph Blandisi was recalled this morning and is expected to play in Malkin's place.
