Spurgeon was hurt in Thursday’s game vs. the Maple Leafs and then missed yesterday’s practice, which puts his status for tonight’s game in jeopardy. If Spurgeon can’t play, look for Mathew Dumba to get back into the lineup.
Haula has reportedly been playing through a lower-body injury for a week, but might not be able to go tonight vs. the Devils. If Haula can’t go, Joel Eriksson Ek is expected to make his NHL debut.
Hudler will miss his third consecutive game with an illness and he was placed on IR to create a spot for the Stars to activate Ales Hemsky.
Hemsky missed the first four games of the regular season, but was activated from IR this afternoon and will make his season debut on Saturday. Hemsky is expected to skate on the Stars’ top line with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn.
Vasilevskiy allowed two goals on 34 shots in the Lightning’s win over the Devils last Saturday. Ben Bishop started the last two games, but it will be Vasilevskiy tonight in Ottawa. He is one of the best backups in the NHL and has a powerful offence in front of him, making him a legit spot-start option whenever he gets the nod.
Lack allowed two goals on 26 shots in the Hurricanes win in Calgary on Thursday. It was a much better performance than his season debut and earned him a second straight start. Tonight he faces a Philadelphia team that has lost three straight games but they’ve been averaging 3.25 goals per game so far this season.
Jones allowed three goals on 20 shots in the Sharks loss in Pittsburgh on Thursday. It was Jones’ worst performance of the season and he comes in on a two-game losing streak while allowing a combined eight goals on 47 shots (.830 SV%) in those starts. He draws a solid matchup tonight against Red Wings team that played last night.
Gelinas sat as a healthy scratch for the first four games of the season, but will replace Fedor Tyutin (groin) tonight in Florida. Gleans had no points in six games with the Avalanche last year, but had six points (1G / 5A) in 34 games with New Jersey before the trade.
Tyutin will miss Saturday’s game in Florida because of a groin injury. Tyutin will be replaced by Eric Gelinas, who will be making his season debut. Consider Tyutin day-to-day.
Heinen has yet to record a point in four games with the Bruins this season and tonight he will come out of the lineup and Ryan Spooner will be back in.
Spooner was a healthy scratch on Thursday, but he will play tonight vs. the Canadiens. Spooner is expected to skate on the Bruins’ second line with David Krejci and David Backes. Danton Heinen will sit to make room for Spooner.
Khudobin allowed four goals on 24 shots in the Bruins’ loss in Toronto last Saturday. He started that night because Tuukka Rask was banged up and that will be the case again tonight. Montreal has won three of their first four games and they’re always a tough team to beat when Carey Price is in goal.
Lehtonen allowed four goals on 39 shots in the Stars’ loss to the Kings on Thursday, but it was a good enough outing for them to go back to him for a third straight game. Lehtonen is 1-2-0 with a 2.36 GAA and .925 SV% so far this season and draws a favourable home matchup against a Blue Jackets team that played last night.
Mason allowed three goals on 26 shots in the Flyers loss to the Ducks on Thursday. Mason has yet to record a win in two starts and one relief appearance this season, while posting a 3.47 GAA and .875 SV% in the process. He draws a fairly tough matchup tonight against a Carolina team who is surprisingly averaging 3.25 goals per game to kick off this season.
Schneider allowed two goals on 36 shots in the Devils loss in Boston on Thursday. Despite posting a strong 2.00 GAA and .938 SV%, Schneider is 1-2-1 in his first four starts of the season. It looks like he will face the Wild tonight—Minnesota comes in having won three in a row while outscoring their opponents 13-8.
Rask is dealing with some general soreness and is considered day-to-day. With Rask not available tonight, Anton Khudobin is expected to get the start and Zane McIntyre has been recalled to serve as his backup.
Jokinen is day-to-day with a lower-body injury that he suffered on Thursday. With Jokinen out, the Panthers have recalled Kyle Rau from Springfield (AHL) and he will replace Jokinen on the second line.
Holtby allowed two goals on 28 shots in the Capitals win in Florida on Thursday. Holtby has been great to start the season, going 2-0-1 while only allowing a combined five goals on 80 shots (.938 SV%). Holtby was 3-2-0 with a 3.48 GAA and .876 SV% in five starts against the Rangers last year. Tonight he will go head-to-head with Henrik Lundqvist.
Khudobin allowed four goals on 24 shots in the Bruins’ loss in Toronto last Saturday. He started that night because Tuukka Rask was banged up and that will be the case again tonight. Montreal has won three of their first four games and they’re always a tough team to beat when Carey Price is in goal.