Bourque missed the last three games with a lower-body injury, but will be back in tonight in Anaheim. Bourque has registered 13 points (9G / 4A) in 41 games this season and should be replacing Andreas Martinsen in the lineup.
Barrie missed the last four games with a lower-body injury, but will return to the lineup tonight in Anaheim. Barrie has three goals and 20 assists (23 points) in 42 games this season and is expected to take his spot back on the top-pair and top power-play.
Kuemper allowed three goals on 31 shots in the Wild’s loss to the Predators on January 22nd. Kuemper has won three of his last five starts while allowing a combined 16 goals on 168 shots (.905 SV%). Kuemper hasn’t been great this season, but he’s playing behind one of the best teams in the NHL, making him a decent spot-start option when he gets the nod.
Gibson allowed four goals on 23 shots in the Ducks’ loss to the Oilers last Wednesday. Gibson has gone 7-2-1 with a 1.65 GAA and .945 SV% in 11 games in January and will make his 38th start tonight vs. the Avalanche. He is 2-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .964 SV% in his first two starts against Colorado and is a must-start tonight.
Jones allowed three goals on 20 shots in the Sharks’ loss to the Oilers last Thursday. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Jones, who will make his 43rd appearance tonight vs. the Blackhawks. Jones has gone 1-1-0 with a 2.01 GAA and .932 SV% in two previous starts vs. Chicago this season.
Talbot allowed one goal on 33 shots in the Oilers’ win in San Jose last Thursday. Talbot has been on-fire recently, winning six of his last seven starts while posting a 1.37 GAA, .950 SV% and one shutout. The 29-year-old will take on the Wild, who are currently the top team in the Western Conference and come in winners of four of their last five.
Rielly will miss his sixth straight game with a lower-body injury. He took part in Monday’s practice and Tuesday’s morning skate, so it looked like he was going to play, but his return won’t come until Thursday at the earliest.
Bortuzzo has appeared in the last eight games, but will be scratched for Carl Gunnarsson tonight. Bortuzzo has just one goal and two assists in 19 games this season.
Gunnarsson has had a hard time sticking in the lineup, but will be back in the lineup for the third time in five games. He has just three assists in 31 games this season, but will replace Robert Bortuzzo tonight.
Neil was a healthy scratch last Thursday vs. the Flames, but will get back into the lineup tonight in Florida. Neil has just one goal and two assists (three points) in 45 games this season, but he will replace Curtis Lazar tonight.
Lazar hasn’t played over 10 minutes in 14 of the last 15 games and has just one assist in 27 games this season. Chris Neil will take Lazar’s spot in the lineup.
Rinne allowed three goals on 33 shots in the Predators’ win over the Blue Jackets last Thursday. Rinne has won three in a row while posting an impressive 2.27 GAA and .920 SV%. The veteran netminder has been great in January (6-2-1), but will be a risky start tonight in Pittsburgh. The Penguins lead the NHL in scoring and have won four of the last six.
Andersen stopped all 22 shots that he faced in the Maple Leafs’ shutout win in Detroit last Wednesday. Andersen has pitched back-to-back shutouts, stopping all 48 shots that he has faced. Tonight he’ll take on a Stars team that is tied for 14th in the NHL in scoring (2.70 GF/PG) and Andersen is 9-3-5 with a 2.38 GAA and .929 SV% on the road.
Condon allowed three goals on 26 shots in the Senators’ loss to the Flames last Thursday. Craig Anderson is back with the team, but Condon will start tonight in Florida—he has gone 7-4-0 with a 2.54 GAA and .913 SV% on the road this season and posted a 24-save shutout in his first start vs. the Panthers this season.
Josi will miss his eighth consecutive game with an upper-body injury, but he is nearing a return, so monitor his status prior to Thursday’s game against the Oilers.
With Andrei Markov set to return on Tuesday, Zach Redmond was waived on Monday and will be sent to St. John’s. Redmond had just five assists in 16 games this season.
Faksa missed the last two games with a lower-body injury, but will be back in tonight vs. Toronto. Faksa has six goals and 16 assists (22 points) in 48 games this season.
Rask allowed three goals on 22 shots in the Bruins’ win over the Penguins last Thursday. He has won two in a row despite allowing three goals in each start and allowing three-plus goals in six of his last eight starts. Tonight will be his third start vs. the Lightning—he has gone 2-0-0 with a 1.92 GAA and .934 SV% in the first two meetings.
Ward allowed two goals on 28 shots in the Hurricanes’ loss to the Kings last Thursday. Ward has lost four consecutive games while posting an ugly 5.47 GAA and .832 SV%. Tonight he will make his 42nd start of the season and second versus the Flyers—he allowed four goals on 28 shots in a 4-3 loss back in October.
Mason stopped all 34 shots that he faced in the Flyers’ shutout win in New York last Wednesday. Michal Neuvirth started on Thursday, but Mason will go again tonight in Carolina. He appears to have turned a corner having stopped 70 of the last 72 shots (.972 SV%) he has faced en route to two straight victories.
