Pettersson missed the last six games with a concussion but will return tonight vs. the Penguins. Pettersson, who had eight points (5G / 3A) in his first five NHL games, will skate on a line with Brock Boeser and Nikolay Goldobin.
Boeser missed the last two games with a groin injury, but is expected to play tonight vs. the Penguins. Boeser skated on the top line with Elias Pettersson and Nikolay Goldobin at the morning skate and returns to the lineup with six points (2G / 4A) in nine games.
Copley stopped 18 of 19 shots after replacing Braden Holtby in the Capitals shootout loss to the Panthers on October 19th. In his first start of the season, Copley allowed six goals on 36 shots in a loss in New Jersey. Today he faces a Flames team that has lost three of their last four while being outscored 18-to-10.
Markstrom stopped 33 of 35 shots in the Canucks win in Vegas on Wednesday. Markstrom has now won two straight while stopping 63 of the 66 shots (.955 SV%) As good as Markstrom has been in recent games, he has a terrible matchup tonight vs. the red-hot Penguins.
Hellebuyck gave up four goals on 39 shots in the Jets loss to Toronto on Wednesday. Laurent Brossoit started in Detroit last night, so look for Hellebuyck to start tonight against the Maple Leafs again. Hellebuyck is 1-2-0 with a 3.01 GAA and .916 SV% on the road this season.
Crawford stopped 18 of 19 shots in the Blackhawks win over the Rangers on Thursday. Crawford has won three straight games while stopping 79 of 82 shots (.963 SV%) and will start again tonight in St. Louis. Crawford has been great since returning to the crease and is a solid option against a struggling Blues squad, with a coach on the hot seat.
Thomas has been a healthy scratch for the last four games, but will centre the fourth line tonight. There’s no word on who will be scratched, but early indications are that it will be Jordan Kyrou.
Alzner will replace Noah Juulsen, who is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Alzner has not picked up a point and averaged 17:11 TOI/GM in two games this year.
Juulsen is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury that will force him to miss Saturday’s game in Boston. With Juulsen out, Karl Alzner will draw back into the lineup.
The Canadiens want to get Charles Hudon back in the lineup on Saturday, so Andrew Shaw will take a seat against the Bruins.
The Bruins thought there was a chance that Krug would make his season debut on Saturday, but head coach Bruce Cassidy said that he is “looking good for Tuesday.” The Bruins will continue to roll out a patchwork bluline with Krug and three other defensemen injured.
Dubnyk allowed one goal on 24 shots in the Wild’s win over the Kings on Thursday. Dubnyk extended his winning streak to three games, stopping 87 of the last 90 shots (.967 SV%) that he has faced. Tonight he gets another crack at the Avalanche. He lost in Colorado on opening night despite stopping 36 of 38 shots.
Allen was pulled after allowing four goals on 21 shots in the Blues loss to the Blue Jackets on Thursday. Allen has struggled to a 3.93 GAA and .876 SV% in his first eight starts of the season. Tonight he faces the Blackhawks for the third time this season—he has gone 0-0-2 with a 4.25 GAA and .888 SV% in their first two meetings.
Ullmark stopped 19 of 20 shots in the Sabres road win in Los Angeles last Saturday. Ullmark could work his way into more starts if he continues to play as well as he has through two games. Ullmark comes into Saturday at 2-0-0 while stopping 55 of the 56 shots (.982 SV%) that he has faced this year.
Korpisalo allowed four goals on 37 shots in the Blue Jackets win in St. Louis on Thursday. Korpisalo has won each of his first three starts this season, despite posting a below average 3.29 GAA and .898 SV%. He continues to steal starts from Sergei Bobrovsky and makes for a decent option against the 25th ranked offence in the NHL (2.60 GF/PG).
