Cizikas is day-to-day with a lower-body injury that he suffered during Monday’s game vs. the Sharks and missed Friday’s practice. If Cizikas can’t play, the Islanders may sign Stephen Gionta to a contract and have him draw into the lineup.
Paul, 23, had one goal in 11 games with the Senators last season. The former fourth round pick spent most of the season with Belleville, where he had 14 goals and 13 assists (27 points) in 54 games. Paul has been called-up to take up a roster spot with Ryan Dzingel (lower-body) and Alex Formenton (concussion) landing on IR.
Jaros has been recalled likely to serve as the Senators reserve defenseman while Cody Ceci (upper-body) is on IR. Jaros played in two NHL games with the Senators last season, spending most of the year in Belleville—tallying three goals and 13 assists (16 points) in 44 games.
Formenton left Wednesday’s loss to the Flyers with what was originally described as an upper-body injury. The Senators confirmed on Friday that Formenton sustained a concussion and will head to injured reserve. There is no timetable for his return, but he will miss at least one week.
Dzingel was a game-time decision for the last two games, but it looks like the lower-body injury has finally caught up to him. Dzingel lands on IR, so he will miss at least one week. Nick Paul was recalled from Belleville (AHL) to take Dzingel’s spot on the roster.
Ceci likely suffered the upper-body injury vs. the Flyers on Wednesday. Ceci played a season-low 19:33 TOI vs. the Flyers, suggesting he left the game in the third period. With Ceci out, Christian Jaros has been recalled from Belleville (AHL).
Konecny took an Ivan Provorov shot off of his foot in practice and hobbled off of the ice on Friday morning. This clouds Konecny’s status for Saturday’s game vs. the Golden Knights. If Konecny doesn’t play, the Flyers will be without two of their second line forwards with Nolan Patrick out for at least one week with an upper-body injury.
Patrick was hurt during the Flyers 7-4 in Ottawa on Wednesday. The second-year forward was hit in the face with a stick and later got crushed by Mark Stone and promptly left the ice and didn’t return. Patrick is expected to miss 2-to-4 games if the Flyers original timetable is accurate. Jordan Weal or Mikhail Vorobyev will move up into the second-line centre roll with Patrick out.
Subban stopped all nine shots that he faced after replacing Marc-Andre Fleury in the Golden Knights loss to the Flyers last Thursday. With Fleury facing the Capitals last night, Subban is expected to see the Penguins tonight. The 24-year-old was 5-3-2 with a 3.07 GAA and .905 SV% on the road last season.
Jokiharju missed Wednesday’s practice because of the flu, but traveled to Minnesota and is expected to play tonight. Jokiharju has five assists in his first three games of the season and was bumped to the top power-play unit recently—adding to his growing fantasy value.
Howard allowed two goals on 27 shots in the Red Wings 3-2 shootout loss in Anaheim on Monday. Howard has played well so far this season, stopping 61 of 66 shots (.924 SV%), but has a terrible matchup tonight with the high-powered Maple Leafs in town. Toronto is averaging 5.00 goals per game and their power-play is clicking at 50 percent.
Price allowed one goal on 22 shots in the Canadiens surprising win over the Penguins last Saturday. Price has enjoyed a strong start to the season, stopping 44 of the 48 shots (.917 SV%) that he has faced. He makes for a solid option tonight vs. a Kings team averaging just 2.33 goals per game.
Lundqvist allowed two goals on 28 shots in the Rangers loss in Buffalo last Saturday. Alexandar Georgiev started on Sunday, so Lundqvist will be back in the crease tonight vs. the Sharks. San Jose was slow out of the gates, but racked up eight goals on Brian Elliott in their last outing.
Talbot allowed four goals on 26 shots in the Oilers loss in New Jersey last Saturday. It was a rough start to the year for Talbot and the Oilers, but they will look to improve tonight in Boston. The Bruins are one of the toughest opponents in the NHL, making Talbot a risky starting option on a busy night in the NHL.
Kinkaid allowed two goals on 19 shots in the Devils win over the Oilers in Sweden last Saturday. After nearly one week off, Kinkaid will be back between the pipes tonight vs. the Capitals. Washington is on the tail-end of a back-to-back, but lead the NHL with 6.00 goals for per game in their first three contests.
Ward allowed seven goals on 34 shots in the Blackhawks loss to the Maple Leafs on Sunday. Ward was lit up by Toronto and has now given up 14 goals on 89 shots (.843 SV%) in his first three starts with the Blackhawks. The veteran has not looked good with Chicago and should be left on the waiver wire for now.
Hellebuyck allowed one goal on just 17 shots in the Jets win over the Kings on Tuesday. Hellebuyck mixed a bad start in on Saturday, but is 2-1-0 with a 2.34 GAA and .926 SV% to start the season. Hellebuyck was 2-2-0 with a 3.91 GAA and .882 SV% against the Predators last season, so be wary tonight.
