Rinne allowed three goals on 37 shots in the Predators loss in Minnesota last Friday. Juuse Saros gave him the night off on Saturday so they will come back to Rinne tonight in Vegas. Rinne has slipped lately, losing three of four with a 4.26 GAA and .880 SV% and draws an awful road matchup tonight.
Varlamov allowed three goals on 34 shots in Colorado’s win over the Maple Leafs last Friday. After getting Sunday night off, Varlamov will return to the crease tonight over the Jets. Varlamov comes into tonight having won four of his last six starts and is 8-3-1 with a 2.65 GAA and .920 SV% at the Pepsi Center this season.
Ellis missed the first 38 games of the season after undergoing offseason knee surgery, but will play his first game of the season tonight in Vegas. Ellis, who is expected to skate on a pairing with Roman Josi, is coming off of the best season of his career, in which he registered 16 goals and 22 assists (38 points) in 71 games. Ellis is one of the better offensive-defensemen in the NHL and makes the Predators that much more dangerous, especially on the power-play.
Andersen allowed five goals on 30 shots in the Maple Leafs loss in Vegas on Sunday afternoon. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Andersen, who finished the 2017 calendar year at 20-11-1 with a 2.71 GAA, .920 SV% and three shutouts. He will be in tough in his first start of the season vs. the Lightning, but has been solid at the Air Canada Centre, going 9-4-0 in 13 games.
Nilsson allowed six goals on 31 shots in the Canucks loss to Montreal on December 19th. Nilsson did not win in December, going 0-3-0 with a 5.16 GAA and .871 SV% in three starts and one relief appearance. Tonight he faces a Ducks team that is finally getting healthy and Nilsson is 1-2-1 with a 4.60 GAA and .872 SV% on home ice.
Tanev has missed the last seven games with a groin issue, but will replace Ben Hutton in the lineup vs. Anaheim. Tanev has just six points (2G / 4A) in 25 games this season but does a lot for the Canucks blueline while eating up over 20 minutes a night.
Poolman has been in the lineup with Dustin Byfuglien out, but with their rugged bluliner returning tonight, Poolman will take a seat. He has one goal in 13 games this season and will sit and wait for his next opportunity.
Byfuglien has missed the last 10 games with a lower-body injury but will return tonight in Colorado. Byfuglien is shockingly still searching for his first goal of the season, but has picked up 15 assists, a plus-4 rating and 49 PIMS as he contributes in other areas. He will replace Tucker Poolman in the lineup.
Fleury allowed two goals on 28 shots in the Golden Knights win in Los Angeles last Thursday. Fleury has won four in a row while posting a 1.48 GAA, .949 SV% and one shutout but the Golden Knights have been cautious with his playing time. Tonight he will face a Predators team that has lost four of six games and will likely be without Filip Forsberg.
Fleury allowed two goals on 28 shots in the Golden Knights win in Los Angeles last Thursday. Fleury has won four in a row while posting a 1.48 GAA, .949 SV% and one shutout but the Golden Knights have been cautious with his playing time. Tonight he will face a Predators team that has lost four of six games and will likely be without Filip Forsberg.
Mitchell had three goals and two assists (five points) in 21 games with the Wild this season. With Zach Parise (back) returning to the lineup tonight, the Wild needed to make room for him to be activated from LTIR. Mitchell goes back to Iowa where he has 16 points (5G / 11A) in 11 games this season.
Parise will be in the lineup and skate on a line with Charlie Coyle and Chris Stewart. Parise’s best days are behind him but he still brings a lot off goal scoring prowess to the Wild’s lineup.
Dickinson was recalled from Texas (AHL) at the end of last week and will play tonight vs. Columbus. The 22-year-old has yet to pick up a point in five NHL games, but has 13 goals and three assists in 24 games games with Texas. Dickinson will play with Remi Elie out with an illness.
Elie was not on the ice for the Stars morning skate and will not play tonight vs. the Blue Jackets. With Elie out, Jason Dickinson will be in the lineup.
It looked as if Methot would make his return to the Stars lineup tonight, but Julius Honka will remain on the blueline. Methot may be back on Thursday.
Price allowed two goals on 33 shots in the Canadiens loss in Florida on Saturday. Price lost all three starts last week while posting a 2.40 GAA and .931 SV%. Tonight he will face a Sharks team on home-ice—San Jose has lost five of their last six road games (1-4-1).
Kinkaid allowed five tallies on 39 shots in the Devils loss in New York on December 9th. He has been off for almost one month, but will return to the crease tonight in St. Louis. Kinkaid has gone 5-3-1 with a 3.49 GAA and .893 SV% in eight starts and two relief appearances and is a sketchy option on the road tonight.
Schultz has been sidelined by a lower-body injury for nearly one month, but could be back tonight in Philadelphia. Schultz took part in the Penguins morning skate, so monitor his status when the Pens hit the ice for warmups. He has two goals and eight assists (10 points) in 23 games in what has been an injury plagued season for the blueliner.
