Bouchard has yet to record a point while averaging just 12:59 TOI/GM in the first three games of his NHL career. Bouchard will be replaced by Matt Benning and take a look from the press box tonight.
Benning was a healthy scratch vs. the Rangers on Saturday afternoon, but will replace Evan Bouchard tonight in Winnipeg. Benning has failed to record a point with a minus-3 rating in his first two games of the season.
Patrick is “almost ready to return” Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol told reporters on Tuesday. Patrick will sit out for his second straight game, which means Jordan Weal will continue to centre the Flyers temporary second line.
Byfuglien was back on the ice for Monday’s practice but is not ready to re-join the lineup tonight. With Byfuglien out, Dmitry Kulikov will remain in the lineup and Josh Morrissey figures to run the top power-play unit like he did on Sunday.
Vesalainen has recorded just one assist while averaging just 6:50 TOI/GM in the first five games of his NHL career. Vesalainen will be replaced by Brendan Lemieux in the lineup.
Lemieux had one goal in nine games with the Jets last season. The 22-year-old winger is expected to replace Kristian Vesalainen in the lineup and showcased his offensive upside with 19 goals and 24 assists (43 points) in 51 games with the Manitoba Moose (AHL) last year.
There’s no word on when Compher suffered the injury, but the young forward is expected to miss some time. With Compher out, Tyson Jost should move into Colorado’s top-6 for the foreseeable future.
Kinkaid allowed two goals on 39 shots in the Devils win over the Sharks on Sunday. Kinkaid has enjoyed a great start to the season with Cory Schneider out—he is 3-0-0 with a 1.34 GAA, .949 SV% and one shutout in his first three starts of the season. Tonight he faces a Stars team that has started the season 3-2-0 while averaging 3.60 goals for per game, but come in on the tail-end of a back-to-back.
Nilsson gave up two goals on 26 shots in the Canucks win in Florida on Saturday. Nilsson has won back-to-back starts while stopping 57 of 60 shots (.950 SV%) and will make his third straight start tonight. Dating back to last season, Nilsson is 5-1-0 while allowing just nine goals on 165 shots (.946 SV%) in six October starts.
Andersen did not dress for Monday’s game vs. the Kings, but head coach Mike Babcock said that Andersen will start Thursday vs. Pittsburgh. Returning to the ice on Tuesday is a good sign that Babcock’s plan is still on-track.
Schwartz missed the Blues last two games with a lower-body injury, but was back on the ice for Tuesday’s practice. Schwartz skated in his regular spot on the Blues’ second line and power-play, suggesting that he will play on Wednesday. Schwartz has registered two assists and seven shots on goal in three games this season.
Mrazek allowed two goals on 25 shots in the Hurricanes loss in Winnipeg on Sunday. It was Mrazek’s best start in a Carolina jersey and tonight he will make his fourth appearance of the season. Mrazek has a 3.05 GAA and .870 SV% so far and is a risky start against a Lightning team.
Nilsson gave up two goals on 26 shots in the Canucks win in Florida on Saturday. Nilsson has won back-to-back starts while stopping 57 of 60 shots (.950 SV%) and will make his third straight start tonight. Dating back to last season, Nilsson is 5-1-0 while allowing just nine goals on 165 shots (.946 SV%) in six October starts.
Elliott allowed one goal on 21 shots in the Flyers loss to the Golden Knights on Saturday. After an opening night win, Elliott has lost three straight while allowing a combined 13 goals on 103 shots (.874 SV%). Tonight he will face a stacked Panthers team that has had a slow start to the season—averaging just 2.33 goals for per game in their first three games.
DeSmith allowed three goals on 40 shots in the Penguins shootout loss to the Canadiens on Saturday. Despite Matt Murray being healthy, DeSmith will make his third straight start tonight vs. the Canucks. DeSmith has picked up three of a possible four points in his two starts, stopping 72 of the 77 shots (.935 SV%) that he has faced.
Thorburn played just 1:52 TOI in his season debut in Chicago on Saturday. Thorburn doesn’t bring a lot to the Blues lineup, so he heads back to San Antonio and Zach Sanford has been called-up.
Sanford has started the AHL season with two goals in four games. After being recalled for Chris Thorburn, Sanford could make his season debut in Montreal on Wednesday. The 23-year-old had five points (2G / 3A) in 13 games with St. Louis in 2016-17.
Bratt is a week and a half into a 2-3 week timetable with a fractured jaw. Bratt will return to the ice on Thursday and should re-join his teammates for practice this weekend or early next week.
Hischier left Monday’s practice with a lower-body issue that he suffered while blocking a shot in their last game. Hischier is good-to-go vs. the Stars and comes into play with two assists in three games.
Andrei Vasilevskiy started the first three games of the season, but Domingue will make his season debut tonight vs. the Hurricanes. Domingue was 7-3-1 with a 2.89 GAA and .914 SV% in 12 games after arriving in Tampa Bay last season. He draws a very difficult matchup tonight vs. a Hurricanes team that is leading the NHL in shots per game (42.3) and seventh in goals for (3.83).
