Makarov served as Anders Lindback’s backup last night because Chad Johnson suffered a lower-body injury in the morning skate. He will head back to Rochester, switching spots with Matt Hackett.
After missing the start of the year because of offseason knee surgery, Hackett has gone 7-4-3 with a 2.72 GAA and .907 SV% with Rochester. He could make his season debut tonight with Chad Johnson out and Anders Lindback starting last night.
Campbell missed the last four games with an upper-body injury, but will be back in tonight vs. the Flyers. Brian Ferlin will come out of the lineup with Campbell coming back in.
After serving his one-game suspension, Martin will be back in tonight in Florida. Martin leads the NHL with 318 hits and has even collected 14 points (8G / 6A) in 65 games.
Pulkkinen had four goals in two games since being sent down, so the Red Wings will bring him back up and it could be for good this time. He has proven all that he can with Grand Rapids.
Hutchinson allowed three goals on 17 shots in the Jets loss to the Senators on Wednesday. He has lost three of his last five games while posting a 2.57 GAA and .906 SV%, but the Jets will continue to ride him tonight in Nashville. The Predators come into tonight having lost five in a row.
McElhinney allowed five goals on 41 shots in the Blue Jackets loss in Pittsburgh last Sunday. Sergei Bobrovsky started the first two games of the week, but it will be McElhinney tonight vs. Colorado. He made 26 saves in a 4-3 win over the Avalanche in January.
Enroth stopped all 10 shots that he faced, earning the victory over the Panthers after replacing Kari Lehtonen on Thursday. He is 1-4-0 with a 3.21 GAA and .877 SV% in four starts and two relief appearances since getting traded to Dallas. They just aren’t good defensively, making him a scary option tonight in Tampa.
Nevirth went 7-17-3 with a 2.99 GAA and .918 SV% with the Sabres before being traded to the Islanders at the deadline. While those are less than sexy numbers, he managed to go 3-4-2 with a 2.28 GAA and .938 SV% in February. Now with the Islanders, it is safe to say he will have some more goal support.
Ekblad is not feeling well and is in danger of missing his first career NHL game. Monitor his status during pre game warmups at 6:30 pm ET.
Ovechkin missed Thursday’s game and he says he is feeling better after participating in yesterday’s practice and today’s skate, but he remains a game-time decision. He will take part in warmups and then the Capitals will decide whether or not he will play.
Hamilton had one assist in two games with a Lake Erie after being acquired at the deadline. With Nathan MacKinnon out and the playoffs pretty much out of reach the Avalanche will take a look at what they have in the 23-year-old forward.
Ellis allowed three goals on 32 shots in the Panthers loss to the Stars on Thursday. With Roberto Luongo still out, Ellis will start again vs. the Islanders. Tough time to take over the crease; Stars then Isles? Yikes. There are better options to be found tonight.
Vasilevskiy stopped all 28 shots that he faced to earn his first career shutout on Tuesday vs. Buffalo. It was a big milestone for the 20-year-old who will continue to see starts down the stretch to keep Ben Bishop fresh. Tonight he will take on a Dallas team who may not play a lot of defence, but can score with the best of em.
Bourque has not appeared in a game since being sent to Springfield after being acquired from Ducks. One of the Blue Jackets forwards must be battling a injury, leaving the door open for Bourque to make his Blue Jackets debut vs. the Penguins.
Bernier surrendered four goals on 31 shots in the Maple Leafs loss in Tampa Bay on Thursday night. Things have been looking up for Bernier lately, but Thursday dropped him to 19-20-5 on the season. Tonight he will take on a Blues team who have lost two in a row, but remain very dangerous for opposing net minders.
Holtby allowed two goals 30 shots in the Capitals 2-1 loss to the Wild on Thursday. Holbty has gone 2-1-0 with a 1.68 GAA and .946 SV% in three starts in March. Holtby is having a career-year and tonight he takes on the Sabres…So you know what to do!
Smith allowed two goals on 34 shots in the Coyotes shootout win over the Canucks on Thursday. It was his first win since February 9th. Maybe the Coyotes should consider wearing the throwbacks every night? 2014-15 has been a struggle and their lineup is definitely below average, so avoid Smith tonight vs. the Habs.
Price gave up two goals on 32 shots in the Canadiens loss in Anaheim on Wednesday. He was given Thursday night off, but will be in net tonight in Arizona. He comes in having lost two in a row, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a better option than Price vs. the Coyotes. He is 36-13-3 with a 1.92 GAA and .935 SV% on the season…Need I say more?
Varlamov stopped all 44 shots that he faced in the Avs’ 4-0 shutout win over the Blue Jackets last night. Varly was outstanding, earning his 21st win and fifth shutout of the season. He will start on back-to-back days for the fifth time this season—he has gone 0-4-0 with a 4.57 GAA and .871 SV% in the first four outings.
