Stastny played very well on the Blues second line with Jori Lehtera was out, he was bumped back to the third line when Lehtera returned, but will get that promotion again, just three games later. Stastny has two goals and four assists in his last eight games.
Timonen still has not played this season, but it sounds like he will be back in the middle of next week or next weekend after returning to Flyers practice on Monday.
Ehrhoff was on the ice for the team’s morning skate, but will not play tonight. He needs to get into some contact practices before he can return to the Penguins lineup. However, it is a good sign that he is nearing a return.
Phaneuf is still skating alone, but was not in the morning skate today so he will sit yet again. Phaneuf has been sidelined since January 21st.
Lupul will miss his third straight game with a knee injury and remains without a timetable for his return. Consider him day-to-day.
McElhinney allowed three goals on 25 shots in the Blue Jackets 4-3 OT win over the Flyers last Friday. He was given Saturday off, but will be back in goal tonight, once again against the Flyers. He has won three of his last four with a 2.25 GAA and .934 SV%.
Fleury made 31 saves on 32 shots in the Penguins 2-1 shootout loss to the Blackhawks on Sunday. Despite the loss, Fleury was great again, giving him a ridiculous 0.49 GAA and .980 SV% in his last four starts. Tonight he will face the Capitals, who he is 0-2-0 with a 3.56 GAA and .900 SV% against this season.
Jaroslav Halak started last night and allowed six goals on 42 shots, so there is a good chance that it will be Johnson tonight in Carolina.
It didn’t look like Jokinen would play tonight, but he announced this morning that he will be making his debut tonight vs. the Panthers. He has just six points (3G / 3A) in 48 games this season, so he probably won’t have much of a fantasy impact. He will start on a line with Leo Komarov and David Clarkson.
Gionta has been out since December 29th with a hand injury, but will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Sabres. It is a perfect time for him to return as he gets set to take on his older brother Brian.
The Red Wings finally sent Petr Mrazek back to Grand Rapids last night, creating a roster spot for Pulkkinen. The 23-year-old had one goal in six games with the Red Wings earlier in the season. He has dominated at the AHL level—he leads the NHL in goals with 30, which is seven more than second and points with 57, which is four more than second.
Ehrhoff has missed the last eight games, but has been skating on his own as of late. Today was the first time he has been in a morning skate since January 28th, but there is still no word whether he plans to be in the lineup tonight or not.
Bernier allowed one goal on 32 shots in the Maple Leafs 2-1 shootout loss in Montreal on Saturday. He will make his third consecutive start having lost each of his last two starts, despite stopping 69 of 73 shots (.945 SV%). He will face a Panthers team who has lost four of their last five while averaging just 2.00 goals per game.
Carrick, 23, will likely be in the lineup tonight with Trevor Smith banged up and Olli Jokinen unlikely to play. Carrick has no points in 10 games with the Leafs this season, but has 20 points (5G / 15A) in 40 games with the Marlies.
Dano, 20, registered one goal and one assist in eight games with the Blue Jackets earlier in the season. He has spent the majority of his time in Springfield where he has collected 18 points (10G / 8A) in 37 games.
Stafford, who was playing in his third game with the Jets, was forced to leave the game after playing 13:59. He had been promoted to the top-line on Monday, but his night was cut short. Expect an update on Tuesday.
Fasth made 42 saves to get the Oilers to the shootout, before suffering a knee injury on the first shot attempt. The severity of the injury is yet to be determined, but the good news is that Ben Scrivens is expected to be back on Wednesday.
Mrazek, 23, filled in admirably while Jonas Gustavsson was out and then played even better when he became the team’s starter when Jimmy Howard went down. Overall he was 13-5-1 with a 2.55 GAA and .909 SV% in 20 games with the Red Wings. He will be back if another injury happens in the crease and he will definitely have a permanent spot on the team in 2015-16.
Tanev missed Monday’s game with an upper-body injury that is believed to be related to his hand. GM Jim Benning announced after Monday’s game that Tanev’s injury is not all that serious and he is day-to-day.
Edler missed last night’s game with a lower-body injury that he suffered over the weekend. Originally the extent of the injury was not known, but GM Jim Benning announced after yesterday’s game that Edler is week-to-week. Expect him to miss at least two weeks.
