Markstrom is reportedly out with an illness, so the Canucks will turn to Nilsson for the third time in four nights. He allowed four goals on 30 shots in a 4-1 loss to the Sharks on Thursday. He draws a rough matchup tonight against the Bruins.
Holtby allowed four goals on 44 shots in Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to the Jets. It was the second straight loss for Holtby after a disappointing 5-4 loss to the Red Wings on Sunday. He’s got a good chance to get back in the win column tonight against the struggling Blackhawks.
Saros’ last start was February 8th in Ottawa, where he allowed four goals on 36 shots in a 4-3 loss to the Senators. Saros is winless in his last three starts, with ten goals against and a .900 SV% to show for it. He has a good chance of picking up a win tonight at home against the Red Wings.
Murray turned in another strong performance Thursday, turning away 34 of the 35 shots he faced in a 3-1 victory over the Kings. Murray has been solid since returning from injury, going 6-1 with a .924 SV%. He draws a difficult matchup tonight against the high-scoring Maple Leafs.
Andersen was fantastic again on Wednesday night, stopping 54 of 57 shots en route to a 6-3 victory over the Blue Jackets. It was the fourth win in as many decisions for Andersen. He has a challenging matchup tonight in the form of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Rask allowed just two goals on 30 shots in a 5-2 victory over the Flames on Tuesday. He has been as good as any goalie in the league this year, with a ridiculous 20-1-2 record over his last 24 starts. He draws another strong matchup tonight in Vancouver.
Fleury stopped 28 of 29 shots in Thursday’s 4-1 victory over the Oilers. He’s been on a nice roll lately, winning 6 of his last 8 starts. He draws a great matchup at home tonight against the Habs.
Niemi’s last start came on Wednesday, where he allowed two goals on 25 shots in a 2-0 loss to the Avalanche. After an awful turn with the Penguins to start the year, Niemi has played well for the Canadiens, posting a 2-2-1 record with a .933 SV% in five starts for the team. He draws a difficult matchup tonight against the Golden Knights.
Jonathan Bernier is in concussion protocol, so Hammond will backup Varlamov against the Oilers tomorrow.
Vasilevskiy was dominant in Thursday’s 4-1 win over the Red Wings, stopping 38 of the 39 shots he faced. He’s been on quite a roll recently, going 7-2 with a .934 SV% over his last nine starts. He draws an excellent matchup tonight at home against the Devils.
Mackinnon was back skating with Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen at practice on Saturday. He has 61 points in 49 games for the Avalanche this season (24G/37A). Colorado went 4-4 without Mackinnon in the lineup.
