Granberg’s recall suggests that one of the Maple Leafs defenseman’s status for tonight is in doubt. If Granberg gets into the lineup, it would be his fourth game of the season—he has no points in his first three games.
It looks as if Pouliot will miss his second straight game with a foot injury. With Pouliot out, Iiro Pakarainen will stay in the lineup and Matt Fraser will skate on the second line. Pouliot is day-to-day.
Hall was listed as doubtful so it is not very surprising that Hall is not on the ice for the morning skate. It looks like he will miss his second straight game and fifth of the last six. Teddy Purcell will skate on the Oilers top-line with Hall out.
Johnson allowed four goals on 19 shots in the Islanders loss to the Red Wings last Saturday. The Isles have a back-to-back today and tomorrow, so Johnson will get the chance to face his former team tonight. The first time he faced the Bruins, he stopped 30 shots in a 3-2 win. Overall he is 6-6-0 with a 3.43 GAA and .865 SV%.
Coburn had been skating alone, but he joined the main group for practice this afternoon. He was expected to miss four weeks and it has been three and a half, so it appears as if Coburn is right on schedule. He is doubtful for Sunday’s game, but should be back in the lineup next week.
Chiasson has missed the last three games, but he took line rushes on the Sens’ fourth line this morning. It looks like he will return to the lineup, while J-G Pageau will come out. Chiasson has 18 points (8G / 10A) in 44 games.
Foligno has been out since December 21st, but he is getting really close to being back in the Sabres lineup. He is not expected to play tonight vs. the Stars, but he could return tomorrow vs. the Islanders.
Enroth allowed two goals on 29 shots in the Sabres 3-0 loss to the Blues on Thursday. It was a great game for Enroth, but he can’t score goals too. He will start for the sixth time in the last seven games. While the end of January was ugly, he is 1-1-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .937 so far in February. But don’t get carried away, this is a terrible matchup.
Vasilevskiy allowed one goal on 20 shots after replacing Ben Bishop in the Lightning’s loss to the Kings last night. He has been great in six NHL appearances, going 4-1-0 with a 1.96 GAA and .934 SV% this season. It will be tough to expect big things out of him today with the Ducks in town.
Bernier is not taking part in the Maple Leafs optional morning skate, which suggests he will start tonight after James Reimer went last night. Bernier allowed four goals on 28 shots in a loss to Nashville in his last start. He enters play with a 1-8-1 record, 3.06 GAA and .892 SV% in the 2015 calendar year. It has been a disaster in Toronto.
Nesterov has served as a healthy scratch in the last three games, but with Jason Garrison out, Nesterov will be in vs. the Kings. He has registered two assists in nine games with the Lightning this season. He will be paired with Anton Stralman.
Garrison suffered a lower-body injury in Thursday’s win over the Stars and it will likely keep him out of both games over the weekend. He definitely will not play tonight, so look for Nikita Nesterov to get back into the lineup.
Burakovsky was sent down yesterday in order for the Capitals to recall Philipp Grubauer, who was given the start last night. Burakovsky should be back in the Capitals lineup on Sunday vs. Philadelphia.
Grubauer was recalled to start last night and he came through the for the Caps. He allowed two goals on 25 shots in Washington’s 3-2 win over Anaheim. It was likely a test to see if he could get it done vs. a good NHL team, he can. This could force the Capitals to make a decision on the struggling Justin Peters.
Green was a scratch in Friday’s game vs. the Ducks. There was no word of an injury prior to the game, but Green is day-to-day. He has been on fire prior to Friday’s game so this is a tough break for the oft-injured Green. Monitor his status prior to Sunday’s game.
Ashton, 23, has eight points (4G / 4A) in 12 games with the Toronto Marlies this season. He will need to either re-sign or play 15 games with the Lightning next season for the Maple Leafs to get the seventh round pick. This deal opens up some salary flexibility for the Maple Leafs more than anything.
Garrison left Thursday's game with a lower-body injury and did not return. His absence from the morning skate means that he is unlikely to play tonight vs. the Kings.
Bishop allowed two goals on 18 shots in the Lightning’s loss to the Blues on Tuesday. He was given Thursday night off in Dallas, but will start today vs. Los Angeles. Bishop has gone 19-3-1 with a 1.87 GAA and .933 SV% at home and the Kings have been struggling, so he makes for a strong start tonight.
Murray left Friday’s win over the Blues and did not return. After the game he was ruled out for Saturday’s game in Ottawa as he stays home to be evaluated. Murray had played just three games since returning from a knee injury and he is already out again.
Wisniewski suffered and undisclosed injury in the Blue Jackets dominant win over the Blues last night. He will not be traveling to Ottawa for tonight’s game and will stay in Columbus and be evaluated. Expect Jordan Leopold to be in the lineup for Wisniewski.
