Cousins has been out of the lineup for the last five games but will replace Zac Rinaldo tonight vs. the Lightning. Cousins has recorded just three goals and one assist (four points) in 23 games this season.
Rinaldo is under the weather so he won’t play tonight vs. the Lightning. Nick Cousins will replace him in the lineup.
Dell stopped all 25 shots that he faced in the Sharks shutout win over the Senators last Saturday. Dell has won three straight starts while stopping 86 of 88 shots (.977 SV%). Tonight he will face the Flames as the Sharks kick-off a back-to-back in Western Canada. Dell is 3-1-1 with a 2.14 GAA and .927 SV% on the road this season.
Varlamov allowed four goals on 22 shots in Colorado’s loss in Washington on Tuesday. Varlamov has gone 1-4-0 with a 3.33 GAA and .895 SV% in five starts and one relief appearance in December. The one win came against the Panthers, who he will face again tonight—he stopped 39 of 42 shots in a 7-3 win in Florida last Saturday.
Raanta stopped 33 of 34 shots in the Coyotes 1-0 loss to the Blue Jackets last Saturday. It was a nice return to the crease for Raanta, who has stopped 99 of the last 103 shots (.961 SV%) he has faced dating back to before his injury. Raanta has a rough matchup tonight with the Lightning in town—he is 1-2-1 with a 2.38 GAA and .926 SV% on home ice.
Lappin has picked up 12 goals and six assists (18 points) in 23 games with Binghamton this season. The 25-year-old returns to the Devils with Taylor Hall (lower-body) not in Montreal. He had seven points (4G / 3A) and a minus-17 rating in 43 games with New Jersey last season.
Despite being placed on IR and listed as week-to-week earlier today, the Wild also announced that Dubnyk will travel on their upcoming trip. Just because he is travelling doesn’t mean he will play, but it’s a good sign that he shouldn’t be sidelined for an extended period of time.
Parise returned to the ice on Wednesday and will travel with the team on their road trip that starts Sunday in Chicago. Parise will not make his season debut on the trip, but the fact that he will travel and practice with the team is a big step in his recovery.
Spurgeon will miss his eighth consecutive game tonight vs. the Maple Leafs but will travel on their four-game road trip starting Sunday in Chicago. Expect Spurgeon to return at some point during the trip.
Bouwmeester missed Tuesday’s game vs. the Lightning but will be back in tonight vs. the Ducks. Bouwmeester has collected just one goal and one assist in 10 games this season. Bouwmeester will replace Jordan Schmaltz on the blueline.
Lehner allowed two goals on 26 shots in the Sabres’ win over the Senators on Tuesday. Lehner has lost five of his last seven starts and has struggled on the road this season, going 3-6-3 with a 3.74 GAA and .893 SV% in cities not named Buffalo. Tonight he runs into a Flyers team that is riding a four-game winning streak.
Binnington, 24, has gone 6-1-0 with a 6-1-0 with a 1.84 GAA and .933 SV% in eight starts with Providence this season. Binnington comes up to serve as Jake Allen’s backup on Thursday and will likely return to Providence after that.
Andersen gave up three goals on 38 shots in the Maple Leafs loss in Philadelphia on Tuesday. Andersen has actually been better on the road this season, going 9-5-1 with a 2.47 GAA, .929 SV% and two shutouts in 15 starts. In his first start against the Wild, Andersen stopped 35 of 37 shots in a 4-2 win.
Melchiori has picked up 12 points (4G / 8A) in 26 games with Manitoba this season. With Dustin Byfuglien out, Melchiori has been recalled to serve as an extra defenseman. Melchiori has picked up just two assists in 30 career NHL games.
Byfuglien was listed as week-to-week so his move to IR simply opens up a roster spot to recall an insurance defenseman. Julian Melchiori was brought up to be their seventh blueliner. There’s no firm timetable on when Byfuglien is expected to return.
Holtby allowed two goals on 24 shots in the Capitals win over the Avalanche on Tuesday. It was a nice outing for Holtby, who was pulled the night before. Holtby has gone 4-1-0 with a 2.76 GAA and .914 SV% in his last five starts. In his first start against the Bruins, Holtby stopped 31 of 33 shots in a 3-2 win in early-November.
Michalek has gone 6-1-0 with a 2.52 GAA and .926 sV% in nine games with Iowa this season. With Devan Dubnyk out week-to-week- with a lower-body injury, the Wild needed a goalie to serve as Alex Stalock’s backup on Thursday.
Dubnyk stopped all 10 shots that he faced in the first period of Tuesday’s win over the Flames. Dubnyk did not return for the second period and after undergoing an MRI on Wednesday, the Wild announced that Dubnyk will miss multiple weeks. With their No.1 listed as “week-to-week,” the Wild will turn the keys over to Alex Stalock and have recalled Steve Michalek to serve as his backup on Thursday.
Stalock stopped 16 of 17 shots after replacing Devan Dubnyk (lower-body) in Tuesday’s win over the Flames. With Dubnyk expected to miss at least Thursday’s game, Stalock will face the Maple Leafs as he looks for his third straight win. Stalock has gone 2-1-0 with a 1.80 GAA and .924 SV% in three appearances at Xcel Energy Center.
Elliott stopped 20 of 22 shots in the Flyers’ win over the Maple Leafs on Tuesday. Elliott has been great recently, winning four in a row with a 1.75 GAA and .946 SV%. Tonight he draws a great matchup with the Sabres in town—Elliott is 4-3-3 with a 2.88 GAA and .901 SV% on home his this season.
