Carter, who usually plays on ‘That 70’s line’ with Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson, moved to the top-line on Monday with both Toffoli (mono) and Person (broken leg) out indefinitely. Carter is skating with Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik, a line that should have no trouble generating offence.
Elliott was yanked after giving up three goals on 10 shots on Saturday. Jake Allen came in and led the Blues to a win, which earned him Tuesday’s start. Elliott will return to the crease tonight vs. the visiting Red Wings. While he has yet to face Detroit this season, Elliott comes into tonight with a 3-0-0 record, 2.19 GAA and .911 SV% in January.
Allen gave up a single goal on 20 shots after replacing Brian Elliott in the Blues win over the Hurricanes on Saturday. He has lost each of his last three starts while allowing a combined 12 goals, but a strong outing on Saturday and a great matchup tonight should help get him back on track. He made 13 saves in a 4-3 OT win in his first start against Edmonton.
Vrbata played on the second line last week, but was back with the Sedin twins at practice this morning. Vrbata’s first season with the Canucks has been going well; he has 29 points (16G / 13A) in 37 games so far.
Ramo is eligible to come off of IR for Thursday’s game vs. the Coyotes. So despite posting a shutout on Saturday, it doesn’t look like Joni Ortio’s stay with the Flames is going to last very long.
Ruutu missed another practice on Monday and the Devils are not sure if Ruutu will travel with the team on Tuesday because he is under the weather.
Jagr missed another practice on Monday and the Devils are not sure if Jagr will travel with the team on Tuesday because he is under the weather.
Neal was back in practice on Monday and skated on a line with Colin Wilson and Mike Fisher. Neal has missed the last five games with a lower-body injury, but his availability for today’s practice suggests that he could be back on Tuesday vs. the Canucks.
Hamilton did not record a point in his only game during his recall. He leads Worcester in points (21) and ranks tied for fifth on the team in goals (6). He has played in 12 career NHL games, all with the Sharks, registering 13 shots.
Pearson suffered a broken leg in the Kings’ game on Saturday. He is out indefinitely, and his placement on IR made room for the Kings to recall Nick Shore from Manchester (AHL).
Shore, 22, was the Kings third round pick (82nd overall) in the 2011 draft. He is tied for the AHL lead in goals with 20 and is second in points with 41. With Tanner Pearson out with a broken bone in his leg, Shore could with the Kings for awhile.
Varlamov allowed three goals on 40 shots in the Avs’ win over the Stars on Saturday. He has won three straight with a 1.67 GAA, .962 SV% and one shutout. Varly has been as hot as any goalie as of late, but draws a tough matchup tonight in Washington—they have won four of five and rank eighth in the NHL in scoring.
Nabokov allowed two goals on 18 shots after replacing Ben Bishop in the Lightning’s loss to the Penguins on January 2nd. The Lightning have a back-to-back on Monday and Tuesday, so they will go with Nabokov in the easier matchup vs. Philly which leaves Bishop for Tuesday vs. the Bruins.
Dallas doesn’t play until Tuesday vs. Ottawa, so Seguin was sent home this morning to rest up with the hope that he will be available for tomorrow’s game.
Peters has not started an NHL game since November 29th. In two games with Hershey (AHL) last week he went 1-1-0 with a 1.51 GAA and .948 SV% during the conditioning stint. With the Capitals he is 2-31 with a 3.29 GAA and. 872 SV%, so be careful with his matchup vs. the NHL’s sixth best offence.
Holtby stopped all 21 shots that he faced in the Capitals 1-0 shutout win over the Flyers on Wednesday. Holtby is red-hot right now, having won three straight and going 6-0-1 with a 1.71 GAA and .944 SV% in January. Tonight it looks like he will make his 21st consecutive start—he is 14-2-4 in the previous 20.
Holtby stopped 31 of 32 shots in the Capitals’ 2-1 victory over the Avalanche on Monday. He has yet to lose in regulation since the calendar turned over to 2015—he is 5-0-1 with a 2.00 GAA and .938 SV% over that span. He allowed three goals on 33 shots in s 3-2 OT loss in Philadelphia last Thursday.
Galchenyuk spent the better part of the last month on the Canadiens top-line, but was on the third line with Brandon Prust and P.A Parenteau in practice on Monday morning. He has four goals and five assists (nine points) in his last 10 games.
Plekanec replaced Alex Galchenyuk on the Canadiens’ top-line in Monday’s practice. Plekanec has two goals and two assists in his last eight games and 26 points (11G / 15A) in 41 games this season. He receives a nice boost in fantasy value while he is playing alongside Max Pacioretty.
Holtby stopped 26 of 27 shots in the Capitals 3-1 win over the Red Wings on Saturday. He will make his 19th consecutive starts tonight, having won four of his last five with a 2.20 GAA and .931 SV%. In November he made 27 saves in a 3-2 win over the Avalanche, who he will face tonight.