Hutchinson stopped 34 of 37 shots in the Jets loss to the Sharks on Monday. Ondrej Pavelec started on Thursday, but it will be Hutchinson tonight in L.A. Hutchinson was lit up for three goals on 13 shots in his first start of the year vs. the Kings.
Price has been off since Tuesday and with no game on Sunday, Price is fully expected to start tonight vs. the Pens. He is coming off of a 32-save performance in which he allowed four goals in a loss to Tampa Bay. He will be in tough tonight as he faces Sidney Crosby and company. Price is 1-1-0 with a 2.50 GAA and .906 SV% vs. Pittsburgh.
Lundqvist stopped 24 of 25 shots in the Rangers win over the Ducks on Wednesday. He was given the second game of the back-to-back off, but will face the Sharks tonight. He has won three in a row, while allowing just four goals on 68 shots (.941 SV%). He is the hottest goalie in the NHL right now, so enjoy the ride.
Stuart has been sidelined with a lower-body injury since December 16th, but will be back in tonight. His return is ahead of schedule and great news for the Jets blue line.
Enstrom will play for the first time since November 23rd. He will be paired with Zach Bogosian as the Jets finally start to get healthy. He has nine points (1G / 8A) in 22 games this season.
Kane has missed the last five games with a lower-body injury, but will be back in tonight vs. the Kings. His return comes much earlier than originally anticipated, which is great news for the Jets. He will play with Adam Lowry and Matt Halischuk.
Cole missed practice on Friday, but was on the ice for warmups, he is a late scratch, which means Travis Moen is in.
Varlamov gave up two goals on 38 shots in the Avs’ win over the Senators on Thursday. Varlamov has won two in a row while stopping 90 of 92 shots (.978 SV%). He will make his seventh straight start today—he is 4-2-0 with a 2.01 GAA and .950 SV% in the last six.
Lehtonen allowed three goals on 24 shots in the Stars loss to the Predators on Thursday. He has dropped two in a row while allowing eight goals on 62 shots (.871 SV%). Today he faces an Avalanche team who have won four of their last five.
Niemi was shelled for five goals on 21 shots in the Sharks 7-2 loss to the Blues on Thursday. That was the second time in less than a week that St. Louis beat Niemi and the Sharks 7-2. Things will not get any easier with the Rangers in town tonight.
Thornton missed the last four games with a shoulder injury that he suffered on New Years Eve vs. the Ducks. Thornton comes in on a five-game point streak—he has two goals, 10 assists (12 points) and a plus-4 rating in his last 12 games.
Higgins missed Thursday’s game with an illness, but he will be back in the lineup tonight vs. Calgary. Higgins has just one goal and one assist in his last 15 games.
Bellemore served as a healthy scratch on Thursday after J.M Liles return to the lineup, but Bellemore will get back in tonight vs. the Blues.
Prosser will return to the lineup after missing two games with an illness. He will be paired with Justin Falk on the Wild’s third-pair.
After missing two games to be with his ailing father, who passed away on Thursday, Parise will be back in the lineup this afternoon vs. the Predators. He will skate on the second line with Erik Haula and Thomas Vanek.
Backstrom turned aside 16 of 19 shots in Minnesota’s loss to the Blackhawks on Thursday. With Darcy Kuemper on IR he will make his second straight start as he searches for his first win since December 13th. Including that win, he has a 3.60 GAA and .878 SV% in his last six appearances (4 starts).
Rinne stopped 18 of 20 shots in the Predators win over the Stars on Thursday. It was his fourth consecutive win and league leading 27th of the season. He carries a 2.00 GAA and .929 SV% into Saturday’s matinee with the Wild. Minnesota has lost three straight while allowing an average of 5.00 goals per game.
Timonen has not played yet this season because of blood clots in his right leg and lungs. He will meet with doctors to determine whether or not he will be able to play again. The Flyers could certainly use the veteran blueliner back in their lineup.
Mason, who has been battling a lower-body injury lately, left this afternoon’s game less than eight minutes in. He made a right pad save and then went down in obvious pain as he tried to push-off. Mason was replaced by Ray Emery and he will likely miss some time.
