Matt Benning replaced Garrison in the lineup on Thursday, but was placed on IR on Friday. With Benning out for at least a week, Garrison will draw in next to rookie Evan Bouchard on the Oilers’ third pair.
Vasilevskiy made 29 saves on 30 shots in the Lightning’s win over the Red Wings on Thursday. Vasilevskiy has been spectacular to open the 2018-19 season, winning three of his first four starts with a 1.48 GAA and .954 SV%. He is a great matchup again tonight vs. a Wild team on back-to-back and averaging just 2.43 goals for per game (tied 25th).
Alex Stalock was scheduled to start tonight, but Boudreau may change his mind because Dubnyk “is in the zone” right now. The Wild also don’t play again until next Thursday, which would make the decision to go back to Dubnyk easier.
Talbot gave up two goals on 29 shots in the Oilers win over the Bruins on Thursday. Since starting 0-2, Talbot has won three straight while turning aside 79 of 86 shots (.919 SV%). Tonight he faces a Predators team that played last night, but comes in at 6-1-0 while averaging 3.43 goals for per game through seven games.
Patrick has missed the last two games, but is expected to play today vs. the Devils. The second-year centre has no points and a minus-5 rating while averaging just 11:48 TOI/GM through four games this season.
Elliott allowed four goals on 23 shots in the Flyers loss to the Panthers on Tuesday. Elliott recorded a win on opening night, but has since lost four in a row while allowing a combined 17 goals on 126 shots (.865 SV%). Elliott has not played well this season and will be in tough against a Devils team that is clicking right now.
Kinkaid allowed four goals on 33 shots in the Devils loss to the Avalanche on Thursday. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Kinkaid, who now has a 1.61 GAA, .941 SV% and two shutouts in his first five starts of the season. This afternoon he faces a Flyers team that is tied for 11th in goals for per game (3.43) so far.
Hintz failed to record a point in his first five NHL games this season. Hintz filled-in for Alexander Radulov on the Stars top line last night, but didn’t do much with the opportunity. He heads to Texas, where he had 20 goals and 15 assists (35 points) in 70 games last year.
Bouwmeester has just one assist and a minus-4 rating in six games for the Blues this season. The Blues will re-insert Robert Bortuzzo in Bouwmeester’s spot against the Maple Leafs
Jaros has played for Ottawa and Belleville this season, picking up one assist in two NHL games. Jaros could play on Saturday as the elect to go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
Ericsson has not played this season because of an upper-body injury, but is he expected to replace Luke Witkowski on the blueline. Ericsson will likely be reunited with Trevor Daley and play against the Panthers’ top line more often than not.
Rinne was replaced by Juuse Saros in the third period after being pulled by the Predators head athletic training. Rinne was hurt after an accidental collision with his teammate (Fiala). Head coach Peter Laviolette did not have an update on Rinne postgame, but look for Saros to start on Saturday.
Allen allowed three goals on 23 shots in the blues 3-2 loss in Montreal on Wednesday. It has been a tough couple of weeks for Allen, who has just one win in five games while posting an ugly 3.91 GAA and .877 SV%. A tough start and a brutal matchup in Toronto makes Allen a below average option on Saturday night.
McElhinney allowed four goals on 23 shots in the Hurricanes win in Minnesota last Saturday. McElhinney has not lost a start this season despite allowing a combined eight goals on 80 shots (.900 SV%). He draws a tough matchup this afternoon vs. an Avalanche team that is tied for sixth in the NHL in goal-scoring (3.71 GF/PG).
Matheson was suspended two games for his hit on Elias Pettersson last week, but will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Red Wings. Matheson has not registered a point this season, but generates a solid number of shots and blocks for daily fantasy players.
Andersen stopped 36 of 37 shots before the Penguins added two empty net goals to beat Toronto 3-0 on Thursday. Andersen has won three of his first five starts while posting a 2.70 GAA and .914 SV%. The Blues possess one of the deepest lineups in the NHL, but they’re 21st in goal-scoring (2.83 GF/PG) in the early going.
After clearing waivers and being assigned to the AHL, Aberg has recorded a goal and assist in two games with San Diego. Aberg will likely draw into the Ducks lineup on Saturday after taking Troy Terry’s roster spot.
Terry was given a great chance to play on the Ducks top line to start the season, but has not recorded a point in six games and has recently moved down the lineup. He heads to San Diego where he figures to get his offensive game going and likely return to Anaheim shortly.
Bobrovsky allowed three goals on 35 shots in the Blue Jackets win over the Flyers on Thursday. It was Bobrovsky’s best start of the young season and earned him another start tonight vs. Chicago. The Blackhawks had a hot start to their season, but have lost three of their last four (1-1-2) coming into tonight.
Kopitar was forced to miss Thursday’s game against the Islanders due to an illness, but he is feeling better and should be back vs. the Sabres. Kopitar was back between Alex Iafallo and Tyler Toffoli at Friday’s practice and comes into Saturday with two goals in six games this season.
