Mrazek allowed three goals on 37 shots in the Red Wings’ 4-1 loss in Florida on Saturday. Mrazek has faced an average of 36 shots per game and has posted a 4.06 GAA and .889 SV% in his first two starts. Mrazek’s numbers don’t tell the whole story. Detroit has left him out to dry and if it weren’t for Mrazek, the Lightning and Panthers would have had eight goals a piece.
Buchnevich has recorded one assist and four shots on goal while averaging 14:52 TOI in his first two career NHL games. With the rookie out, Rick Nash is expected to move into the top-6, Jesper Fast to the third line and Josh Jooris is expected to make his Rangers debut. Buchnevich is listed as day-to-day.
Girardi is listed as day-to-day with a groin strain that he suffered on Saturday in St. Louis. It was originally called a hip flexor injury, but the Rangers announced this morning that he is dealing with a groin injury. With Girardi out, look for Dylan McIlrath to make his season debut.
Gibson allowed four goals on 20 shots in the Ducks’ season opening loss. Jonathan Bernier started last night in Pittsburgh, so look for Gibson to go tonight vs. the Islanders. The Ducks are off to an ugly 0-2-0 start to the season, but so are the Isles, so something has to give tonight. Gibson was 4-8-2 with a 2.74 GAA and .896 SV% vs. the Eastern Conference last season.
Okposo missed the season opener with a bruised knee, but will be in the lineup tonight in Edmonton. Okposo is expected to make his debut on the top line with Sam Reinhart and Ryan O’Reilly. Okposo had 22 goals and 42 assists (64 points) in 79 games last year.
Kulikov missed the Sabres’ season opener, but will be in the lineup when they take on the Oilers tonight. Kulikov will take Casey Nelson’s spot in the lineup and is expected to play on the third pairing with Cody Franson. The 25-year-old had one goal and 16 assists (17 points) in 74 games a season ago.
Beauvillier had one assist in 10:52 in his NHL debut on Thursday, but was a healthy scratch in last night’s game vs. the Capitals. With Shane Prince getting injured and going on IR, Beauvillier will re-enter the lineup on Sunday.
Quine sat out of the first two games of the season but will replace Mathew Barzal in the lineup on Sunday. Quine has one goal in two career NHL games and had 48 points (19G / 29A) in 56 AHL games last season.
Barzal played 10:10 during his NHL debut on Saturday, but he will come out of the lineup in favour of Alan Quine on Sunday.
Ryan Miller started the Canucks’ season opener last night, so Markstrom will start tonight as the Canucks host the Hurricanes. The 26-year-old had a nice 2015-16 season, going 13-14-4 with a 2.73 GAA and .915 SV%, but he will need to be better than that if he want to surpass Miller as the starter in Vancouver.
Prince played just 9:27 on Saturday before leaving the game with a lower-body injury. The Islanders wasted no time moving him to IR which indicates he will miss at least one week. Either Anthony Beauvillier or Alan Quine will replace Prince on Sunday.
Mitchell was expected to be in the Avs’ lineup in their season opener on Saturday, but was a late scratch will likely miss at least the next two games. Colorado has a back-to-back in Pittsburgh and Washington on Monday and Tuesday, so don’t look for Mitchell in either contest.
Varlamov allowed five goals on 28 shots in Colorado’s win over the Stars on Saturday. Calvin Pickard got the nod last night, but they will come back to Varlamov tonight in Washington. The Avalanche are off to a 2-0-0 start to the season, but draw a tough matchup on the tail-end of a back-to-back. Varlamov was 13-10-0 with a 2.53 GAA and .923 SV% on the road a season ago.
Semyon Varlamov started Colorado’s season opener on Saturday, but they will turn to Pickard tonight in the first game of a back-to-back set. Pickard was 7-6-1 with a 2.56 GAA and .922 SV% in 13 starts and seven relief appearances last year. The 24-year-old will be a strong spot-start option throughout the season, but is a risky option tonight in Pittsburgh.
Fontaine, 28, spent the last five seasons with the Wild organization, compiling 68 points (27G / 41A) in 197 career NHL games. He will start the year with Hartford (AHL).
Talbot allowed three goals on 35 shots in the Oilers win in Calgary on Friday. Talbot has won each of his first two starts of the season, despite allowing a combined seven goals on 76 shots (.908 SV%). Nonetheless, it has been nice start for Talbot and the Oilers, who draw a nice matchup tonight as there go up against a banged up Sabres team.
Cam Ward started the Hurricanes’ season opener on Thursday, but they will turn to Lack in game No.2 in Vancouver. Lack spent the first two years of his career with the Canucks, so tonight will be a homecoming of sorts. He faced his former team once last year and allowed three goals on 21 shots in a losing effort.
Gibson allowed four goals on 20 shots in the Ducks’ season opening loss. Jonathan Bernier started last night in Pittsburgh, so look for Gibson to go tonight vs. the Islanders. The Ducks are off to an ugly 0-2-0 start to the season, but so are the Isles, so something has to give tonight. Gibson was 4-8-2 with a 2.74 GAA and .896 SV% vs. the Eastern Conference last season.
Niemi allowed two goals on 35 shots in the Stars’ season opening win over the Ducks. It was a superb outing for Niemi, who will look to improve on a rough 2015-16 season. As long as Niemi is playing well, the Stars should ride him like a No.1 goalie. They will give him a second straight start at the very least as he takes on an Avalanche team he was 1-2-0 with a 4.05 GAA and .821 SV% against last year.
