Schwartz has missed the last seven games with a right foot injury, but will return to the lineup tonight vs. the Sharks. To make room for Schwartz, the Blues have assigned Colin Fraser to Chicago (AHL). Schwartz has 11 goals and 16 assists (27 points) in 31 games this season.
Despite coach McClellan calling Thornton probable after practice on Friday, it does not look like Thornton will play because he is not on the ice for the game day skate. It does not guarantee he won’t play, but it is not a good sign. Expect an update after the skate.
Bobrovsky made 28 saves on 29 shots in the Blue Jackets 3-1 win over the Wild on Wednesday. The win polished off a fantastic December for Bob, who went 9-1-1 with a 2.14 GAA and .937 SV%. He draws a great matchup tonight vs. an Arizona team who 25th in scoring.
Quick stopped 14 of 16 shots in the Kings 3-2 win over the Canucks on New Years Day. It was a nice easy night for Quick, who has not been tested all that frequently as of late. He has only faced an average of 21.13 shots against of the last eight games. Despite the light workload, he is 4-2-2 with a 2.59 GAA and .876 SV% over that span.
McQuaid has been out since November 18th because of a broken thumb, but will be back in today vs. the Senators. He will be paired with Dennis Seidenberg; Matt Bartkowski will sit.
Smith was pulled after he allowed four goals on 11 shots in the Coyotes loss to the Canucks on December 22nd. He anxiously watched Devan Dubnyk start the last four games, but will be back between the pipes tonight vs. Columbus. Smith is 5-12-2 with a 3.48 GAA and .884 SV% this season.
Rask allowed three goals on 21 shots in the Bruins 4-3 shootout loss to the Maple Leafs on Wednesday. That loss capped off what was an ugly December for Rask—he went 4-4-3 with a 2.98 GAA and .896 SV%. He will look to get things back on the rails in the new calendar year and it starts today vs. the Senators.
Smith was pulled after he allowed four goals on 11 shots in the Coyotes loss to the Canucks on December 22nd. He anxiously watched Devan Dubnyk start the last four games, but will be back between the pipes tonight vs. Columbus. Smith is 5-12-2 with a 3.48 GAA and .884 SV% this season.
Schlemko has one goal and three assists in 20 games with the Coyotes this season. He has also registered one goal and three assists in two games with Portland (AHL). The 27-year-old blue liner has 50 career points (9G / 41A) in 207 NHL games.
McQuaid has been sidelined with a broken thumb since November 18th, but is medically cleared to play and could return to the lineup today. He is expected to take part in warmups and then coach Julien will make a decision on whether or not he plays vs. the Senators. With a back-to-back today and tomorrow, it would seem logical to sit McQuaid today and have him return tomorrow vs. Carolina.
Lehtonen stopped all 32 shots that he faced in the Stars 6-0 shutout win over the Coyotes. The Stars dominated all night, earning Lehtonen his third shutout of the season and third straight win. Tonight it looks like he will face the Wild for the fourth time this season. He has gone 0-2-1 with a 3.67 GAA and .872 SV% in the first three meetings.
Price turned aside 22 of 24 shots he faced in the Canadiens win over the Devils last night. It was Price’s 200th career win (21st of the season) in his 400th career game. He wasn’t overly busy last night, so he will start again tonight in Pittsburgh. He comes in having won four straight while posting a 1.25 GAA and .957 SV%.
Perron, who was acquired from the Oilers on Friday, did not play last night vs. Tampa Bay but will play tonight vs. the Canadiens. Because of the back-to-back the Penguins did not have a morning skate, so there is no word on who Perron is going to play with tonight. You would have to think that they will ease him in and they could move him around between Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to see where he fits best.
Burakovsky, who served as a healthy scratch during the Winter Classic and has only played in two of the last eight games, skated on the top-line in practice on Saturday morning. It looks like he will go from the doghouse to the penthouse. He has 13 points (4G / 9A) in 28 games this season.
Lundqvist gave up two goals on 20 shots in the Rangers win over the Panthers on Wednesday. He has won eight of his last nine starts and now sits pretty at 17-8-3 with a 2.39 GAA and .913 SV%. He is a must-start tonight with the Buffalo Sabres in town.
Hutchinson gave up three goals on 31 shots in the Jets loss to the Wild on Monday. He was given Wednesday night off, but will be back in the cage for his fourth start in the Jets last five games. He will look to build off of a strong December, where he went 5-2-0 with a 2.14 GAA and .927 SV%.
Ristolainen was back paired with his usual partner Nikita Zadorov last night vs. the Panthers. He played 19:07 TOI and registered one shot in the 2-0 loss. The Sabres are back in action tonight in New York.
Versteeg suffered a hand injury while blocking a shot in the Winter Classic. Versteeg is expected to be sidelined for at least a few weeks, so the Blackhawks have recalled highly-touted prospect Teuvo Teravainen from Rockford (AHL).
Teravainen, 20, has six goals and 17 assists in 33 games with the IceHogs this season. After a slow start as he adapted to the North American style of play (particularly the dump-and-chase style of the AHL), he had three goals and seven assists in his last 10 games.
Lupul was placed on IR earlier in the week, but the Maple Leafs announced on Friday that he will be out for one month. Look for him to return in early-February.
