Lupul suffered a lower-body injury in the Maple Leafs win over the Bruins on Wednesday night. There is no word on how long the Leafs expect Lupul to be out for, but he is no stranger to the IR to this point in his career. Expect a more detailed injury report to be released on Friday.
Quick gave up two goals on 21 shots in the Kings 3-2 shootout loss to the Oilers on Tuesday. That is a bad loss for Quick and the Kings, Edmonton had lost nine straight entering Tuesday and Quick now sits at 15-9-7 with a 2.28 GAA and .920 SV% through the first three months of the season.
Miller allowed one goal on 32 shots in the Canucks win over the Sharks on Tuesday. He has won three of four while posting a 1.48 GAA and .954 SV%. Miller was pulled after allowing four goals on 22 shots in his last start vs. the Kings, but it looks like he will get a chance to atone for that tonight.
Holtby allowed four goals on 39 shots in the Capitals loss to the Islanders on Monday. He went 8-2-3 with a 2.13 GAA and .929 SV% in the month of December. There has been an average of 4.50 goals per game in the six Winter Classics, but with the Hawks and Caps going head-to-head, this has the makings of a high-scoring game.
Lehtonen made 28 saves on 30 shots in the Stars win over the Rangers on Monday. His 2.81 GAA and .904 SV% in December is nothing to write home about, but it has translated into a 6-3-0 record. Tonight he will make his third start vs. the Coyotes, he has gone 2-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .938 SV% in the first two meetings.
Perry is in warmups after being listed as questionable so look for him to return tonight vs. the Sharks. Perry has registered 22 points (14G / 8A) in 23 games this season.
Niemi gave up three goals on 29 shots in the Sharks loss to the Kings on Saturday. Alex Stalock got the call last night so it will be Niemi tonight in Anaheim. Niemi is 6-1-1 in December and 2-0-1 with a 2.65 GAA and .920 SV% against the Ducks this year.
Andersen stopped 13 of 14 shots in the Ducks OT win over the Canucks on Sunday. He has won three out of four games and posted a 10-1-1 record with a 2.17 GAA and .918 SV% in December. He is 1-2-0 with a 4.49 GAA and .875 SV% in his first three starts against the Sharks.
Bernier stopped all 43 shots that he faced in the Leafs 4-0 shutout win over the Stars last Tuesday. He missed the last two games with an illness, but he will be back in goal tonight vs. the Bruins. He is 14-8-3 on the season and comes into play tonight at 1-1-0 with a 2.88 GAA and .902 SV% vs. the B’s this year.
Rask allowed two goals on 30 shots in the Bruins win over the Red Wings on Monday. He has won three of his last four and enters play tonight at 4-4-2 with 3.00 GAA and .898 SV% in December. He has gone 1-1-0 in his fist two starts against the Leafs.
Gudas is just a bit banged and he is listed as day-to-day. With Gudas out, Nikita Nesterov will make his NHL debut.
Nesterov, 5-foot-11, 199 pounds, has played in 32 games with the Crunch this season, recording three goals and 14 points with at plus-4 rating and 26 penalty minutes. He leads all Syracuse blue-liners for goals and points while ranking tied for second for plus/minus.
Read will swap places with Michael Raffl and play on the Flyers top-line with Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek tonight vs. the Avalanche. Read has three goals and 11 assists in 36 games this season.
Orpik, who is listed as a game-time decision, will skate in warmups before deciding if he will take part in the Winter Classic.
Murphy, who was recalled this morning will be in the lineup tonight vs. the Penguins. The 21-year-old bluelliner has 17 assists in 23 games with Charlotte this season. Murphy also has 13 points (2G / 11A) in 58 career NHL games.
Coach Alain Vigneault will speak to the media at 4 PM ET and likely announce if Girardi will be in the lineup tonight. Girardi has a swollen ankle after being hit by a shot on Monday.
Brodin will miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury, but look for him to be back on Friday vs. the Maple Leafs. Monitor his status during Friday’s morning skate.
Niemi gave up three goals on 29 shots in the Sharks loss to the Kings on Saturday. Alex Stalock got the call last night so it looks like it will be Niemi tonight in Anaheim. Niemi is 6-1-1 in December and 2-0-1 with a 2.65 GAA and .920 SV% against the Ducks this year.
Halak allowed three goals on 26 shots in the Islanders win over the Capitals on Monday. He has won his last five starts while allowing just nine goals on 109 shots (.927 SV%). He will take on the Jets in Winnipeg—Halak has gone 7-3-0 with a 2.29 GAA and .923 SV% on the road this season.
Mason allowed three goals on 24 shots in the Flyers loss to the Coyotes on Monday. It was a rough loss for Mason, who has now dropped his last three starts. He will look to close out 2014 with a W—he is 6-11-5 with a 2.52 GAA and .919 SV% so far this year.
