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.
Downie will miss his sixth consecutive game with the mumps. Look for him to be back on Friday.
Howard stopped 40 of 44 shots in the Red Wings lost to the Bruins on Monday. Howard has just one win in his last six starts despite posting a 2.15 GAA and .938 SV%. He should make for a great start tonight with the low-scoring Devils in town.
With Niklas Backstrom set to return from an illness, Curry will head back to the minors.
Backstrom has missed the last three games with an illness but will return to the lineup tonight, albeit in a backup role. John Curry has been sent back to Iowa (AHL).
Kuemper gave up two goals on 30 shots in the Wild’s win over the Jets on Monday. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for Kuemper, who is 12-10-0 with a 2.61 GAA and .903 SV%. He comes into Columbus with a 5-6-0 on the road.
Vasilevskiy gave up three goals on 29 shots in the Lightning’s win over the Penguins last Tuesday. He was 2-1-0 with a 2.01 GAA and .940 SV% during his recall. He has been called-up to get another NHL start with Ben Bishop a little banged up. Vasilevskiy makes for a great spot-start in Buffalo tonight.
Fleury allowed three goals on 27 shots in the Penguins on Monday. He has lost his last four starts while allowing three goals in each contest. He will look to get back on track tonight vs. the Hurricanes. Fleury is 13-4-1 with a 1.98 GAA and .934 SV%.
Atkinson, 25, suffered an upper body injury on December 27 against Boston and is expected to miss one to two weeks from the time of the injury. His placement on IR allowed the Blue Jackets to recall Sean Collins from Springfield (AHL).
Collins, 26, who has appeared in two games with Columbus earlier this season, has posted 19 points (10G / 9A) and 14 penalty minutes with an even plus/minus rating in 28 games with Springfield.
Murphy, 21, leads all Charlotte skaters this season with 17 assists and seven power-play assists/points, and his 17 points rank tied for first on the team. He is one of eight AHL defensemen to hold a share of his team’s scoring lead, and ranks third among AHL blueliners in assists.
Ristolainen took part in the Sabres morning skate, but will miss his second straight game with the flu. Look for him to be back on Friday vs. Florida.
Bennett has been on the ice taking line rushes for the past two days, so it looks like a near certainty that he will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Hurricanes. He has been sidelined since November 24th.
Ehrhoff has missed the last five games with a lower-body injury that he suffered on December 18th vs. the Avalanche. As long as Ehrhoff makes it through the skate OK, he should return to the lineup tonight.
Downie has missed the last four games with mumps. Today is the first time that he has been a full participant in practice, so his status is a bit cloudy. Monitor his status after the morning skate.
Enroth allowed four goals on 35 shots in the Sabres loss to the Senators on Monday. He has lost three of his last four games while posting a 3.74 GAA and .885 SV%. Tonight will mark his 25th start of the season, but he doesn’t draw a very fantasy-friendly matchup with the Lightning in town.
Bjugstad has 21 points (13G / 8A) in 34 games this season. His 13 goals leads the Panthers and puts him on pace for 31 this season. He is miles ahead of his strong rookie campaign and should continue to get better. His six-year extension will see him in Florida through the 2020-21 season.
Bobrovsky gave up four goals on 30 shots in the Blue Jackets loss to the Predators last Monday. He missed this past Satruday’s game with an illness, but will be back in goal tonight vs. the Wild. December wraps up today, but it has been an excellent month to Bob—he is 8-1-1 with a 2.25 GAA and .934 SV% this month.
Lundqvist surrendered three goals on 27 shots in the Rangers loss to the Stars on Monday. The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for Lundqivst, who now sits 7-2-0 with a 2.09 GAA and .918 SV% this month. He will be upset to see December go, but he could cap it off with his 17th win of the season tonight in Florida.
Quick stopped 13 of 15 shots in the Kings' 2-1 loss to the Flames last night. Because of the light workload Quick will start again tonight in Edmonton. You couldn't ask for a better matchup on the second day of a back-to-back, so Quick is a must-start tonight vs. the Oilers.
