The Predators have a back-to-back tonight and tomorrow, but look for Rinne to get the start tonight vs. the Blackhawks and then either Rinne will go again or Carter Hutton will start tomorrow vs. the Blues. Rinne is coming off of a 26-save performance in Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Flyers. He has won four straight and leads the league with 23 wins.
Roy, 31, will head back to the AHL for the first time since 2005-6 when he had 20 points (7G / 13A) in eight games with the Rochester Americans. He had 10 points (1G / 9A) in 26 games with the Predators this season.
Sharp has three goals and four assists (7 points) in nine games since returning from a leg injury, but tonight he will skate with Marcus Kruger and Ben Smith on the Hawks’ fourth line. With Brad Richards coming back someone had to be bumped down, but it is surprising to see it be Sharp.
The Penguins announced that Hornqvist will miss a few weeks on Sunday, so it is no surprise to see him going on IR to clear room for the Penguins to recall a forward.
Quick stopped 21 of 22 shots in the Kings 3-1 win over the Sharks on Saturday. Quick has won three of his last four while points a 2.71 GAA and .884 SV%. Tonight he gets the nod in Calgary—Quick has gone 2-5-4 with a 3.12 GAA and .903 SV% on the road so far in 2014-15.
When Petteri Lindbohm was sent back to the AHL this morning, there was some optimism that Gunnarsson was close. He is improving, but he will not play tonight or tomorrow. The Blues first game after New Year’s is Friday in Anaheim.
Rask allowed three goals on 15 shots after replacing Niklas Svedberg in Saturday’s loss to the Blue Jackets. Neither net minder was good in this one as a tough December continues for the Bruins. Rask is 3-4-2 with a 3.10 GAA and .895 SV% this month and tonight he will face a Red Wings team who always plays the Bruins tough in the regular season.
Fleury made 31 saves on 34 shots in the Penguins’ 3-0 loss to the Capitals on Saturday. That is three straight losses and three straight games allowing three goals. It is hard to blame Fleury when you look at the Penguins roster right now, they are simply decimated by injuries. Regardless, Fleury should be a great start tonight in New Jersey. He is 2-0-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .938 SV% vs. the Devils.
Mason has missed the last four games with a back injury he suffered in practice. He stopped 31 of 32 shots in a shootout loss to the Panthers in his last start. He comes into tonight with a 1.97 GAA and .931 SV% in seven December starts and draws a nice matchup vs. the Coyotes—however he is 1-6-3 with a 2.65 GAA and .921 SV% on the road this season.
Jonathan Bernier did not take part in the optional morning skate, which suggests he won’t be available so Reimer should start his second game in as many nights. He allowed five goals on 32 shots in the Leafs 6-4 loss to the Panthers last night. He has allowed nine goals on 67 shots (.866 SV%) in his last two starts. He draws an awful matchup tonight in Tampa Bay.
Gaudet, 21, has eight points (4G / 4A) in 29 games with Portland (AHL) this season. There is no word on who will come out of the lineup for Gaudet.
Brodin will not play tonight after being injured in Saturday’s game. However, he says he is feeling much better and that Wednesday vs. the Blue Jackets is a possibility.
Granlund’s injury is believed to be wrist related. He will be out at least two weeks and with the week-to-week tag, there will be limited updates on his status until he is close to a return and upgraded to day-to-day.
Dubnyk made 35 saves on 36 shots in the Coyotes 2-1 shootout win over the Ducks on Saturday. He has stopped 61 of 63 shots (.968 SV%) in his last two starts (both wins) so he will make a third consecutive start, asserting himself atop the Coyotes goaltending depth chart. Dubnyk has gone 3-2-1 with a 2.38 GAA and .927 SV% at home this season.
Lundqvist stopped 19 of 20 shots in the Rangers win over the Devils. It was another easy night for Lundqvist, who has now won seven straight starts with a 1.54 GAA and .940 SV%. He is as hot as they come right now, but tonight he will face a Stars team who has won five of six.
Matt Fraser was expected to be in the lineup tonight, but when he was claimed off of waivers by the Oilers, the Bruins needed to recall a forward from Providence for tonight. Lindblad, 24, has 12 points (6G / 6A) in 29 AHL games this season. He Lindblad was held off of the scoresheet in his only game with the Bruins.
Letang was listed as questionable and when Brian Dumoulin was recalled this morning it looked like Letang wouldn’t play, but coach Mike Johnston confirmed that Letang will be in the lineup tonight vs. the Devils. Letand has three goals and one assist in eight games since returning to the lineup on December 12th.
Panik left Sunday’s game after a hit-to-the-head and he will be held out of tonight’s game for precautionary reasons. There is no word whether or not Panik suffered a concussion, but expect Trevor Smith to get back into the lineup with Panik out.
The Jets injury woes continue. Kane joins four key blue liners on IR; all of which will have missed at least one month by the time they return. With Kane out, the Jets are without 31.3% of their salary.
Despite being recalled, Cormier will not get into the lineup tonight with Evander Kane out. T.J Galiardi will be in and Cormier will be paid to watch an NHL game.
