Pickard allowed one goal on 35 shots in the Avalanche’s shootout win over the Red Wings last Sunday. He has won three of his last six starts while posting a 1.61 GAA and .955 SV%. He continues to force the Avs to keep him with the big-club and a few more strong performances could land him a permanent spot.
Varlamov (groin) has missed the last six games, but will be back between the pipes tonight vs. the Blues. In his only two starts in December, he has gone 0-1-1 with a 5.24 GAA and .836 SV%. He draws a tough matchup to return in—St. Louis ranks sixth in the NHL in scoring with 2.94 goals per game.
Woods, 22, was the Hurricanes fifth round selection (129th overall) in the 2012 NHL Draft. The 6-foot-3, 215 lbs. forward has registered 13 points (6G / 7A) in 29 games in his second full season in Charlotte. Alex Semin was held out of Monday’s practice, which means that Woods could make his NHL debut tonight if Semin can’t go.
Armia, 21, was the Sabres’ first round pick (16th overall) in the 2011 NHL Draft. He has registered 16 points (7G / 9A) in 21 games with Rochester this season. Armia is expected to make his NHL debut tonight vs. the Red Wings.
Schneider gave up three goals on 20 shots in the Devils loss to the Hurricanes on Saturday. It was Schneider’s fourth consecutive loss while posting a 4.14 GAA and .893 SV%. It has been an ugly stretch for the 28-year-old, but he draws a great matchup tonight and has a good chance to head into the Christmas break on a high note.
Kings 4-2 victory over the Coyotes on Saturday. It was a nice easy night for Quick, who is in-line for his fifth consecutive start tonight vs. the Flames. Quick is 4-3-1 with a 2.37 GAA and .903 SV% in December, but makes for a strong start tonight vs. a slipping Flames squad.
Neal was considered a game-time decision for tonight's game but it looks like he will play after missing Saturday's game with an illness.
Lindholm missed Friday’s game vs. the Senators, but will be back in the lineup tonight vs. San Jose. Lindholm will replace Colby Robak on the Ducks blue line.
Korpikoski will miss his third straight game with a lower-body injury he suffered last weekend. He is day-to-day and could return tomorrow vs. Edmonton.
Miller allowed two goals on 28 shots in the Canucks win over the Flames on Saturday. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Miller, who now sits at 17-7-0 with a 2.66 GAA and .901 SV% this season. Tonight he draws a great matchup at home vs. the Coyotes—he is 8-2-0 with a 2.45 GAA and .900 SV% at home.
Allen surrendered three goals on 30 shots in the Blues 3-2 OT loss to the Sharks on Saturday. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Allen, who is now 11-3-2 with a 2.49 GAA and .907 SV% in 16 starts this season. Tonight, he will face the Avs’ for the second time this season—he stopped 23 shots in a 3-2 OT win in Colorado 10 days ago.
Niemi stopped 18 of 20 shots in the Sharks win over the Blues on Saturday. That makes it seven straight wins for Niemi, who has posted a 2.27 GAA and .920 SV% over that span. He is as hot as any goalie in the NHL right now and has gone 2-0-0 vs. the Ducks in their first two meetings.
Smith gave up five goals on 38 shots in the Coyotes loss to Nashville on December 11th. He watched Devan Dubnyk get the last three starts, but will return tonight vs. Vancouver. He is 2-8-0 with a 3.17 GAA and .895 SV% on the road this season, so look elsewhere tonight.
Neal, who missed Saturday’s game, was on the ice for Monday’s morning skate. He took line rushes on the Predators fourth line and said after the skate that he was not sure if he would play. Shortly after, head coach Peter Laviolette said that he believes Neal will play, so we will have to see in warmups.
It was originally reported that Karri Ramo would get the nod tonight vs. the Kings, but now it will be Hiller. He stopped 30 of 32 shots in a OT loss to the Canucks on Saturday and will get his fifth start in the Flames last six games. He is 0-4-1 with a 2.05 GAA and .921 SV% in December.
Beauchemin will miss his 13th straight game with a broken finger. He continues to practice, but is not quite ready to return to the lineup. This is the Ducks last game before the Christmas break, so monitor his status leading up to Saturday’s game vs. the Coyotes.
Jooris suffered the uper-body injury on Saturday vs. the Canucks. He will not play tonight vs. the Kings and is listed as day-to-day. Expect Brandon Bollig to return to the lineup with Jooris out.
Miller allowed two goals on 28 shots in the Canucks win over the Flames on Saturday. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Miller, who now sits at 17-7-0 with a 2.66 GAA and .901 SV% this season. Tonight he draws a great matchup at home vs. the Coyotes—he is 8-2-0 with a 2.45 GAA and .900 SV% at home.
Ben Bishop is doubtful to start tonight, so look for Vasilevsky to get the call vs. Pittsburgh. He stopped 45 of 47 shots in a 3-1 loss to the Islanders on Saturday. Since his recall he has turned aside 68 of 71 shots (.958 SV%). As good as he has been, he doesn’t draw the best spot-start matchup tonight, but you can take a risk because the Penguins are really banged up.
Bishop, who skated again on Monday, said that he thought that he will play tomorrow, but head coach Jon Cooper said that he is doubtful, which means Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to start vs. the Penguins.
