Allen gave up two goals on 23 shots in the Blues win over the Kings on Tuesday. Despite the win, he was given Thursday night off in Los Angeles. He has been victorious in his last three starts while posting a 2.33 GAA and .908 SV%. He draws a tough matchup tonight vs. the Sharks.
Pavelec allowed one goal on 28 shots in the Jets 5-1 blowout win over the Sabres on Tuesday. Look for the Jets goalie rotation to continue and for Pavelec to be in goal vs. the Flyers, who are coming off of a 7-4 win over the Maple Leafs last night. The Flyers are as inconsistent of a hockey team as you will find in the NHL, so it is hard to predict what kind of matchup this is for Pavelec.
Lander, 23, has recorded eight goals and 19 assists (27 points). His 27 points is tied for the OKC team lead and is tied for fifth in the AHL. He is expected to centre the third line with Tyler Pitlick and Nail Yakupov and get some work on the second PP unit on Sunday. He has eight points (2G / 6A) in 94 career NHL games.
According to the Penguins website roster, Kunitz has been activated from IR and Paul Martin has been moved to IR. His activation suggests that Kunitz could return to the lineup tonight vs. the Panthers. He was in the morning skate, but there was no announcement whether he would return or not. Consider him a game-time decision.
Niemi surrendered three goals on 28 shots in a the Sharks 4-3 win over the Oilers on Thursday. It was not Niemi’s best outing, but it was enough to earn his sixth straight victory. Over the span of his six-game streak he has a 2.33 GAA and .922 SV%. He draws a tough matchup against a Blues team who has averaged 4.00 goals per game in eight games in December.
Pacioretty took part in the morning skate, just two days after being hospitalized with an upper-body injury. He was crunched by Clayton Stoner on Thursday and was sent to the hospital as a pre-caution. He has shown an incredible ability to heal in the past, so don’t be surprised to see him in the lineup tonight vs. Ottawa. Monitor his status during warmups at 6:30 PM ET.
Talbot, 27, has gone 2-3-1 with a 2.34 GAA and .921 SV% as Henrik Lundqvist backup this season. Over two seasons with the Rangers, he is 14-9-2 with a 1.80 GAA and .936 SV%. He is signed with New York through the 2015-16 season.
Weiss had been hopeful that he would return tomorrow vs. Colorado, but he will miss his fourth straight game with a shoulder injury.
Rinne allowed two goals on 35 shots in the Predators 3-2 shootout win over the Bruins on Tuesday. Rinne has won three of his last four starts with a 0.99 GAA and .968 SV%. He continues to pace the NHL with his outstanding play and is the early season Vezina Trophy favourite. Get him in your lineup tonight vs. a Wild team that continues to underwhelm.
Emery allowed one goal on 18 shots in the Flyers win over the Devils on December 11th. With Mason out, he could start both games this weekend. Tonight it looks like he will take on the Maple Leafs in Toronto. This does not setup well, considering the Leafs are the highest scoring team in the NHL and Emery is 2-3-0 with a 4.01 GAA and .858 SV% on the road.
Boyes missed Thursday’s game with a back injury, but he will be back in for Brandon Pirri tonight.
Carter has missed the last three games with an upper-body injury, but will be back in tonight. He has 10 points (2G / 8A) and a plus-3 rating in 26 games.
Cooke has been sidelined with a hip injury since October 28th, but will be back in tonight against Nashville. Cooke had an excellent start to the season, recorded six points (2G /4), a plus-5 rating and four PIMS in eight games. Tonight he will skate on the third line with Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter.
Brassard returned to practice on Friday after missing the previous two games and he will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Hurricanes. He has eight goals and 16 assists (24 points) in 27 games this season.
Kuemper (illness) missed his scheduled start on Tuesday and sat out Wednesday, but he will be back between the pipes tonight in Nashville. Kuemper allowed two goals on 30 shots in a loss to the Sharks in his last start. Despite his recent struggles, Kuemper is 7-3-0 at home this season—however his .885 SV% at Xcel Energy Center is alarming.
Lehner allowed four goals on 33 shots in a loss to the Sabres on Monday. Craig Anderson has been exceptional in his last two games, so they will be looking for a big outing from Lehner tonight. Lehner is 6-4-2 with a 2.84 GAA and .913 SV% on the season. He will face a Habs team that is 12-4-1 at home.
Hanzal's wife gave birth to a baby girl on Friday and it was uncertain whether or not Hanzal would make it to Los Angeles in time. However, coach Tippett said that Hanzal is expected to make it in time and be in the lineup vs. the Kings.
Johnson took part in a very optional morning skate and could return to the lineup tonight after missing last night's game with an illness.
Vasilevskiy stopped 23 of 24 shots in the Lightning’s 3-1 win over the Flyers on Tuesday. It was an excellent debut for the 2012 first-round pick, who will make his second career start tonight on Long Island. Ben Bishop is not expected to be out long-term, so Vasilevskiy’s run with the Lightning will be short-lived, but he could make for an OK spot-start tonight.
Luongo allowed one goal on 26 shots in the Panthers win over the Flyers on Thursday. He has won three in a row while allowing just four goals on 81 shots (.951 SV%). He has been red-hot in December (5-1-1) and catches a break when he faces the Penguins tonight. The Pens have three regular defenseman missing as well as a couple forwards.
