Reimer stopped 30 of 31 shots in the Panthers’ win in Colorado last Friday. Reimer will start the first game of a back-to-back tonight vs. the Bruins. The 28-year old has gone 4-4-2 with a 2.77 GAA and .904 SV% in his first 12 appearances with the Panthers. He will take on a Bruins team that has lost six of their last eight games.
Smith allowed three goals on 27 shots in the Coyotes’ loss to the Flames on Monday. Smith has lost his last two starts while allowing a combined six goals on 56 shots (.893 SV%). Smith has gone 3-5-2 with a 2.71 GAA and .928 SV% in his last 10 starts and tonight he will make his third start vs. Edmonton. He has gone 2-0-0 with a 1.44 GAA and .961 SV% in the first two meetings.
Montoya stopped all five shots that he faced after replacing Carey Price in the Canadiens’ loss to the Sharks last Friday. Montoya is 2-3-2 with a 3.53 GAA and .887 SV% in seven starts on the road this season. Those numbers are a tad inflated by a 10-0 loss in Columbus back on November 4th. Tonight he gets a chance to redeem himself in Columbus, against a Blue Jackets team that has won 11 in a row.
Price stopped 12 of 13 shots in the Canadiens’ win over the Ducks. It was an easy night for Price, who has won five of his last seven starts while posting a 2.28 GAA and .899 SV%. The 29-year-old has been excellent on home ice this season, going 14-2-2 with a 1.83 GAA and .937 SV% in 18 starts at Bell Centre. Tonight he will take on a Wild team that has won eight consecutive games.
Markov missed Tuesday’s game vs. the Ducks and will not play Thursday vs. the Wild, but head coach Michel Therrien said he wouldn't be surprised if Markov was available for Friday’s game in Columbus. With Markov out, Zach Redmond will remain in the lineup.
Gordon played just 7:40 TOI on Monday and will come back out of the lineup tonight vs. the Capitals. Gordon will be replaced by Dale Weise and will be scratched for the fifth time in six games.
Weise was a healthy scratch on Monday, but will replace Boyd Gordon in the lineup tonight vs. the Capitals. Weise has had a rough debut season in Philadelphia, picking up just four points (2G / 2A) in 29 games.
Holtby allowed two goals on 25 shots in the Capitals’ loss to Montreal on Saturday. After three days off, Holtby will be back in goal tonight in Philadelphia. Holtby has won four of his last five (4-1-0) while allowing a combined nine goals on 140 shots (.936 SV%). He’ll face a Flyers team that is 11-5-3 on home-ice—Holtby is 5-2-2 with a 2.19 GAA and .930 SV% on the road.
Mason stopped 30 of 31 shots in the Flyers’ shootout loss to the Predators on Monday. Mason has been excellent in December, winning seven of his nine starts (7-1-1) with a 2.19 GAA and .925 SV%. The Flyers have been red-hot and tonight they’ll take on a Capitals team that has won six of their last seven while averaging 3.29 goals per game.
Pastrnak underwent a procedure on his elbow last week and missed Sunday’s game. The Bruins’ leading goal scorer had the same procedure as his teammate David Backes had and Backes missed two weeks, so expect Pastrnak to be out through the Christmas break, but his return to practice is a positive sign that he shouldn’t miss too much time.
Jimmy Howard was hurt in the Red Wings’ loss in Tampa Bay last night, so Coreau has been recalled to serve as their No.2 netminder. Howard’s injury appeared to be serious, so Coreau could be up long-term. Coreau made his NHL debut on December 3rd, he allowed four goals on 36 shots in a loss in Pittsburgh. The 6-foot-6 netminder has gone 11-6-0 with a 2.18 GAA and .924 SV% in 17 games with the Griffins.
Pitlick was hurt in Monday’s game in St. Louis and was seen postgame in a walking cast up to his thigh and on crutches. Right now, it doesn’t look good for him,” Oilers’ head coach Todd McLellan said postgame. Pitlick will be out until the Christmas break at the very least, so expect Jesse Puljujarvi or Taylor Beck to get back into the lineup on Wednesday.
Mason stopped 30 of 31 shots in the Flyers’ shootout loss to the Predators on Monday. Mason has been excellent in December, winning seven of his nine starts (7-1-1) with a 2.19 GAA and .925 SV%. The Flyers have been red-hot and tonight they’ll take on a Capitals team that has won six of their last seven while averaging 3.29 goals per game.
Stastny left Tuesday’s game with an upper-body injury and did not return. Stastny had one assist in 14:30 TOI before leaving the game. The veteran centre is day-to-day and could miss Friday’s game vs. the Oilers.
Hossa left Tuesday’s game after suffering an upper-body injury in the first period and did not return. Head coach Joel Quenneville said that Hossa was “OK” and is listed as day-to-day. The Blackhawks have one game before the Christmas break, so don’t be surprised if Hossa sits out on Friday to give him a full week to recover.
Bishop left Tuesday’s game with a lower-body injury and did not return. He was hurt when he extended his right leg to make a save on what appeared to be an otherwise harmless play. Andrei Vasilevskiy will replace Ben Bishop as the Lightning’s starter until Bishop is available.
Howard left Tuesday’s game after a collision with his teammate Nick Jensen and Lightning forward Erik Condra. Howard was writhing in pain and was unable to put any weight on his right leg as he left the ice. The Red Wings did not have an update on his status after the game, but expect an update in the next few days after he is evaluated. Jared Coreau has been recalled from Grand Rapids (AHL).
Niemi stopped 31 of 32 shots in the Stars’ win over the Flyers on Saturday. Niemi will make his fourth straight start after going 2-1-0 with a 1.35 GAA and .959 SV% in his previous three starts. Niemi has gone 1-0-1 with a 2.93 GAA and.902 SV% in his first two starts against the Blues this season.
