Staal missed the skate because of some “soreness”, but he will play tonight vs. the Leafs. Staal has just one goal in his last seven games and 16 points (7G / 9A) in 25 games this season.
Ward allowed four goals on 29 shots in the Hurricanes loss to the Canadiens on Tuesday. Despite losing four in a row with a 2.80 GAA and .883 SV%, the Hurricanes will start Ward again tonight vs. the Maple Leafs. Toronto is red-hot right now and the Canes are clearly struggling, so look elsewhere tonight.
Originally it was Marc-Andre Fleury who was being tested for mumps and Greiss was ready to start tonight vs. Colorado. Well, Fleury is mumps free and now expected to start and Greiss is in isolation as he gets tested for the virus.
This is a crazy situation. Originally Greiss had been the scheduled starter with Fleury being tested for mumps. Fleury's tests came back negative and was cleared to play tonight. Now Greiss is being tested for mumps and is in isolation, which leaves Fleury to start tonight with Jeff Zatkoff as his backup.
Thomas Greiss had been announced as the Penguins starter when Fleury was expected to be out. Now that Fleury has been cleared to play, we will see if this changes the starting goalie situation. Either way this is excellent news for the Penguins.
With Brad Stuart returning to the lineup tonight vs. the Penguins, the Avs had to make a roster move to make room for the blue liner, so Rendulic heads back to Lake Erie.
Stuart has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since November 4th, but will return to the lineup tonight in Pittsburgh. He has yet to record a point and carries a minus-4 rating through 19 games this season. Tonight will be his 1,000th career NHL game.
Pickard allowed three goals on 42 shots in the Avs’ 3-2 OT loss to the Blues on Saturday. With four days off between games, Pickard will start tonight and he will also start both games of the back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday. He makes for an excellent waiver wire addition because he is the clear number-1 net minder with Semyon Varlamov out.
Jaskin, 21, has recorded four goals and 11 assists (15 points) in 17 games with Chicago this season. He has been recalled because Jaden Schwartz is week-to-week with a foot injury.
It is believed that Schwartz suffered the injury while blocking a Drew Doughty shot in the Blues win over the Kings last night. He will be out until after Christmas. The Blues have recalled Dmitrij Jaskin from Chicago (AHL).
Krejci has been sidelined with a lower-body injury since November 18th, but will return to the Bruins lineup tonight. The injury continued to linger and held the playmaking centre out longer than expected, but he should provide a big offensive spark for the B’s. He has 10 points (3G / 7A) in 11 games this season.
Svedberg allowed a single goal on 34 shots in a 2-0 loss to the Kings on December 2nd. After a heavy workload for Tuukka Rask last night, Svedberg will be in goal tonight in Minnesota. It will be the battle of the backups with Niklas Backstrom going for the Wild.
Gibson has been sidelined with a groin injury since October 30th. Since then, the Ducks signed Ilya Bryzgalov to be Frederik Andersen’s backup, which pushes Gibson back to the minors. Whether or not he gets back to the NHL this season will be decided on how he performs in Norfolk and how Bryz does with Anaheim. Regardless, returning to the minors is probably best for the 21-year-olds development.
Backstrom allowed four goals on 38 shots in the Wild’s loss to the Blackhawks last night. He was not the scheduled starter, but with Darcy Kuemper getting sick, he will start both games of the back-to-back set. Backstrom is 5-3-1 with 2.43 GAA and .903 SV% this series. He made 25 saves in a 4-3 win over the Bruins in October.
The Penguins are testing three more players for mumps, one of which is Fleury. The Pens recalled Jeff Zatkoff this afternoon, which suggests that Fleury won’t be available tomorrow vs. the Avalanche. Expect Thomas Greiss to get the start and Zatkoff to be the back-up.
The Penguins starter Marc-Andre Fleury is reportedly ill and is being tested for mumps. With Fleury likely out tomorrow, Zatkoff has been recalled and should be Thomas Greiss’ back vs. the Avalanche. Zatkoff, 27, has played in 15 AHL games with WBS this season, posting a 9-5-1 record, 1.89 GAA and a .918 SV% with one shutout. His GAA ranks fifth in the AHL.
Lehtonen allowed three goals on 31 shots in the Stars win over the Devils on Saturday. The Stars had three days off between games, so they will go with Lehtonen again tonight in Vancouver. He will take on the Canucks for the second time this season—in the first meeting, he made 43 saves in a 6-3 win back in October.
Andrighetto’s first career call-up went very well. He tallied two goals and one assist in four games. Andrighetto heads back to the AHL where he has registered 18 points (9G / 9A) in 21 games this season.
Lehtonen allowed three goals on 31 shots in the Stars win over the Devils on Saturday. The Stars had three days off between games, so they will go with Lehtonen again tonight in Vancouver. It looks like he will take on the Canucks for the second time this season—in the first meeting, he made 43 saves in a 6-3 win back in October.