Bishop surrendered three goals on 35 shots in Monday’s 6-3 victory over the Rangers. It was the third time in two weeks that Bishop handed New York the loss. He is riding a four-game winning streak and sits 15-3-2 with a 2.30 GAA and .917 SV%. Tonight he takes on a Sabres team who have surprisingly won six of seven, but don’t let that scare you; he is a must start.
Abdelkader is not on the ice for the Red Wings’ morning skate which suggests he will miss a second consecutive game with a shoulder injury. Abdelkader remains day-to-day.
Barkov is not on the ice at the Panthers morning skate, which suggests that he will miss his second straight game with a hand injury that he suffered on Monday vs. the Blue Jackets. Again, there is no break, but Barkov’s hand has some swelling and it looks like it will keep him out of at least one more game.
MacIntyre, 31, has posted a 6-8-1 record, a 2.82 GAA and a .909 SV% in 15 games with Charlotte this season. He has been recalled to serve as Anton Khudobin’s backup tonight, because Cam Ward (undisclosed) is not expected to be available.
Ward missed practice on Tuesday, he is also not on the ice this morning and the Hurricanes have recalled Drew MacIntyre from Charlotte (AHL), so all signs point towards Ward not dressing tonight and Anton Khudobin getting the start. Coach Peters said that Ward was "a little sore," so it doesn't sound like this will be a longterm injury.
Khudobin should be in goal with Cam Ward out with a lower-body injury. Khudobin allowed three goals on 33 shots in the Hurricanes loss to the Penguins on Saturday. Khudobin has made seven starts this season and he is still searching for his first win—he is 0-5-2 with a 2.98 GAA and .900 SV%.
Bernier gave up three goals on 38 shots in the Maple Leafs 5-3 win vs. the Stars on Tuesday. He has now won four of his last five games with a 2.38 GAA and .923 SV%. He draws a real nice matchup tonight against a Devils team who have lost five in a row and seven of their last eight while be outscored 20-14.
Blacker, 23, made his NHL debut on the weekend with the Ducks, but now heads over to Florida where he will likely end up with the San Antonio Rampage (AHL). He has five assists in 15 gams with Norfolk this season.
The Ducks continue to try and shore up their banged-up blue line. They acquired Eric Brewer from the Lightning but he played just two games before breaking a bone in his foot. So now they have brought in 24-year-old Colby Robak, who has three assists in 42 career NHL games and no points in seven games this season.
St. Louis must have liked what they saw from Brodeur in practice because they will give him the start just two days after signing him to a one-year deal. The 42-year-old net minder was 19-14-6 with a 2.51 GAA and .901 SV% with the Devils last season, but just take a peek at his career line—688-394-49 / 2.51 GAA / 912 SV% / 124 SO.
Price allowed three goals on 29 shots in the Habs win over the Avalanche on Monday. He has won three of his last four starts while allowing just six goals on 119 shots (.950 SV%). He draws a so-so matchup tonight, but Price is a must-start whenever he gets the call.
Lecavalier was a healthy scratch on Tuesday for the first time in his NHL career and despite the Flyers losing 2-1, they will sit the veteran yet again.
Bortuzzo’s hit was late and he also made contact with Jagr’s chin. Because Bortuzzo did not leave his feet on the hit, he got off with a relatively short suspension. Bortuzo is eligible to return next Monday in New York. Expect Brian Dumoulin to play in the two games in which Bortuzzo will be unavailable.
Martinez was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season (per NHLNumbers). He is now signed through the 2020-21 season and will have a $4 million cap-hit. Martinez has seven points (2G / 5A) in 18 games this season, but just returned to the lineup last night after missing seven games with a finger injury.
Eaves was injured while blocking a shot in Tuesday’s loss to the Maple Leafs. The veteran forward will be “out for awhile” according to coach Ruff, who also added that the injury is “pretty bad”. The Stars have called up Curtis McKenzie.
Gaborik continues to skate with the Kings and he said that he should be back soon, but doesn’t know if he will travel to Arizona for Thursday’s game. Seems like he will be out tomorrow but should be back in the lineup come Saturday, back at home vs. the Flyers.
Andersen stopped 32 of 34 shots in the Ducks’ 3-2 win over the Bruins on Monday. With John Gibson still on IR and Jason LaBarbera out for 2-3 weeks, the job is all Andersen’s. Over the last two weeks, Andersen has won four of six with a 2.91 GAA and .911 SV%. Tonight he makes for a great start against a struggling Flyers squad.
Holden’s move to forward is part necessity and part punishment. Holden has struggled this season, evidenced by his team-worst minus-16 rating. He will skate on the Avs’ fourth line with Cody McLeod and Michael Sgarbossa, while Karl Stollery will take his spot on the blue line.
The Avalanche are extremely banged up right now and they will dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen on Thursday vs. Calgary. Nick Holden will play as a forward, which leaves Stollery to draw in on the third pairing.
Cunningham, 24, did not get into a during this recall. He returns to Providence where he has tallied 13 points (4G / 9A) in 18 games this season.
