Semin was a healthy scratch on Thursday vs. the Kings, but he should be back in tonight. Semin skated on the third line with Jeff Skinner and Victor Rask this morning, which suggests he will play. He has suited up for 14 games so far and is still searching for his first goal of the season. He has a wicked wrister, so it should only be a matter of time before he finds the back of the net.
Rask stopped all 33 shots he faced in a 2-0 win over the Blues on Tuesday. He was given last night off so he could get a crack at the Canadiens tonight. There’s something about Montreal that Rask can’t figure out—he is 3-11-3 lifetime against the Habs and 0-5-3 vs. Montreal at TD Garden.
Mason allowed two goals on 34 shots in the Flyers 2-0 loss to the Rangers on Wednesday. He was given Thursday night off, but will be back in the cage tonight when the Flyers host his former team. He gave up four goals on 38 shots in a 4-3 loss to the Blue Jackets last Friday.
Bobrovsky was sensational on Friday, stopping 38 of 41 shots and then six of seven shootout attempts in the loss to the Bruins. Despite the busy evening, Goalie Bob will be back in goal tonight vs. his former team in Philadelphia. In his first two career starts vs. Philly he is 2-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .969 SV%.
Dubnyk stopped 33 of 34 shots in the Coyotes 2-1 win over the Oilers on Sunday. He has played well all year, but he has been especially great in his last two starts, earning two wins while stopping 88 of 89 shots (.989 SV%). Tonight he faces a struggling Sharks team who are 2-4-1 in their last seven.
Head coach Willie Desjardins did not have an update on Burrows upper-body injury after practice, but his absence this afternoon puts his status for Sunday’s game in doubt. With Burrows out, Linden Vey skated in the top-6 again.
Dillon was acquired from the Stars on Friday and despite his equipment not making it to San Jose this morning, he is expected to play tonight vs. the Coyotes. Dillon’s defence partner will likely be fluid for a while until the coaches can decide where he fits best.
Demers was acquired from the Sharks on Friday and he skated on the Stars’ second pair with Trevor Daley. “He’s a good puck-moving guy, a right-handed shot,” said Daley. “He’s a guy that can jump in to be in your top four and eat up a lot of minutes.” Daley will also man the point with Alex Goligoski on the Stars second power-play unit.
Hanzal has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury. He was on the ice for the Coyotes’ morning skate, but it sounds like he will miss his third consecutive game tonight.
Niemi surrendered two goals on 28 shots in a shootout loss to the Panthers on Thursday. Niemi has lost five of his last six outings with a 2.67 GAA and .908 SV%. Despite his recent struggles he should make for a strong start vs. the Coyotes.
Shaw will miss his second straight game with an upper body injury. The injury is not believed to be serious, but he will miss another game and that allows the recently recalled Phillip Danault to make his NHL debut.
Dubnyk stopped 33 of 34 shots in the Coyotes 2-1 win over the Oilers on Sunday. He has played well all year, but he has been especially great in his last two starts, earning two wins while stopping 88 of 89 shots (.989 SV%). Tonight he faces a struggling Sharks team who are 2-4-1 in their last seven.
Phillips will be replaced by Patrick Wiercioch on the blue line. He is day-to-day.
Luongo allowed two goals on 30 shots in the Panthers shootout win over the Sharks on Thursday. It was a nice bounce-back after Bobby Lu had allowed seven combined goals in his previous two starts (both losses). Tonight, he will face the red-hot Pekka Rinne and the Predators.
Trotman did not get into a game during his most recent recall. With Trotman going down the Bruins have just six active defensemen.
Lindblad, 24, has two goals and four assists in 16 games with Providence. He failed to record a point in his only two NHL games with the Bruins last season.
Caron, 24, failed to record a point in his only game with the Bruins this season. While in Providence, he registered five goals and four assists in nine games. No word on if he will crack the lineup tonight vs. the Canadiens.
Upshall missed Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury, but he was on the ice this morning, which suggests he could return tonight, but there is no official word on whether he will be back.
Pirri has been sidelined since October 30th with a concussion, but he has been skating this week and appears to be nearing a return. It doesn't look like he will be in the lineup tonight, but he is definitely getting close.
Marchand will miss his third straight game with an undisclosed injury. He has skated lately but still remains day-to-day.
