McAvoy will miss his second straight game on Thursday and the Bruins are unsure how long their young defenseman will be sidelined. With McAvoy, Torey Krug, Kevan Miller and Urho Vaakanainen all out, Jeremy Lauzon has been called up and will make his NHL debut tonight.
Korpisalo gave up four goals on 41 shots in the Blue Jackets win in Florida on October 11th. Korpisalo has won each of his two starts this season, allowing six goals on the 61 shots (.902 SV%) that he has faced. Tonight he faces his third start against a Blues team that is currently tied for 16th in the NHL in scoring (3.13 GF/PG).
Rask surrendered four goals on 28 shots in the Bruins loss in Calgary last Wednesday. Throughout his first four starts, Rask has posted a putrid 4.08 GAA and .875 SV%, but could get back on track tonight in Ottawa. Rask stopped 28 of 31 shots in a 6-3 win over the Senators on October 8th.
McAvoy took a hit against Edmonton last week and has not been feeling right according to head coach Bruce Cassidy. McAvoy will undergo testing in Boston, so he won’t be available for Saturday’s game in Vancouver. Kevan Miller is also out, so Urho Vaakaninen has been recalled and will play.
Rask gave up two goals on 34 shots in the Bruins win over the Red Wings on Saturday. After an opening night loss, Rask has won two in a row while stopping 60 of 65 shots (.923 SV%). Tonight he will face the 3-2-0 Flames, who are eighth in the NHL in scoring (3.60 GF/per game) so far.
Rask allowed three goals on 31 shots in the Bruins win over the Senators on Monday afternoon. It was a nice bounce-back effort from Rask, but he will need to play well to stay ahead of Jaroslav Halak on the depth chart. He is a must-start on Saturday vs. the Red Wings—he was 3-0-0 with a 1.67 GAA and .946 SV% vs. Detroit last year.
Jokiharju missed Wednesday’s practice because of the flu, but traveled to Minnesota and is expected to play tonight. Jokiharju has five assists in his first three games of the season and was bumped to the top power-play unit recently—adding to his growing fantasy value.
Johnson missed the Lightning’s season opener on Saturday but will play tonight vs. the Canucks. Johnson will play on the second line with Brayden Point and Yanni Gourde.
Korpisalo stopped 18 of 20 shots in the Blue Jackets win in Detroit last Thursday. Bobrovsky recorded a win over the Avalanche on Tuesday, but the Blue Jackets will go with Korpisalo in Florida tonight. The 24-year-old was 2-6-1 with a 4.11 GAA and .872 SV% on the road last season.
Jokiharju’s rookie season is off to a great start and he was moved to the top power-play unit on Tuesday, but he’s questionable for Thursday’s game vs. the Wild. Keep an eye on his status during Thursday’s morning skate.
Johnson missed the Lightning’s season opener vs. the Panthers last Saturday but will play on Thursday barring a setback in the morning skate. Johnson is expected to skate on the Lightning’s second line with Yanni Gourde and Brayden Point and should see some time on the power-play as well.
Rask was yanked after allowing five goals on 19 shots in the Bruins blowout loss in Washington on opening night. After sitting and watching Jaroslav Halak in the Bruins second-game, Rask will get the call against the Senators this afternoon. Rask was 3-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA, .959 SV% and one shutout vs. Ottawa last year.
Johnson was originally listed as questionable for Saturday's game, but will not play in the Lightning's season opener. Johnson has been practicing, so he figures to be back next week. With Johnson sidelined, Cory Conacher will play on the fourth line and Mathieu Joseph will be bumped to the third line.
Johnson has been battling an upper-body injury and remains questionable for tomorrow’s season opener despite practicing on both Thursday and Friday. If Johnson is unable to play, Mathieu Joseph is expected to take his spot on the Lightning’s third line.
The Blue Jackets open their season with a back-to-back in Detroit and Carolina, so they will save Sergei Bobrovsky for the home opener and the tougher matchup. Korpisalo didn’t see a lot of work in 2018 and his numbers didn’t warrant many more starts—he finished the year with a 3.32 GAA and .897 SV% in just 18 starts.
Rask started 60-plus games from 2015-to-2017 but was limited to just 53 starts in 2018. Despite a few less starts for the ageing netminder, Rask won 34 games with a 2.36 GAA, .917 SV% and three shutouts. Playing behind one of the strongest teams in the NHL, Rask should be in-line for a lot of wins in 2019, but draws a tough matchup out of the gate. Rask was 13-8-2 with a 2.51 GAA, .915 SV% and three shutouts on the road last year.
Bergeron got rid of his non-contact jersey during Monday’s practice and centred the top line with Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak on his wings. After the session, head coach Bruce Cassidy said he “anticipates [Bergeron] will be good to go for Wednesday.” Bergeron missed 18 games last season, but was on-pace for a career-high in goals (38) and points (80). A healthy season on a dominant Bruins’ top line could make Bergeron a point-per-game player in 2019.
