Mackenzie Blackwood is expected to miss Wednesday vs. Los Angeles due to illness so Magnus Chrona has been recalled from the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) to backup. The 23-year-old has appeared once in relief this season for San Jose during a previous call up, posting a .765 SV% and 7.87 GAA in a rough but short appearance.
Saros allowed two goals in the last 15 seconds in the Predators' last game before the Christmas break, a heart-breaking 3-2 regulation loss to the Dallas Stars. That said, Saros has played well over the last month and will return to the crease on Wednesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes. Saros has won 11 of his last 14 games (11-3-0), allowing two goals or fewer in nine, posting an impressive .923 SV%. The Predators are +124 home underdogs against the Hurricanes, who have lost four of their last five (1-1-3).
Saros allowed two goals in the last 15 seconds in the Predators' last game before the Christmas break, a heart-breaking 3-2 regulation loss to the Dallas Stars. That said, Saros has played well over the last month and will likely return to the crease on Wednesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes. Saros has won 11 of his last 14 games (11-3-0), allowing two goals or fewer in nine, posting an impressive .923 SV%. The Predators are +124 home underdogs against the Hurricanes, who have lost four of their last five (1-1-3).
The move to IR opens up a roster spot for Damon Severson to be activated for Saturday's game. Blankenburg is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Lucchini was recalled prior to Thursday's game because Ryan Hartman was unavailable due to injury. Lucchini didn't play, as the Wild went with seven defensemen, but he'll replace Daemon Hunt in the lineup on Saturday. The 28-year-old has one goal in 11 career NHL games with the Senators and 20 points (9G / 11A) in 24 AHL games this season.
Lucchini was a late addition to Thursday's lineup after Ryan Hartman was deemed unable to go due to an upper-body injury. Lucchini had nine goals, 20 points, six PIMs and a -6 plus/minus in 24 games with Iowa (AHL) and was recalled to Minnesota for the first time this season on Thursday on emergency conditions. The 28-year-old left-winger last appeared in the NHL for his one and only season in 2022-23 and had a goal, 14 SOG, and a -2 plus/minus in 11 games played.
Saros will get an immediate chance at redemption after a disappointing outing on Tuesday as he is set to make his league-leading 26th start of the season. Saros saw his personal six-game winning streak come to a crashing halt against the Canucks last time out, allowing five goals on just 24 shots. The uncharacteristic outing resulted in Saros' SV% dropping to .908 on the season to go along with his 14-11-0 record. He draws a decent matchup tonight on the road against the Flyers.
Lucchini had nine goals, 20 points, six PIMs and a -6 plus/minus in 24 games with Iowa (AHL) and has been recalled to Minnesota for the first time this season on emergency conditions. The 28-year-old left-winger last appeared in the NHL for his one and only season in 2022-23 and had a goal, 14 SOG, and a -2 plus/minus in 11 games played.
David Jiricek will draw into the lineup on Thursday in favour of Blankenburg, who will be a healthy scratch. Blankenburg has played six games this season and has zero points while averaging 17:53 time-on-ice.
Saros has won six straight contests and will return to the crease on Tuesday when the Predators welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Saros has only allowed nine total goals during his six-game winning streak, boasting a tremendous .954 SV%. The Predators were defeated 5-2 by the Canucks earlier this season with Kevin Lankinen between the pipes, but they have won four straight games and are -122 home favourites on Tuesday.
With Jake Oettinger sidelined due to a lower-body injury, Murray has been recalled and will serve as the backup to Scott Wedgewood. Murray has a 2.86 GAA and .908 SV% in 13 games (8-4-1) with the Texas Stars of the AHL this season. A concrete timeline for Oettinger's return to action is not yet available but it is unlikely that Murray will see much action between the pipes in Dallas unless he is with the club for an extended period.
Evangelista will get the opportunity to play on Friday as Kiefer Sherwood (upper-body) is unavailable. Evangelista has four goals and ten assists in 28 games this season.
Evangelista is expected to watch the game from the press box as a healthy scratch, allowing Philip Tomasino to draw back into the lineup. Evangelista has only one point (0G / 1A) in his last seven games while playing mainly with Kiefer Sherwood and Tommy Novak.
Vrana has cleared waivers Wednesday after being placed on them Tuesday and will report to Springfield (AHL) as he attempts to still resurrect his career. The 27-year-old left-winger was traded to St. Louis last season and had 12 goals and 20 points in 39 games with the Blues over two seasons but his lack of defensive play has led to him being back in the minors. He carriers a $5,250,000 contract hit this season.
Saros was tremendous in his last game, saving 36 of 37 shots (.973 SV%) in a 2-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens and will look for his fifth straight victory on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers. Saros has been excellent during a four-game winning streak, allowing only six goals total on 133 shots (.955 SV%). The Predators are -135 home favourites against a surprising Flyers team that has won four straight but will turn to backup goalie Samuel Ersson.
Saros was tremendous in his last game, saving 36 of 37 shots (.973 SV%) in a 2-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens and will look for his fifth straight victory on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers. Saros has been excellent during a four-game winning streak, allowing only six goals total on 133 shots (.955 SV%). The Predators are -135 home favourites against a surprising Flyers team that has won four straight but will turn to backup goalie Samuel Ersson.
After joining the Blues late last season, Vrana has been unable to make his desired mark with the team and has subsequently been placed on unconditional waivers. Vrana has mostly played this season alongside Kevin Hayes and Alexey Toropchenko, scoring six points (2G / 4A) in 19 games.
