Allen was pulled after allowing three goals on six shots in the Blues loss to the Canucks on Sunday. Chad Johnson was waived and picked up by Anaheim, which means Allen will have to outplay Jordan Binnington for playing time moving forward. Tonight he takes on the Panthers on home-ice, where he is 4-4-2 with a 3.86 GAA and .879 SV%.
Bjugstad missed Saturday’s game against the Rangers and will miss at least two more games with an upper-body injury. With Bjugstad out, Troy Brouwer was elevated into the top-6 at Monday’s practice.
Bjugstad was not on the ice for the Panthers morning skate and head coach Bob Boughner announced that he is day-to-day. Don’t expect to see Bjugstad on Saturday, which means Denis Malgin will draw into the lineup.
Allen gave up just two goals on 36 shots in the Blues loss to the Oilers on Wednesday. Allen has struggled at times this season but has played better as of late. In his last five appearances, Allen has given up just 12 goals on 135 shots (.911 SV%). The 28-year-old has gone 3-4-2 with a 2.65 GAA and .913 SV% on the road this season.
Bjugstad left Tuesday’s game early and practiced in a non-contact sweater on Wednesday. Despite all of that, it looks like Bjugstad will play vs. the Avalanche. Bjugstad has just 10 points (4G / 6A) in 26 games this season.
Bjugstad was on the ice for Wednesday’s practice in a non-contact sweater after leaving Tuesday’s game with an undisclosed injury. Head coach Bob Boughner said Bjugstad was feeling “surprisingly decent” and listed him as a game-time decision for tonight’s game vs. the Avalanche. Juho Lammikko centred the third line with Bjugstad limited in practice.
Pesce was activated from IR on Saturday but was a healthy scratch for Sunday’s game. In total, he has sat out for the last nine games but returns tonight with two goals, one assist and 27 shots in 17 games this season.
Meier has missed the last three games with an undisclosed injury but will play tonight vs. the Hurricanes. Meier will skate on a line with Joe Thornton and Marcus Sorensen and re-enters the lineup with 13 goals and 10 assists (23 points) in 25 games.
Allen allowed two goals on 29 shots in the Blues win in Colorado last Friday. Dating back to early-November, Allen has gone 3-5-0 with a 2.52 GAA and .918 SV% in eight starts and one relief appearance. Tonight he faces an Oilers team that is 4-2-1 while averaging just 2.00 goals per game under Ken Hitchcock.
Meier has missed the last three games but skated with Joe Thornton and Marcus Sorensen in Tuesday’s practice, suggesting he’ll be back on Wednesday. Monitor his status when the Sharks hit the ice for tomorrow’s morning skate.
Mantha broke his had in a fight with Patrik Nemeth on Sunday and will miss at least one month. With Mantha out, Gustav Nyquist will move to the top-line on Tuesday and Luke Witkowski will dress as a seventh defenseman.
Rittich surrendered four goals on 28 shots in the Flames loss to the Stars last Wednesday. Rittich has lost two straight starts but finished November at 5-1-1 with a 2.30 GAA, .911 SV% and one shutout. Tonight he will take on a Blue Jackets team that has won eight of their last 12 (8-3-1) contests.
Mantha will miss Tuesday’s game against the Lightning with an undisclosed injury but GM Ken Holland said the winger could possibly be out long-term. Mantha will be re-evaluated later in the day and the Red Wings should provide more details on the nature of the injury. With Mantha out, rookie Michael Rasmussen could take on an expanded role but this injury is devastating for a Red Wings team that was playing better than most people expected.
