Dufour made at costly mistake in the second period of his NHL debut which led to him sitting the rest of the game after just eight shifts, 6:48 TOI and a -2 plus/minus. The 20-year-old heads back to Bridgeport (AHL) where he has 13 goals, 12 assists, 19 PIMs and is a -11 plus/minus through 37 games.
Samsonov was perfect in relief his previous time out, stopping all 11 of 11 shots as he held the Maple Leafs in the game long enough to pull out an overtime victory over Florida. The 25-year-old has been solid in his first season in blue and white, with a 13-4-1 record, 2.24 GAA and .916 SV%. He will face the Winnipeg Jets, who are first in the Central Division and have won eight of their last 10 games.
Montembeault stopped 25 of 26 shots (.962 SV%) for his second straight victory as he beat the Central leading Winnipeg Jets in his previous start. The 26-year-old will be tasked with a starters' workload now that Jake Allen is on the shelf for a few weeks (injury) and will be hoping to build off his 9-7-2 record, 3.05 GAA and .912 SV%. He will face the Florida Panthers, who are coming off a 5-4 overtime loss to Toronto but are second in the NHL in shots per game (35.4).
Luukkonen allowed three goals on 33 shots (.909 SV%) as he picked up his second defeat in three games as he was downed by Florida in his last start. The 23-year-old net minder has a great record at 10-5-1 but has struggled to stop the puck in general as shown by his 3.41 GAA and .897 SV%. He faces the New York Islanders, who have been on a tough run as of late, losing six of their last seven games after a 4-1 loss to Boston last game.
Merzlikins allowed three goals on 33 shots (.909 SV%) for his fifth loss in six starts as he was defeated by the New York Rangers in his previous game. The 28-year-old has been one of the league's worst goaltenders, with his 5-12-0 record, 4.44 GAA and .869 SV%. He will face the Anaheim Ducks, who are in the middle of a five-game losing skid after a 5-2 loss to Philadelphia last game.
Hart was pulled after allowing four goals on 16 shots (.750 SV%) as he snapped a two-game winning streak with a loss to Boston in his last game. The 24-year-old has had an up and down season so far, with his 13-13-6 record, .907 SV% and 3.00 GAA. He takes on the Chicago Blackhawks, who have surprisingly won four of their last five games after a 4-3 overtime loss to Buffalo last game.
Andersen stopped 34 of 35 shots in the Hurricanes' win over the Penguins last Saturday. Since returning to the Hurricanes' crease on January 12th, Andersen has won each of his starts while stopping 55 of 58 shots (.948 SV%). Overall, he's 7-3-0 with a .903 SV% in 10 games this season. Tonight he'll face a Wild team that is on a three-game winning streak and have won 12 of their last 17 games (12-3-2).
Husso allowed five goals on 22 shots (.773 SV%) for his second loss in as many starts as he was downed by Colorado in his previous game. The 27-year-old has watched what was once a great season start, go to the dumps as he now has a 14-10-5 record, 3.10 GAA and .899 SV%. He takes on Vegas, who has lost three of their last four after a 4-0 loss to Dallas last game but are 14th in goals for per game (3.2).
Martin allowed four goals on 35 shots (.886 SV%) for his fifth-straight loss as he was defeated by Florida in his previous start. The 27-year-old has been very poor for the Canucks all season, as shown by his .880 SV%, 3.76. GAA and 11-10-1 record. He draws the unfortunate start of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are in the middle of a four-game winning streak and are fifth in the NHL in goals per game (3.6).
Varlamov allowed four goals on 21 shots (.810 SV%) for his second loss in three games as he lost to Calgary in his previous start. The Islanders' backup netminder has been incredibly serviceable as expected this season, with his 8-4-1 record, .913 SV% and 2.75 GAA. He will face the league-leading Boston Bruins, who have won six of their last seven games after a 6-0 win over Philadelphia last game.
Talbot allowed two goals on 20 shots (.900 SV%) for his fourth straight loss as he was defeated by St. Louis in his previous start. The 35-year-old has struggled in his first season in Ottawa, with a 10-12-1 record, 2.86 GAA and .906 SV%. He will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins, who won their last game 4-3 over Anaheim and are 13th in the NHL in goals per game (3.21).
Weatherby had three goals, three assists, 39 PIMs and a -7 plus/minus through 39 games this season with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) and has been traded to the Detroit Red Wings for Kyle Criscuolo.
Criscuolo had five goals, five assists, 17 PIMs, and a -13 plus/minus through 28 games with Grand Rapids (AHL) but has been traded to the San Jose Sharks for Jasper Weatherby.
Georgiev allowed five goals on 37 shots (.892 SV%) as he lost his sixth start in seven games after a defeat to Florida his last time out. The 26-year-old has been solid despite his recent struggles as of late, shown by his 16-11-3 record, .914 SV% and 2.75 GAA. He will face the Calgary Flames, who lost their previous game vs. Nashville 2-1 but are third in the NHL in shots per game (35.0).
Makar is fifth among all defensemen in points (43) and second in goals (13) but will miss Wednesday's game vs. Calgary due to an undisclosed injury. The 2022 Norris Trophy winner is considered day-to-day as we wait for more of an update on his ailment.
