Zibanejad missed the first few weeks of training camp after testing positive for COVID-19 but was on the ice for Thursday's morning skate and will play vs. the Islanders. Head coach David Quinn said he expects to see "full Mika tonight" so it doesn't sound like Zibanejad is dealing with any limitations. He is coming off of a career year and will look to maintain the blistering pace he set a year ago.
Hutton has struggled mightily in his first two years in Buffalo, posting a 3.07 GAA and .904 SV% in 81 games. Hutton reportedly had a very strong training camp, so the Sabres will go with him on opening night and hope he can rediscover his game from 2018. Hutton was 8-4-2 with a 2.68 GAA and .902 SV% on home-ice in 2020.
After five years with the Islanders, Greiss signed with the Red Wings this offseason and will split time in the crease with Jonathan Bernier this season. Greiss will get an opportunity to make an immediate impact as he starts the season opener vs. Carolina. Going from a structured Barry Trotz team to Detroit will undoubtedly hurt Greiss' numbers. The Red Wings were outscored 14-to-5 in three games against the Hurricanes a season ago.
Blackwood came into 2021 expecting to split time with Corey Crawford but could become a workhorse after Crawford retired prior to the start of the season. Blackwood performed well in 2020, going 22-14-8 with a 2.77 GAA and .915 SV%. He enters the season with a career .916 SV% in 70 appearances, so he should make for a low-end No.2/high-end No.3 fantasy netminder but draws a tough matchup vs. the Bruins on opening night.
Connauton figures to go to the Panthers' taxi squad or the AHL after signing a two-way deal on Wednesday. Connauton had no points in just four games with the Avalanche last season, spending most of the year in the AHL. He had 27 points (5G / 22A) in 38 games with the Eagles.
Arvidsson missed Wednesday's practice but head coach John Hynes expects him to be available for Thursday's game vs. the Blue Jackets. Arvidsson will look to bounce back after a down 2020 season, where he had just 15 goals and 13 assists (28 points) in 57 games.
After 10 years and 468 appearances in a Washington Capitals uniform, Holtby will make his Canucks debut Wednesday in Edmonton. Holtby's numbers fell drastically in 2020, posting a 3.11 GAA and .897 SV% in 48 games. Now in Vancouver, Holtby will likely share the crease with Thatcher Demko and will play for a team that gave up the second most scoring chances against at 5v5 a year ago.
Matt Murray was traded to the Ottawa Senators this offseason, so Jarry becomes the Penguins' No.1 netminder for 2021 with Casey DeSmith serving as his backup. Jarry was impressive in 33 appearances last season, finishing 20-12-1 and ranking ninth in GAA (2.43) tied for eighth in SV% (.921). He showcased he has what it takes to carry a sizeable workload this season and it will start tonight in Philadelphia. He was 1-1-0 while stopping 54 of 59 shots (.915 SV%) in two starts vs. the Flyers last season but Philadelphia looks like a much deeper team in 2021.
Hart went 24-13-3 with a 2.42 GAA and .914 SV% in 43 appearances in 2020. The 22-year-old netminder has been steady in his first two years in the league, posting a .915 SV% but the Flyers are hoping he can take that next step in year-3 and push for a division win. He did not start vs. the Penguins a year ago but was a sparkling 20-3-2 with a 1.63 GAA and .943 SV% on home ice.
After a breakout 2019 campaign, Binnington came back down to earth a bit in 2020. He still managed to win 30 games while posting a 2.56 GAA and .912 SV% in 50 starts. Binnington struggled a bit on the road, going 10-8-2 with a .903 SV%, so he could have a tough start to the season with a road matchup in Colorado. He was 2-2-0 with a 3.98 GAA and .857 SV% in two starts vs. the Avalanche last year.
Simek was banged up in training camp but head coach Bob Boughner expects to have him for the "St. Louis series" which suggests that he'll miss the season-opening back-to-back in Arizona.
This does not mean that Ehlers has tested positive for COVID-19 but that he came in feeling unwell, got tested and was sent home. Expect the Jets to provide an update on Ehlers stats prior to their season-opening game vs. the Flames.
Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello did not specify why Dal Colle went on IR but he will miss at least one week as a result. With Dal Colle out, one or both of Oliver Wahlstrom and Kieffer Bellows could be in the lineup when the Islanders open their season on Thursday.
Johnson has been missing from Avalanche training camp and head coach Jared Bednar told reporters on Wednesday that it was due to COIVD-19. With Johnson out for the opener vs. St. Louis, Conor Timmins will skate on the second pair with Samuel Girard.
Matt Murray was traded to the Ottawa Senators this offseason, so Jarry becomes the Penguins' No.1 netminder for 2021 with Casey DeSmith serving as his backup. Jarry was impressive in 33 appearances last season, finishing 20-12-1 and ranking ninth in GAA (2.43) tied for eighth in SV% (.921). He showcased he has what it takes to carry a sizeable workload this season and it will start tonight in Philadelphia. He was 1-1-0 while stopping 54 of 59 shots (.915 SV%) in two starts vs. the Flyers last season but Philadelphia looks like a much deeper team in 2021.
There was initial concern that Marchand may miss the start of the regular season but he participated throughout training camp and head coach Bruce Cassidy expects him to be available on Thursday. With David Pastrnak out for the start of the year, Marchand will need to get off to a hot start for the Bruins to have success.
After playing 55 of the Oilers 71 games a season ago, Russell will sit out the season opener as a health scratch. This offseason the Oilers brought in Slater Koekkoek and he will skate with Tyson Barrie on Wednesday.
In his first year with the Islanders, Varlamov went 19-14-6 with a 2.62 GAA, .914 SV% and two shutouts in 45 appearances (39 starts). In year-2, Varlamov will be pressured by rookie netminder Ilya Sorokin but he is still expected to start the majority of games as long as he's healthy and playing well. He was 0-2-1 with an ugly 4.64 GAA and .857 SV% in three games vs. the Rangers last year.
