Pulock missed Friday's practice with a leg injury that he seemingly suffered late in Thursday's game in Washington. Head coach Barry Trotz called him a game-time decision for Saturday but also added that he expects him to play.
Forsling suffered an upper-body injury in Columbus on Thursday and head coach Joel Quenneville expects him to miss at least one week. The Panthers dressed seven defensemen last game but with Forsling out, they will likely go back to 12 forwards and six defensemen. Expect Aleksi Heponiemi to make his NHL debut in his place.
Khudobin allowed one goal on 21 shots in the Stars win over the Red Wings on Tuesday. Jake Oettinger gave him a breather on Thursday but it will be Khudobin tonight in Carolina. He picked up right where he left off in the bubble, winning each of his first three starts while posting a sparkling 0.99 GAA, .958 SV% and one shutout in his first three outings. Tonight he'll take on a Hurricanes team that is coming off of a great win over the Lighting on Thursday and sit at 3-1-0 through four games.
Wedgewood gave up three goals on 17 shots in the Devils' loss to the Flyers on Thursday. New Jersey dominated the game but were unable to get timely saves from Wedgewood, who has now lost three of his first starts wile posting a 2.80 GAA and .900 SV%. On Saturday he will face a sabres team that has been very competitive to start the season, opening at 3-3-2 while averaging 2.75 goals per game (19th).
Bobrovsky allowed three goals on 22 shots sin the Panthers' win in Columbus on Tuesday. Despite giving up a combined seven goals on 58 shots (.879 SV%), Bobrovsky has opened the season at 2-0-0 and draws an outstanding matchup tonight in Detroit. The Red Wings are without a number of key players and have lost four consecutive games while scoring just 1.75 goals per game.
Markstrom allowed four goals on 21 shot sin the Flames loss to the Maple Leafs on Tuesday. David Rittich gave him the night off in Montreal on Thursday, so Markstrom will be making his sixth start of the year on Saturday. He's dropped two straight and is 2-2-1 with a 2.62 GAA and .911 SV% in his first five starts in a Flames uniform.
With Sam Reinhart day-to-day with an upper-body injury, Thompson will draw into the lineup vs. the Devils. Thompson is expected to skate on the top line with Jack Eichel and Victor Olofsson and comes in with one assist in four games this year.
Reinhart was missing from Friday's practice after suffering an upper-body injury on Thursday. With Reinhart out, Tage Thompson skated on the top line yesterday, so look for that to be the case vs. the Devils. Reinhart is listed as day-to-day.
Ullmark allowed three goals on 39 shots in the Sabres loss to the Rangers on Thursday. Ullmark has been a workhorse for the Sabres, with Saturday marking his fifth consecutive start. He's gone 2-0-2 while stopping 121 of the 132 shots (.917 SV%) that he's faced. Buffalo has been terrific defensively so far this season, so Ullmark continues to be a strong fantasy option in the right matchups.
Talbot has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury that he suffered vs. the Sharks on January 22nd. Kaapo Kahkonen will make his fourth straight start but Talbot will backup and should be available to start Sunday.
Georgiev allowed three goals on 24 shots in the Rangers loss in Buffalo on Tuesday. Igor Shesterkin has started three of the last four games, so they'll give Georgiev the nod in the first game of a two-game set vs. the Penguins. After opening the season with a 23-save shutout, Georgiev has lost his last two while allowing a combined seven goals on 44 shots (.841 SV%). Pittsburgh comes in at 4-3-1 while averaging 2.75 goals per game (19th) through their first eight games.
Hunt has been in and out of the Wild lineup in the first month of the season but he will dress Saturday with Kevin Fiala out due to a three-game suspension. Hunt will likely play very little at even-strength but is expected to see some power-play time.
Cernak will miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury but the Lightning are hopeful that he will be available on Monday. Cal Foote will remain in the lineup while Cernak is sidelined.
Vasilevskiy stopped 34 of 35 shots in the Lightning's 1-0 loss in Carolina on Thursday. Even with Curtis McElhinney coming off of the COVID-19 protocol list, the Lightning will give Vasilevskiy his sixth straight start on Saturday. Through his first five games of the season, the 26-year-old has gone 3-1-1 with a 1.98 GAA and .932 SV%.
Vanecek gave up three goals on 30 shots in the Capitals win over the Islanders on Thursday. With Ilya Samsonov still out, Vanecek will make his sixth straight start on Saturday. In the previous five starts, Vanecek has gone 3-0-2 while stopping 153 of the 169 shots (.905 SV%) that he's faced. On Saturday, he'll face a Bruins team that is expected to get David Pastrnak back.
Allen allowed three goals on 17 shots in the Canadiens win in Vancouver on January 21st. It wasn't as solid as his debut with Montreal but it was enough to move Allen to 2-0-0 to start the season. With a back-to-back coming up on Monday and Tuesday, it's surprising that Allen will get this start. He'll face a Flames team that has lost three in a row while being outscored 11-to-7.
McElhinney has missed the first five games of the seasons but is expected to return as Andrei Vasilevskiy's backup on Saturday. The Lightning don't have a back-to-back until February 8th/9th, so that may mark McElhinney's first start of the season.
Vasilevskiy stopped 34 of 35 shots in the Lightning's 1-0 loss in Carolina on Thursday. Even with Curtis McElhinney coming off of the COVID-19 protocol list, the Lightning will give Vasilevskiy his sixth straight start on Saturday. Through his first five games of the season, the 26-year-old has gone 3-1-1 with a 1.98 GAA and .932 SV%.
