McDonagh left Thursday's game after blocking an Evgeni Malkin shot and did not return. McDonagh was reportedly seen in a walking boot postgame but head coach Jon Cooper said he didn't believe it was very serious. Luke Schenn is expected to replace him on Saturday.
Vasilevskiy stopped 29 of 31 shots in the Lightning's win over the Penguins on Thursday. Vasilevskiy can't lose right now, going 14-0-1 with a 1.92 GAA and .938 SV% in his last 15 starts. In his first start v.s the Islanders, Vasilevskiy allowed four goals on 25 shots in a 5-2 loss but that was back when he wasn't playing well.
Merzlikins stopped all 16 shots that he faced inn last night's shutout win over the Red Wings. Yet another shutout for Merzlikins, who is 8-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA, .967 SV% and five shutouts in his last eight starts. Even with a rough matchup with the Avalanche in town, Merzlikins is too hot to fade right now.
Holtby stopped 29 of 31 shots in the Capitals win over the Kings on Tuesday. It was a much-needed performance for the veteran netminder, who has played much worse than Ilya Samsonov over the last month and a half. He has gone 1-1-0 while stopping 54 of the 58 shots that he has faced in two games vs. the Flyers this season.
Blackwood stopped all 46 shots that he faced in the Devils shutout win in Philadelphia on Thursday. It was an impressive performance for Blackwood, who had been struggling prior to that game. He has gone 5-7-7 with a 3.07 GAA and .892 SV% one home ice this season and gets ready to face a Kings team that is 1-7-1 in their last nine games.
Borowiecki and his wife are expecting a baby soon so he stayed back in Ottawa while Andreas Englund was recalled from Binghamton (AHL) and travelled to Winnipeg. Expect Borowiecki to be back in the lineup when the Senators host the Coyotes next Thursday.
Namestnikov missed Thursday's game with an undisclosed injury but was back at practice on Friday, only to take a puck in the face and putting his status for Saturday's game in jeopardy. Head coach D.J. Smith wasn't sure if he would play but monitor his status during warmups at 1:30 pm ET.
Dubnyk allowed six goals on 34 shots in the Wild’s loss to the Bruins last Saturday. Alex Stalock started the last two games but they’re expected to come back to Dubnyk in the second-half of a back-to-back. Dubnyk is 3-8-0 with a 3.80 GAA and .887 SV% on the road this season and faces a Stars team that is 4-2-0 with 3.00 goals per game their last six home games.
Howard surrendered four goals on 39 shots in the Red Wings loss in New York on January 31st. Jonathan Bernier has started the last three games but Howard will start the second half of their back-to-back tonight in Columbus. He is 2-20-2 on the season, so it's next to impossible to trust him to earn you a win tonight. He allowed five goals on 37 shots in a 5-4 loss in Columbus back in late-November.
Sprong did not appear in a single game during his most recent call-up so he'll go back to the AHL where he can play some games. Kiefer Sherwood was called up to take his spot on the roster.
Sherwood suited up for 50 NHL games last year but has spent the entire 2019-20 season in the AHL, picking up 21 points (14G / 7A) in 30 games. He'll replace Daniel Sprong on the Ducks active roster.
With Joel Farabee sidelined with an illness, the Flyers are looking to Frost to inject some offence into their middle-6. Frost, who had seven points in 18 games with the Flyers earlier in the year, has tallied eight goals with 12 assists (20 points) in 30 AHL games this season.
Suomela was a healthy scratch for the last two games so he'll go back to the AHL where he'll be getting playing time. The 25-year-old has seven points (4G / 3A) in 11 AHL contests this season.
Sekera replaced Stephen Johns in the lineup on Tuesday but will swap places with him tonight vs. Minnesota.
Johns is still working his way back from a long-term injury so he sat in the second half of a back-to-back earlier in the week but will draw back in for Andrej Sekera on Friday. Johns has picked up one goal and two assists in his last two games.
With Rasmus Dahlin returning to the lineup, Pilut will be the defenseman that sits in New York. The rookie defenseman has not registered a point while playing 16:39 ATOI in 10 games this season.
Hutton was pulled after allowing five goals on 13 shots in the Sabres loss to the Avalanche on Tuesday. The high from winning his first game in months did not last long and now he's tasked with starting in New York, where the Rangers are 7-3-0 while averaging 4.20 goals per game in their last 10 home games.
Marino will be sidelined indefinitely with a broken cheek that he suffered while taking a Steven Stamkos shot in the face on Thursday night. Marino filled in admirably when the Penguins were banged up and turned himself into a reliable top-4 defenseman this season, so this is a huge loss for the Penguins.
Merzlikins stopped all 32 shots that he faced in the Blue Jackets shutout win over the Panthers on Tuesday. Merzlikins is now riding a seven-game winning streak, posting a 1.14 GAA, .965 SV% and four shutouts. His numbers since Joonas Korpisalo went down are absolutely mind-blowing and he is the obvious top goalie tonight with the Red Wings in town on the tail-end of a back-to-back.
