Stalock stopped 18 of 20 shots in the Wild's win over the Lightning on Thursday. It was a surprisingly easy night with the red-hot Lightning in town but it was enough to convince the Wild to go back to Stalock tonight vs. Dallas. He is 1-1-0 with a 3.38 GAA and .891 SV% vs. thee Stars this year.
Rinne allowed three goals on 31 shots in the Predators loss in Edmonton on Tuesday. Now he returns to Nashville, where he has struggled this season, going 8-5-3 with a 3.29 GAA and .880 SV% in 16 starts. He'll face a Sabres team that has won three in a row while outscoring their opponents 13-to-4.
Howard stopped 35 of 37 shots in the Red Wings 2-1 overtime loss to the Penguins last night. It was a rare good outing for Howard, who still hasn't won since October 29th, going 0-11-2 over that stretch. Tonight he faces a Panthers team that has won four of their last five while scoring 4.60 goals per game.
Campbell allowed four goals on 26 shots in the Kings 4-3 loss in Florida on Thursday. Campbell will start for the fourth time in five games and comes in having allowed a combined seven goals on the last 101 shots (.931 SV%) that he has faced. He'll face a Flyers team that has stumbled recently, losing six of their last nine (3-5-1) while scoring 3.00 goals per game.
Merzlikins allowed two goals on 34 shots in the Blue Jackets win over the Hurricanes on Thursday. Merzlikins' ridiculous run continued, as he's now won three straight while stopping 93 of the 95 shots (.979 SV%) that he has faced. Tonight he draws a good matchup with the Devils in town--they've lost five of their last seven (2-4-1) while scoring 3.14 goals per game.
Rittich allowed one goal on 36 shots in the Flames shootout win in Toronto on Thursday. Rittich has been terrific in his last two outings, stopping 70 of the 73 shots (.959 SV%) that he has faced. He stopped 26 of 27 shots in a winning effort in his first start vs. Ottawa and is 10-7-2 with a 2.73 GAA and .918 SV% on the road this year.
Sorensen has been held scoreless in the last nine games and will be replaced by Joachim Blichfeld in the lineup on Saturday.
The Sharks reportedly want to send a "message" to Marcus Sorensen, so Blichfeld will take his spot in the lineup on Saturday. Blichfeld was a seventh-round pick in 2016, who has no points in two NHL games this year but had 25 points (13G / 12A) in 27 AHL games when he was called up. He is expected to start on the top line with Tomas Hertl and Evander Kane.
Braun missed the previous six games with a groin issue but is set to play tonight vs. the Kings. Braun, who has 10 points (2G / 8A) in 42 games, will replace Mark Friedman, who was assigned to Lehigh Valley (AHL).
Friedman appeared in five straight games with the Flyers but returns to the AHL with Justin Braun expected to be back in the lineup on Saturday. Friedman had one assist with the Flyers and has 10 points (2G / 8A) in 28 AHL games.
Dell allowed four goals on 38 shots in the Sharks loss in Arizona on Tuesday. The loss snapped a brief two-game winning streak for Dell, who 4-2-0 with a 2.17 GAA and .930 SV% in six January starts. Tonight he'll see the Canucks for the second time this season, he is 1-1-0 with a 3.50 GAA and .889 SV% in the first two meetings.
Grubauer stopped all 27 shots that he faced in Colorado's shutout win over the Sharks on Thursday. The win snapped a brief two-game losing skid for Gruabuer, who is 3-1-1 with a 2.40 GAA, .915 SV% and one shutout in his first five starts in January. In his first three starts against the Blues, Grubauer has gone 1-2-0 with a 3.35 GAA and .884 SV%.
Demko surrendered five goals on 49 shots in the Canucks loss in Florida on January 9th. He hasn't played a lot lately but has lost his first two outings in January while giving up eight goals on 65 shots (.877 SV%). Tonight he faces the Sharks for the second time this season, he stopped 24 of 26 shots in a 5-2 win in San Jose in early-November.
Balcers has played in seven straight games but will be scratched in favour of Mikkel Boedker on Saturday. Balcers had one assist while averaging 10:15 ATOI in those seven games.
Boedker was a healthy scratch for the last five games but will replace Rudolfs Balcers in the lineup on Saturday afternoon. Boedker has appeared in just seven games this season, posting just one assist and five shots on goal.
Pageau was a late-scratch on Thursday and will miss his second straight game with a sore neck on Saturday afternoon. Artem Anisimov will move up with Brady Tkachuk and Anthony Duclair while Pageau is out.
