This is a salary cap related move. The Capitals need a forward because Nic Dowd and Carl Hagelin are out, so Vanecek comes up and the higher-paid Ilya Samsonov heads to the AHL for the game. The move opened up enough cap space for Travis Boyd to be called up. Samsonov will likely swap spots with Vanecek next week.
Washington played with 11 forwards on Friday but Boyd comes up to dress as the 12th forward on Saturday. He has split his time between the NHL and AHL, totalling four assists in six games with the Capitals and six points (4G / 2A) in four games with the Bears. Tyler Lewington went down to Hershey to make room for Boyd.
Bobrovsky surrendered four goals on 30 shots in the Panthers loss to the Jets on Thursday. Bobrovsky's struggles continued, resulting in him going 0-2-1 with a 4.17 and .875 SV% in his last four starts. The Panthers are trying to get their No.1 netminder going, so they'll come right back to him on Saturday night. Tonight he faces a Rangers team that is 3-3-0 with 2.83 goals per game on the road.
Asplund was called up because Johan Larsson is banged up. The 2016 second-round pick will centre the fourth line and comes up from the AHL with 49 points (11G / 38A) in 88 career games with Rochester.
Larsson is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, so Rasmus Asplund was called up from Rochester and will replace him in the lineup vs. Ottawa. The Sabres have a back-to-back this weekend, so there’s a good chance that Larsson isn’t available tomorrow either.
Ullmark gave up three goals on 34 shots in the Sabres loss to the Lighting in the first game in Sweden. He hasn't played a lot this year but has had some strong outings, going 3-3-1 with a .915 SV% overall. A home start against a Senators team that played last night makes Ullmark an intriguing spot-start option.
Koskinen stopped 31 of the 33 shots that he faced in the Oilers win in Anaheim last Sunday. Mike Smith started the first two games of the week but Koskinen will start vs. the Stars this afternoon. He has yet to lose in regulation on home-ice, going 4-0-1 with a 2.12 GAA, .931 SV% and one shutout in six appearances. The Stars are 5-5-1 on the road and 29th in goal-scoring, so Koskinen is a strong option on a busy Saturday.
Holtby stopped 30 of 31 shots in the Capitals win in Philadelphia on Wednesday. Holtby has won five straight games while posting a 2.14 GAA and .931 SV%. He had a slow start to the season but Holtby is rolling right now and should be active, even in Boston. He was excellent against them last season, going 2-1-0 with a 1.01 GAA, .971 SV% and one shutout.
Andersen allowed four goals on 29 shots in the Maple Leafs loss to the Islanders on Wednesday. Andersen has lost two straight and three of his last six. The 30-year-old workhorse has gone 6-2-3 with a 2.81 GAA and .909 SV% in Toronto and stopped 43 of 46 shots in a 4-3 overtime win (Oct.19) in his first start against the Bruins.
With Nic Dowd and Carl Hagelin both out on Friday, Lewington comes up to serve as a seventh defenseman. Lewington has no points in six total games this season, five in the NHL and one in the AHL.
Martinook has been out since October 8th after undergoing core muscle surgery. Martinook has one assist in four games this season. Brian Gibbons was waived on Friday, so Martinook will return to the lineup on Saturday.
Poehling played in four straight games but was sent back before Friday's game in Washington. Jordan Weal will take the spot that was previously filled by Poehling. He returns to the AHL, where he has collected three goals and two assists (five points) in 14 games.
Kuemper allowed two goals on 35 shots in the Coyotes win in St. Louis on Tuesday. Antti Raanta gave him another night off on Thursday but will turn to Kuemper on Saturday afternoon. He is 3-3-0 with a 1.86 GAA, .939 SV% and one shutout in six starts in Arizona, so don't hesitate to start him vs. a Flames team that is 22nd in goal-scoring (2.76 GF/gm).
Dubnyk stopped 27 of 29 shots in the Wild's win over the Coyotes on Thursday. Dubnyk has played splendidly as of late, going 2-2-0 with a 2.49 GAA and .923 SV% in his last four starts. With Dubnyk starting to settle in, the Wild will hand him his fourth straight start on Saturday. He is 3-1-1 with a 3.53 GAA and. 886 SV% in five starts at the Xcel Energy Center this season.
Anderson gave up two goals on 23 shots in the Senators win in New Jersey on Wednesday. Anderson has gone 1-2-0 with a 4.34 GAA and .865 SV% in his first four appearances in November and will make his 10th start of the season on Saturday. Anderson had great numbers vs. the Sabres last season, going 2-1-0 witha. 2.24 GAA, .946 SV% and one shutout in three games.
Allen allowed two goals on 33 shots in the Blues win in Edmonton on November 6th. Allen doesn’t get a lot of playing time but has played well as of late, winning two in a row while stopping 52 of the 57 shots (.912 SV%) that he faced. He draws a pretty nice spot-start matchup on Friday—the Blue Jackets have lost three straight while scoring just two goals in their last three home games.
Weal was a healthy scratch for the last four games but will replace Ryan Poehling, who was reassigned to Laval (AHL). Weal has just two goals and one assist in 10 games this season.
The Canadiens are expecting Kotkaniemi to play one of their two weekend games, so look for him to play Saturday. Jordan Weal will replace Ryan Poehling, who replaced Kotkaniemi originally.
