Howard turned in a great performance in his season debut, stopping 39 of the 42 shots that he faced in a 5-3 win in Nashville. Jonathan Bernier was equally impressive vs. Dallas on Sunday but head coach Jeff Blashill will go back to Howard tonight vs. Anaheim. Howard was 1-0-1 with a 1.44 GAA and .941 SV% in two starts vs. the Ducks last year.
Holtby allowed three goals on 28 shots in the Capitals 3-2 overtime loss to the Hurricanes on Saturday. Through two starts, Holtby has gone 1-0-1 while stopping 45 of the 50 shots (.900 SV% that he has faced. Tonight he’ll face a Stars team that has gone 0-3-0 while averaging just 2.00 goals for per game so far.
Winnipeg’s blueline remains in flux and Nogier could make his season debut on Tuesday. The 6-foot-3, 208 lbs. defenseman had just nine points (1G / 8A) in 74 AHL games last season. He has not recorded a point in 11 career NHL games.
Lafferty was a fourth-round pick of the Penguins back in 2014 and he is expected to make his NHL debut on Tuesday because Evgeni Malkin and Nick Bjugstad are out with lower-body injuries. Lafferty was held pointless in his first AHL game of this season but had 49 points (13G / 46A) in 70 games last year.
Agozzino led the Colorado Eagles (AHL) with 60 points (26G / 34A) in 56 games last season and signed with the Penguins this summer. He was held pointless in his Wilkes-Barre/Scranton debut but has been recalled because both Evgeni Malkin and Nick Bjugstad are out for Tuesday’s game. The 28-year-old winger has five points (1G / 4A) in 21 career NHL games.
Backes sat as a healthy scratch in Arizona on Saturday but is expected to be back on the fourth line with Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner. Backes had three shots in 10:45 TOI in his season debut.
Steel missed Saturday’s game vs. the Sharks with what the Ducks described as a “mid-body” injury. Isac Lundestrom replaced him on Saturday but Steel could play in Detroit after accompanying the team on the road trip. Monitor his status after the team’s morning skate.
Rask stopped 28 of 29 shots in the Flames win in Dallas on opening night. Jaroslav Halak started Saturday in Arizona, but Rask will go tonight in Vegas. The veteran was 12-7-3 with a 2.65 GAA and 912 SV% on the road last year but draws a terrible matchup tonight. The Golden Knights dominated the Sharks in their first two games of the season, averaging 4.50 goals for/per game on the young season.
Kaski was one of the Red Wings big offseason additions. The 24-year-old Finnish defenseman had 51 points (19G / 32A) in 59 games in Finland’s top league and scored a goal in his AHL debut. With two Red Wings defensemen going on IR (Jonathan Ericsson and Trevor Daley) Kaski and the newly acquired Alex Biega are coming up from Grand Rapids.
Biega was acquired from the Canucks late on Sunday night and quickly gets recalled with both Trevor Daley and Jonathan Ericsson going on IR. Biega had 16 points (2G / 14A) and averaged 2.5 hits and 1.1 blocked shots per game in 41 games last year.
Kuffner turned pro last year after finishing his senior year at Princeton University. The 23-year-old winger did not register a point in 10 games with the Red Wings and was sent to Grand Rapids to start 2019-20. He scored a goal in his AHL debut and could draw into the lineup on Tuesday with Frans Nielsen going on IR with an undisclosed injury.
Svechnikov had his 2018-19 season cut short after undergoing right knee surgery in mid-October. He started the season with the Griffins and had three points (1G / 2A) in the first game of the season. The 2015 first-round pick (No.19 overall) has four points (2G / 2A) in 16 career NHL games.
Ericsson has missed the first two games of the season and heads to IR to open up a roster spot to recall Oliwer Kaski from Grand Rapids (AHL). Ericsson still isn’t practicing, so there’s no timetable for his return.
Daley was forced to leave Sunday’s game after playing just 7:25 TOI and did not return. The Red Wings traded for Alex Biega after the game, which led some to speculate that Daley will be out for an extended period of time. Madison Bowey will likely replace him in the lineup on Tuesday but Biega was also recalled from Grand Rapids (AHL) following Daley’s move to IR.
Nielsen took a puck to the face late in Sunday’s win and his movement to IR is likely related to that incident. With Nielsen on IR, the Red Wings have recalled Evgeny Svechnikov from Grand Rapids (AHL) to take his spot on the roster.
Athanasiou has missed the first two games of the regular season and was moved to IR, retroactively to September 20th, which means he can be activated whenever he is healthy. Athanasiou practiced on Friday, which suggests that he shouldn’t be out too long, so monitor his status throughout the week.
Ebert’s stay with the Senators was short-lived. The 25-year-old defenseman returned from Europe after two years and appeared in just one game with Belleville (AHL) before being traded to New York. Ebert will report to Hartford (AHL).
Namestnikov had 11 goals and 20 assists (31 points) in 78 games with the Rangers last season. He has been held pointless through two games this season but has been buried in the Rangers bottom-6. With Ottawa, Namestnikov has a chance to carve out a top-6 role and that will go a long way in revamping his fantasy value.
Heed was absent from Monday’s practice with an upper-body injury and is questionable for Tuesday’s game in Nashville. Trevor Carrick skated on the third pairing with Heed, Radim Simek and Dalton Prout al injured.
Crouse missed Monday’s practice with an upper-body injury which makes him questionable heading into Thursday’s game vs. the Golden Knights. With Crouse hurt, Barrett Hayton will likely make his NHL debut this week.
