Petan and Dmytro Timashov continue to rotate in and out of the Maple Leafs, with Mike Babcock essentially holding live fourth line auditions. Petan had two shots while playing just 6:54 TOI in his season debut on Friday.
Toronto continues to rotate Spezza and Nick Shore, with Spezza, set to centre the fourth line vs. the Blues. Spezza had two shots in 10:36 TOI in his Maple Leafs debut in Columbus last Friday.
Kukan had two shots in 15:16 TOI in his season debut on Saturday but will sit as a healthy scratch for the second time in three games. Markus Nutivaara will replace him on the third pairing.
Nutivaara had two shots and two PIMS while playing 13:23 TOI in the season opener but served as a healthy scratch on Saturday. Tonight he will replace Dean Kukan on the Blue Jackets’ third-pair.
Milano had just one goal in eight games with Columbus last season. He spent most of the year in Cleveland (AHL), where he had 24 points (11G / 13A) in 27 games. He will replace Josh Anderson, who is day-to-day with an injury.
Anderson played 16:54 and 16:01 TOI in his first two games of the season but will come out of the lineup vs. Buffalo. Anderson battled a lingering shoulder injury throughout training camp but there’s no evidence that it’s the same injury. Sonny Milano will replace Anderson in the Blue Jackets lineup.
Korpisalo allowed four goals on 29 shots in the Blue Jackets loss to the Maple Leafs on Friday. Elvis Merzlikins was torched in the second game of the Blue Jackets back-to-back, so head coach John Tortorella will come back to Korpisalo on Monday. The Sabres have had a nice start to the season, winning each of their first two games while outscoring their opponents 10-3.
Andersen made 28 saves on 29 shots in the Maple Leafs 4-1 win in Columbus on Friday. Andersen made a number of huge saves to preserve Toronto’s lead and has started the season 2-0 while stopping 51 of the 55 shots (.927 SV%) that he has faced in his first two starts. On Monday, he will face the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, who he was 0-1-1 with a 3.02 GAA and .908 SV% against last year.
Abramov made his NHL debut with the Senators last year but opened the year with Belleville. With Filip Chlapik and Drake Batherson being re-assigned on Sunday, Abramov comes up and will likely be in the lineup on Thursday. Abramov had 29 points (16G / 13A) in 70 AHL games last season.
Chlapik had an assist in 5:20 TOI in his season debut and was a healthy scratch in the second game of the season. He heads to Belleville, where he had 16 goals and 18 assists (34 points) in 57 games last season.
Batherson was held without a point and shot while posting a minus-4 rating in the first two games of the 2019-20 season. He heads to Belleville, where he led the team with 62 points (22G / 40A) in 59 games last season.
Head coach Gerard Gallant said that Eakin is “doing well” but probably won’t play Tuesday vs. the Bruins. Vegas plays four games next week, so monitor Eakin’s status heading towards Thursday’s game in Arizona and into their back-to-back over the weekend.
Daley left midway through the Red Wings home-opening win and did not return. Head coach Jeff Blashill told reporters post-game that Daley won’t play Tuesday vs. the Ducks and then the Red Wings acquired Alex Biega from the Canucks, suggesting that Daley could miss an extended period of time. Expect a more detailed injury report to be released prior to Tuesday’s contest.
Pope, 25, was originally selected in the fourth-round (No.109 overall) in the 2013 NHL draft and turned pro last year. Pope had 41 points (20G / 21A) in 35 games in his senior year at the University of Nebraska-Omaha before joining the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL). He had two goals and one assist in 28 AHL games and will report to Utica (AHL) following the trade.
Biega was set to open the season in Utica (AHL) where he had two assists in three games last year. Biega has served as a No.6/No.7 defenseman for the Canucks over the last few seasons, posting a career-high with 16 points (2G / 14A) in 41 games last year. This trade suggests that Trevor Daley, who left Sunday’s game with an injury, could be sidelined for an extended period of time.
Morrissey took part in warmups and was even announced in the starting lineup before being a late-scratch with an upper-body injury. The Jets blueline can ill afford to lose Morrissey, who is their clear No.1 defenseman right now. The Jets are back in action on Tuesday, so monitor Morissey's status heading into Pittsburhg.
Athanasiou was a question mark heading into the weekend after missing practice earlier in the week and will miss his second straight game on Sunday. Athanasiou was able to skate on Friday, which suggests he won’t be sidelined long-term, so keep an eye on his status heading into Tuesday’s game vs. the Ducks.
Greiss has averaged 38 starts per season during his four years with the Islanders. In his 39 starts in 2018-19, Greiss went 23-14-2 with a 2.28 GAA and .927 SV%. It was an impressive season and he will be in a similar role this year, splitting time with Semyon Varlamov. Greiss was 1-2-0 with a 1.70 GAA, .929 SV% and one shutout vs. the Capitals last season.
McElhinney will face his former team right out of the gate. The veteran netminder went 20-11-2 with a 2.58 GAA and .912 SV% in 33 appearances with the Carolina Hurricanes last year. He signed on with Tampa Bay this summer and that will make him an excellent spot-start option on many occasions this season, but this is a tough matchup for his first start of the season.
With Evgeny Kuznetsov set to come back from suspension, the Capitals had to do some cap maneuvering on Sunday. Siegenthaler’s demotion is believed to be of the “paper” variety and he will likely be recalled prior to Tuesday’s game against the Stars.
