Lowry missed the last two games due to suspension but has also been battling an illness, but will play on Friday. Lowry will skate with Mathieu Perreault and Bryan Little and has 17 points (8G / 9A) in 62 games this season.
Byfuglien has no timetable to return to the Jets lineup and will go back to Winnipeg to receive treatment on his ankle. Nathan Beaulieu and Sami Niku will continue to play fairly large roles on the Jets blueline while Byfuglien and Josh Morrissey are out.
Ho-Sang did not appear in a game during his most recent call-up and heads back to the Sound Tigers, where he has six goals and 30 assists (36 points) in 44 games this season.
Kunin left Thursday’s game with an upper-body injury but head coach Bruce Boudreau added that he was “a little woozy,” which suggests that it is a head-related injury. If Kunin can’t play, Joel Eriksson Ek will likely move to the second line and Jordan Greenway will likely shift to centre on the third line.
Gibson allowed five goals on 33 shots in the Ducks loss to the Blues on Wednesday. Gibson has gone 1-2-0 with a 2.71 GAA and .913 SV% in three starts since returning to the Ducks crease. Tonight he faces a Canadiens team that has lost eight of their last 13 games (5-7-1) and come in on the tail-end of a back-to-back.
Blackwood allowed one goal on 30 shots in the Devils 1-0 loss to the Bruins last Saturday. Since Keith Kinkaid was traded and Blackwood was recalled, the 22-year-old has gone 0-2-0 despite stopping 62 of the 65 shots (.954 SV%) that he faced. He has been solid this season but draws a tough assignment tonight—the Capitals have won five straight while averaging 4.60 goals for per game.
Brossoit allowed one goal on two shots after replacing Connor Hellebuyck after he was cut by a Nikita Kucherov shot on Tuesday. Brossoit is not playing his best hockey as of late but has gone 5-5-0 with a 2.82 GAA and .909 SV% on the road and stopped 42 of 43 shots in a win over the Hurricanes in their first meeting of the season.
Schneider allowed one goal on 17 shots in the Devils shootout loss to the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Schneider has been inconsistent on a night-to-night basis, going 4-4-2 with a 2.28 GAA, .923 SV% and one shutout overall since returning from injury. Tonight he should be left on the bench vs. a Capitals team that has won five straight games while averaging 4.60 goals for per game.
Voracek has missed the last two games but will play Saturday against the Islanders. Voracek is expected to return to a line with Sean Couturier and Oskar Lindblom, a trio that has had a lot of success in recent games, resulting in three goals and six assists (nine points) in Voracek’s last four games.
Elliott was pulled after allowing four goals on 19 shots in the Flyers loss to the Capitals on Wednesday. Elliott has gone 3-1-1 with a 2.78 GAA and .923 SV% in five starts and two relief appearances since returning from injury. Tonight he will face the Islanders for the second time in less than a week—he stopped 29 of 30 shots in a 4-1 win on Long Island last Sunday.
Dubnyk stopped all 25 shots that he faced in the Wild’s shutout win in Tampa Bay last night. It was an outstanding outing for Dubnyk, who is 6-0-1 with a 1.69 GAA, .943 SV% and one shutout in his last seven outings. Even with no rest, he remains a quality option tonight in Florida—the Panthers have lost six in a row (0-2-4) and are on a back-to-back of their own.
Holtby allowed three goals on 30 shots in the Capitals win in Philadelphia on Wednesday. Holtby extended his winning streak to four games, posting a 1.97 GAA and .918 SV% in the process. He is a must-start on Friday as the Capitals host an injury ravaged Devils team—he stopped 33 of 36 shots in a 6-3 win in his first start vs. New Jersey (Nov.30).
Brossoit allowed one goal on two shots after replacing Connor Hellebuyck after he was cut by a Nikita Kucherov shot on Tuesday. Brossoit is not playing his best hockey as of late but has gone 5-5-0 with a 2.82 GAA and .909 SV% on the road and stopped 42 of 43 shots in a win over the Hurricanes in their first meeting of the season.
Head coach David Quinn said that Shattenkirk has had some “slippage” in his last as of late so he will be replaced by Lias Andersson in the lineup in Detroit. The Rangers will go back to six defensemen, which means that Brendan Smith will be paired with Brady Skjei.
