Neal was forced to leave Thursday’s game in Florida with an upper-body injury and will not play Saturday against his former team. Neal had been heating up recently, scoring one goal with six assists (seven points) in his last 12 games.
Smith allowed two goals on 32 shots in the Flames loss in Florida on Thursday. It was a strong outing for the veteran netminder, earning him another start on Saturday afternoon. He draws a rough road matchup vs. the Penguins, who are 16-10-2 on home-ice so far this season. Smith is 6-6-1 with a 2.85 GAA and .904 SV% on the road.
Schenn played in eight games with the Ducks earlier this season but has been in the AHL since being traded to the Canucks. Since the trade, Schenn, who is not known for his offence, has five points (1G / 4A) in seven games. He should make his Canucks debut on the weekend with both Chris Tanev and Alexander Edler out.
Howard stopped 40 of 42 shots in the Red Wings win over the Senators on Thursday. Howard has won two in a row while stopping 72 of the last 76 shots (.947 SV%) that he faced. This afternoon he takes on a Flyers team that has won 10 of their last 12 (10-1-1) on the road, where he has gone 6-9-1 with a 2.95 GAA and .909 SV% this season.
Nielsen missed Thursday's practice with a stomach bug and is questionable to play Saturday in Philadelphia. Tyler Bertuzzi will return after a seven-game absence and will replace Nielsen if he can't play.
Bertuzzi has missed the last seven games with a concussion but will play Saturday in Philadelphia. Bertuzzi could replace Frans Nielsen, who is questionable due to an illness. Bertuzzi has 13 goals and 15 assists (28 points) in 49 games this season.
Kulikov has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury but is set to return to the lineup on Saturday. Kulikov will replace Joe Morrow, who is out for 2-3 weeks.
Morrow was forced to leave Thursday’s game vs. the Avalanche and will miss 2-3 weeks. Dmitry Kulikov is back to 100 percent and will replace Morrow on Saturday.
Bunting was placed on IR on Thursday and heads back to Tucson, where he has 26 points (11G / 15A) in 29 games this season. The former fourth round pick has one goal in five games with the Coyotes this year.
Schultz continues to skate with the Penguins in practice but his status for Saturday’s game remains up in the air. Schultz has been out since October 13th but his return can’t come soon enough, with Olli Maatta out indefinitely.
Dubinsky has been out since February 2nd and has been placed on IR to open up a roster spot. Dubinsky remains “day-to-day” but the Blue Jackets have not indicated when they expect him back.
Bogosian missed the last two games with a lower-body injury but will return to the lineup against the Rangers. Bogosian has 13 points (2G / 11A), a minus-3 rating and 42 PIMS in 49 games this season.
Mittelstadt will miss his second straight game but skated the last two days, which suggests that he won’t be out long. Evan Rodrigues will remain on the Sabres second line.
Terry has spent most of his season with San Diego, where he is second on the team with 41 points (16G / 25A) in 41 games. The 21-year-old hasn’t had the same success in the NHL, scoring once with one assist in 10 games.
Dubnyk surrendered five goals on 26 shots in the Wild’s loss to the Flyers on Tuesday. February has been a rough month for Dubnyk, who has gone 1-4-1 with a 3.00 GAA and .894 SV% in six games. He draws a great matchup against a Devils team that has lost five of their last six and played last night in Chicago.
McElhinney allowed one goal on 26 shots in the Hurricanes win in Ottawa on Tuesday. Since returning from injury, McElhinney has won three in a row while allowing just six goals on 88 shots (.932 SV%). The 35-year-old netminder comes into Friday’s game vs. the Oilers at 7-2-1 with a 2.11 GAA and .927 SV% on home-ice this season.
Ullmark stopped 24 of 25 shots in the Sabres win over the Islanders on Tuesday. Ullmark has won three of his last four starts while posting a 2.91 GAA and .907 SV%. Tonight he will face the Rangers at KeyBank Centre where he has gone 7-2-2 with a 3.21 GAA, .901 SV% and one shutout.
McElhinney allowed one goal on 26 shots in the Hurricanes win in Ottawa on Tuesday. Since returning from injury, McElhinney has won three in a row while allowing just six goals on 88 shots (.932 SV%). The 35-year-old netminder comes into Friday’s game vs. the Oilers at 7-2-1 with a 2.11 GAA and .927 SV% on home-ice this season.
Koskinen allowed two goals on 33 shots in the Oilers loss in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Koskinen has not registered a win since January 16th, going 0-4-1 with a 3.80 GAA and .871 SV% in six appearances since then. Koskinen replaced Cam Talbot in a 7-4 loss in their first game vs. Carolina—he allowed three goals on 18 shots.
Rask allowed three goals on 26 shots in the Bruins win over the Blackhawks on Tuesday. Rask and Jaroslav Halak have been alternating games recently, so tonight will be just his fifth start in February. Rask has won four in a row while posting a 1.98 GAA, .926 SV% and one shutout.He is a must-start against a Kings team that has lost three straight and sit dead last in the Western Conference.
