Rasmussen missed some time with a hamstring injury and went to the AHL during the All-Star break. Rasmussen, who has 13 points (6G / 7A) in 41 games during his rookie season, picked up two goals in three games with the Griffins.
Walker has been a healthy scratch for the last four games but will replace Dion Phaneuf on Thursday. Walker has three points (1G / 2A) while averaging 15:08 TOI/gm in 19 games with the Kings this season.
Phaneuf, who scored a goal in the Kings 5-1 win over the Devils on Tuesday, will be scratched Thursday in Philadelphia. Sean Walker will replace him on the back-end.
Greiss stopped all 41 shots that he faced in the Islanders 1-0 shootout loss to the Lightning last Friday. Greiss has been outstanding as of late, going 2-0-1 while stopping 98 of the last 99 shots (.990 SV%) that he has faced. Greiss is also 2-0-0 with a 1.46 GAA, .961 SV% and one shutout in two games against the Devils this season, so he is a must-start tonight.
Saros allowed one goal on 28 shots in the Predators win in Florida last Friday. Saros has been great in his last two starts, stopping 74 of the 76 shots (.974 SV%) that he faced. In his first start vs. Dallas this season, Saros gave up four goals on 24 shots but walked away on the winning end of a 5-4 overtime final (Nov.10).
Varlamov allowed five goals on 26 shots in Colorado’s win over the Canucks on Saturday. Philipp Grubauer started on Tuesday, so the Avalanche will come back to Varlamov tonight in Washington. Varlamov’s last 10 starts have been rough—he is 2-6-2 with a 3.14 GAA and .877 SV% over that span.
Delia allowed three goals on 31 shots in the Blackhawks win in Minnesota on Saturday. After a six-game losing streak, Delia has won two in a row while giving up eight goals on 70 shots (.886 SV%). The Blackhawks suddenly hot offence and scorching power-play is making Delia’s job a little easier. The 24-year-old is 2-1-2 with a 3.59 GAA and .910 SV% on home-ice this year.
Binnington stopped 22 of 24 shots in the Blues win in Florida on Tuesday. Binning has won three straight and is 7-1-1 with a 1.67 GAA, .931 SV% and one shutout in his last nine games. Despite his extremely impressive month of play, Binnington draws a horrible matchup tonight in Tampa Bay.
Kampf was forced to leave Tuesday’s game in Edmonton with a foot injury and will miss at least three weeks. Brendan Perlini figures to draw back into the lineup to replace Kampf on Thursday.
Larsson was scratched for the last two games but will replace Tage Thompson in the Sabres’ bottom-6 on Thursday. Larsson, who has a career-high of just 17 points, has just eight points (4G / 4A) in 44 games this season.
Thompson came to the Sabres with so much upside and a lethal shot but has registered just seven goals on 81 shots (8.6 SH%) and four assists (11 points) in 45 games this season. Thompson will be replaced by Johan Larsson tonight.
Lovejoy has missed the last six games with an upper-body injury but is set to return Thursday vs. the Islanders. Lovejoy brings very little in terms of offence, scoring just once with five assists in 43 games this season.
Larkin missed Saturday’s game in Ottawa with an oblique injury that he suffered in overtime vs. the Maple Leafs last Friday. The Red Wings are a totally different team without Larkin so they will need him tonight if they want any chance against the Golden Knights.
Schneider will be making his first NHL appearance since December 14th and comes in having gone 0-5-1 with a 4.66 GAA and .852 SV% in nine appearances this season. During his time with the Binghamton Devils (AHL), Schneider wasn’t much better, posting a 3.24 GAA and .881 SV% across eight games. He has simply lost the form that once made him one of the best goalies in the league and can’t be trusted until he finds it (if ever).
Gibson allowed five goals on 35 shots in the Ducks loss in Toronto on Monday. Gibson is in the middle of a very difficult stretch, allowing a combined 16 goals on 80 shots (.800 SV%) in his last three games. The Ducks don’t seem to care anymore but Gibson has a chance to get back on-track tonight. He draws a great matchup in Ottawa, vs. a Sens team that played last night.
Quick allowed three goals on 27 shots in the Kings win in New York on Monday. Quick has allowed three goals in three straight games, stopping 85 of the 94 shots (.904 SV%) that he has faced. Quick, who has gone 3-6-2 with a 3.31 GAA and .895 SV% on the road this season, will be in tough against a Flyers team riding an eight-game win streak.
Blackwell failed to record a point in six games with the Predators during his call-up. He returns to the AHL where he has seven goals in 16 games because Kyle Turris has been activated from IR and is set to return to the lineup on Thursday.
Turris has been out since December 27th but is set to play against the Stars on Thursday. Turris had six goals and 12 assists (18 points) before getting injured and is expected to centre the Predators second line with Kevin Fiala and Craig Smith on his wings.
Vasilevskiy allowed two goals on 37 shots in the Lightning’s shootout loss to the Golden Knights on Tuesday. Vasilevskiy has been great lately, going 3-2-1 despite posting a 1.97 GAA, .940 SV% and two shutouts in his last six starts. He has not faced the Blues this season but comes in at 12-4-1 with a 2.46 GAA, .927 SV% and one shutout on home-ice.
