Smith allowed four goals on 35 shots in the Flames win over the Red Wings on January 18th. Smith has won two in a row and three of his last four but has allowed a combined 13 goals on 116 shots (.888 SV%) during that span. In his first start against the Capitals, Smith allowed three goals on 27 shots in a 4-3 shootout loss (Oct.27).
Vasilevskiy allowed four goals on 22 shots in the Lightning’s loss in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Vasilevskiy hasn’t been great recently, losing three of his last four starts while allowing a combined 14 goals on 153 shots (.909 SV%). Vasilevskiy has allowed at least three goals in four of those five games and comes into Friday 1-1-0 with a 3.13. GAA and .906 SV% vs. the Islanders this season.
Nichushkin has been a healthy scratch for the last three games but will replace Jason Dickinson in the lineup on Friday. Nichushkin, who is expected to skate with Jason Spezza and Andrew Cogliano, has seven assists but no goals on 51 shots in 37 games this season.
Dickinson suffered a lower-body injury against the Sabres on Wednesday and will miss both the their games this weekend. Valeri Nichushkin will draw into the Stars lineup for Dickinson on Friday.
Pitlick has missed the last two games and is expected to miss at least two more weeks. With Pitlick out until mid-February, expect Denis Gurianov to remain with the big club.
Bertuzzi suffered an upper-body injury in the Red Wings’ final game before the All-Star break and will not be available for either of their games this weekend. Justin Abdelkader will move to the Red Wings’ top line beside Dylan Larkin while Bertuzzi is out.
Luongo allowed two goals on 29 shots in the Panthers win over the Sharks on January 21st. Luongo has won two straight while stopping 47 of 50 shots (.940 SV%) that he faced. Luongo has been terrible on the road this season but has stood tall in Florida, going 6-2-1 with a 2.32 GAA, .920 SV% and one shutout on home-ice.
Hutton allowed four goals on 37 shots in the Sabres win in Columbus on Tuesday. Hutton was able to record his 15th win of the season but has now allowed a combined 13 goals on 79 shots (.835 SV%) in his last three starts. The 33-year-old comes into Friday’s game at 10-4-2 with a 2.36 GAA and .927 SV% on home-ice this season.
Howard allowed two goals on 34 shots in the Red Wings win in Edmonton on January 22nd. Howard represented the Red Wings in the All-Star Game and is expected to represent them between the pipes vs. Toronto on Friday. Howie allowed four goals on 34 shots in a 5-3 loss in his first start against the Maple Leafs (Oct.11) this season.
Greiss stopped all 19 shots that he faced in the Islanders 2-0 shutout win over the Capitals on January 18th. Greiss went into the break on a two-game winning streak, stopping 57 of the last 58 shots that he faced (.983 SV%). Tonight he faces a stiff test with the Lightning in town, but he stopped 38 of 39 shots in a 5-1 win over Tampa Bay a few weeks ago.
The Capitals return to the ice on Friday and Ovechkin will not play vs. the Flames. With their top-left winger out, Chandler Stephenson will move to the top-line with Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie. Ovechkin will be back in the lineup Sunday vs. the Bruins.
McCoshen has spent most of the season with Springfield, where he has nine assists in 38 games. The 23-year-old has no points in the NHL this season but has five points (3G / 2A) in 45 career games.
Brown has recorded three goals in 22 games with the Thunderbirds this season but has no points in three NHL games. Brown is expected to be in the lineup on Friday.
Holtby allowed five goals on 36 shots in the Capitals loss in Toronto on January 23rd. The Capitals are in the middle of an ugly losing skid and Holtby has gone 0-2-1 with a 4.98 GAA and .849 SV% in his last five outings. The 29-year-old is 10-7-2 with a 2.88 GAA, .911 SV% and one shutout on home-ice this season.
Hawryluk appeared in the last four games before the All-Star break, picking up an assist in back-to-back games. Overall, he has five points (3G / 2A) in 16 games with Florida and has collected 28 points (7G / 21A) in 28 games with the Thunderbirds.
White has missed the last five games with a shoulder injury but will play Friday in Pittsburgh. White, who has 11 goals and 15 assists (26 points) in 44 games, will centre the second-line with Brady Tkachuk and Mark Stone on his wings.
Jokiharju appeared in five of the last six games before the All-Star break after returning home from the World Juniors. He had just one assist during that stretch and the addition of Slater Koekkoek allows Jokiharju to go to the minors.
