Patrick has missed the last four games but is set to return to the Wild lineup on Saturday afternoon. Patrick has had another slow start, collecting just 11 points (5G / 6A) in 33 games this season.
Pettersson left Thursday’s game in Montreal with a lower-body and will not play Saturday in Toronto. With Pettersson out, Brandon Sutter will skate with Nikolay Goldobin and Brock Boeser. Pettersson is day-to-day.
Ullmark allowed three goals on 38 shots in the Sabres win over the Panthers on Thursday. Ullmark has won four straight games while posting a 1.99 GAA and .944 SV%. The 25-year-old has had a very nice season to-date, going 9-1-3 with a 2.74 GAA and .922 SV%. He stopped 35 of 37 shots in a 4-2 win in his first game vs. Boston.
Markstrom allowed two goals on 27 shots in the Canucks 2-0 loss in Montreal on Thursday. Markstrom hasn’t lost two in a row since November 27/29 but that could happen tonight in Toronto. The Maple Leafs are one of the most dangerous teams in the NHL and the Canucks will be without their star rookie Elias Pettersson.
Allen allowed two goals on 25 shots in the Blues win over the Capitals on Thursday. The win snapped a brief two-game losing streak for Allen, who comes into Saturday’s game at 8-7-2 with a 3.64 GAA and .885 SV% on home-ice. Tonight he will try to slow down an Islanders team that has won five in a row and seven of their last eight.
Reimer stopped all 12 shots that he faced after replacing Roberto Luongo in the Panthers come-from-behind shootout win in Detroit on Monday. Reimer has strung together three straight wins, stopping 72 of the 76 shots (.947 SV%) that he has faced. In his first start against the Blue Jackets, the 30-year-old allowed five goals on 32 shots in a 5-4 loss (Oct.11).
Rittich has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury but is set to return to Flames crease on Saturday afternoon. Rittich allowed five goals on 33 shots in the Flames win over the Sharks on Monday. Rittich finished December at 5-2-2 with a 2.64 GAA and .915 SV%. Today he faces a Flyers team that has lost five in a row while being outscored 20-to-10.
Howard gave up four goals on 34 shots in the Red Wings loss to the Flames on Wednesday. Howard has lost each of his last five starts (0-4-1) with a 3.20 GAA and .896 SV%. Howard was red-hot in the early portion of the season but has expectedly cooled off over the last month. Tonight he faces a Predators team that is 9-8-2 on the road this year.
McElhinney allowed one goal on 23 shots in the Hurricanes win over the Flyers on Monday. With Petr Mrazek going last night, McElhinney will get a shot to face his former team on Friday. The veteran netminder is 5-2-1 with a 2.01 GAA and .931 SV% on home-ice and stopped 31 of 32 shots in a 3-1 win in his first game against the Blue Jackets.
Despite tearing it up during his call-up, scoring six goals with three assists (nine points), Pirri returns to the AHL with Max Pacioretty ready to return on Friday. This is simply asset management from the Golden Knights as Pirri does not have to pass through waivers to get to the AHL. Vegas could try and move a roster player to try and call Pirri back up in the near future.
Eberle has missed the last four games with an undisclosed injury but appears ready to return to the lineup on Saturday. Eberle will likely re-claim his spot on the top-line from Josh Ho-Sang and returns to the lineup with 17 points (7G / 10A) in 35 games this season.
