Koekkoek has been steady on the Oilers' blueline this season, so he'll be a bit of a surprise scratch on Tuesday. With Koekkoek sitting, Caleb Jones will draw back into the lineup for the first time since January 16th.
Ennis has had a slow start to the season, failing to pick up a point in his first four games. On Tuesday he cleared waivers and will go to the taxi squad, so look for Patrick Russell to make his season debut in Ennis' spot in the bottom-6.
After sitting out of the season opener, Shore dressed in the last six games but will be scratched and go to the taxi squad on Tuesday. With Shore out, Jujhar Khaira will draw back onto the Oilers fourth line in Winnipeg.
Jones has been a healthy scratch for the last four games but will replace Slater Koekkoek Tuesday in Winnipeg. Jones had one assist and a minus-4 rating while playing 15:50 ATOI in the first three games of the season.
Khaira sat as a healthy scratch for the last five games but will replace Devin Shore in the lineup on Tuesday. It will be Khaira's first game since January 14th and he comes in with three shots, 10 PIMS and a minus-2 rating in two games this year.
Tuesday will be Russell's season debut after appearing in 45 games in 2020. Russell will replace Tyler Ennis, who cleared waivers and was assigned to the taxi squad. Russell has just five assists in 51 career NHL games.
Grubauer allowed two goals on just 14 shots in Colorado's loss in Anaheim on Sunday. Grubauer has allowed two goals in three straight starts and is 3-1-0 while stopping 92 of the 98 shots (.939 SV%) that he's faced in his last four games. Grubauer will continue to be one of the best fantasy options between the pipes and should be in your lineups tonight vs. the 3-3-0 Sharks.
Rask allowed four goals on 26 shots in the Bruins shootout win over the Flyers last Thursday. With Jaroslav Halak starting Saturday, expect Rask to make his fourth start Tuesday vs. the Penguins. The veteran netminder has opened the season at 2-1-0 with a 2.23 GAA and .892 SV%. The Bruins have been stout defensively, so Rask should be a solid option whenever he gets the nod.
Gross is expected to play in his third career NHL game, giving rookie Victor Soderstrom the night off after playing the last two games. Gross had 27 points (10G / 17A) in 56 AHL games last season.
Binnington allowed two goals on 23 shots in the Blues win over the Kings on Saturday. Ville Husso gave him the night off on Sunday, but they'll go back to Binnington tonight in Vegas. The 27-year-old is 3-1-1 with a 2.53 GAA and .927 SV% to open the 2021 season and was 1-0-1 while allowing eight goals on 81 shots (.901 SV%) in two games vs. Vegas last year.
Petersen allowed three goals on 29 shots in the Kings loss in St. Louis on Saturday. Petersen has lost each of his two starts this season while allowing six goals on 53 shots (.887 SV%) but it appears as if the Kings will trust him to take on a decent sized workload in the condensed season. Tonight he faces a Wild team that is 4-2-0, including two wins over the Kings to kick-off the season.
Koskinen allowed three goals on 38 shots in the Oilers win in Winnipeg on Sunday. Koskinen continues to be a workhorse for the Oilers, as he's expected to make his eighth consecutive start on Tuesday. The 32-year-old netminder has gone 3-4-0 with a 3.18 GAA and .907 SV% in his first seven appearances, including 2-1-0 with a 2.36 GAA and .924 SV% on the road so far.
Jones allowed three goals on 29 shots in the Sharks win in Minnesota on Sunday. After a tough outing in Arizona in his second start of the season, Jones has gone 2-0-0 while stopping 48 of the 52 shots (.923 SV%) that he's faced in his last two games. Tonight he faces an Avs team that he struggled against in 2020--going 0-2-0 while surrendering eight goals on 62 shots (.871 SV%).
Markstrom allowed three goals on 32 shots in the Flames loss to the Maple Leafs on Sunday. Since his opening night loss in Winnipeg, Markstrom has gone 2-1-0 while turning aside 86 of the 91 shots (.945 SV%) that he's faced in his last three games. Tonight he gets a rematch vs. a Toronto team that has won four of their last five games while scoring 2.80 goals per game.
Kahkonen allowed four goals on 35 shots in the Wild's 5-3 loss to the Sharks on Sunday. With Cam Talbot still sidelined, Kahkonen will make a second straight start. The young Finnish netminder has played well early-on, going 2-1-0 with a 2.27 GAA and .921 SV% in three appearances. On Tuesday he'll take on a Kings team that has been surprisingly good on offence so far, averaging 3.33 goals per game (7th in the NHL).
Hellebuyck allowed three goals on 21 shots but it was enough to be the Senators last Saturday. Hellebuyck has picked up where he left off in 2020, opening the season at 3-1-0 with a 2.25 GAA and .920 SV% through four games. On Tuesday he'll face a high-powered Oilers offence, who he was 2-1-0 with a 1.65 GAA, .943 SV% and one shutout against in 2020.
Grzelcyk missed Saturday's game vs. the Flyers but was on the ice for Tuesday's morning skate and will be a game-time decision vs. the Penguins. If Grzelcyk returns, he'll reclaim his spot on PP1 and Connor Clifton will be a healthy scratch.
Hunt played in the last two games while Nico Sturm was out with an illness, playing just 4:27 ATOI. With Sturm back to 100 percent, Hunt will serve as a healthy scratch for the fifth time in seven games.
Sturm has missed the last two games with an illness but will replace Brad Hunt in the lineup Tuesday vs. the Kings. Sturm, who will skate on the fourth line with Victor Rask and Ryan Hartman, has no points and nine shots on goal in four games this season.
Jarry gave up two goals on 26 shots in the Penguins' win over the Rangers on Sunday. After a horrible start to the season, Jarry has settled in in his last two outings, going 2-0-0 while stopping 55 of the 60 shots (.917 SV%) that he's faced. On Tuesday he'll face a Bruins team that is still without David Pastrnak but have found their offence in the last two games, scoring a combined 11 goals in back-to-back wins over the Flyers.
