Gibson allowed three goals on 31 shots in the Ducks loss in Boston on Thursday. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Gibson, who enters play on Saturday tied for fourth in the NHL in wins (15) and SV% (.926) and tied for 11th in GAA (2.54). He has been outstanding and should be in your lineup on the road in Buffalo.
McElhinney has missed the last six games with a lower-body injury but will start Saturday vs. the Penguins. McElhinney was torched for five gaols on 23 shots in his last outing but has been solid this season—posting a 2.36 GAA and .920 SV% in 11 games. Additionally, McElhinney is 4-1-1 with a 2.01 GAA and .932 SV% on home-ice.
Murray stopped 31 of the 32 shots that he faced in the Penguins win in Washington on Wednesday. Murray has been great since returning from a lower-body injury, winning two in a row while stopping 69 of the 73 shots (.945 SV%) that he faced. Tonight he faces a Hurricanes team that has seven of their last nine (2-5-2).
Ullmark allowed two goals on 37 shots in the Sabres win in Boston last Sunday. Ullmark had an ugly stretch in late-November/early-December but has since won two in a row while stopping 61 of the 66 shots (.924 SV%) that he faced. Tonight he faces a hot Ducks team on home-ice, where he has gone 2-1-1 with a 3.65 GAA and .884 SV%.
Markstrom stopped 29 of 30 shots in the Canucks win over the Blues on Thursday. Markstrom has been red-hot as of late—since December 5th, Markstrom leads the NHL in wins (6-0-0), third in GAA (1.67) and SV% (.942). Markstrom has been impressive but allowed five goals, albeit on 48 shots, in a 6-3 loss in their first meeting of the season.
Anderson was forced to leave Friday’s game in New Jersey and will not be available for Saturday’s game. The Senators will likely re-evaluate Anderson over the break and provide a detailed update in the coming days. Mike McKenna will start and Marcus Hogberg has been called up to backup while Anderson is out.
McKenna stopped all seven shots that he faced after replacing Craig Anderson in last night’s loss in New Jersey. With Anderson out on Saturday, McKenna will start for the first time since last Saturday. The 35-year-old has gone 1-2-1 with a 3.75 GAA and .905 SV% so far this season.
Allen allowed four goals on 28 shots in the Blues loss in Vancouver on Thursday. The Blues will stick with Allen in Calgary and he comes in at 5-5-2 with a 2.41 GAA and .918 SV% on the road this season. The 28-year-old has struggled against the Flames though, going 1-1-0 with a 5.25 GAA and .860 SV% in two games.
Quick allowed one goal on 28 shots in the Kings win over the Jets on Tuesday. It was an impressive way to end a three-game losing streak for Quick, who is 3-5-1 with a 2.57 GAA and .917 SV% in nine starts since returning from his meniscus injury. In his first start against the Sharks, Quick allowed three goals on 33 shots in a 3-2 overtime loss (Oct.5).
Frolik is expected to return to the Flames lineup on Saturday, which would be his first game since November 19th. Frolik, how has seven goals in 20 games this season, will skate on the third line with Mark Jankowski and James Neal.
Kovalchuk will return to the lineup a little earlier than expected and will look to rediscover his early-season form. Kovalchuk will have no minute cap in his return to the lineup and will try to snap an 11-game pointless streak.
Brossoit gave up three goals on 37 shots in the Jets win in Chicago on December 14th. Brossoit has allowed at least three goals in four straight games but has won each of those games. The 25-year-old backup has gone 4-1-0 with a 2.67 GAA and .912 SV% on the road this year.
Varlamov was slated to start Saturday's game in Arizona but will not be available due to an illness. With Varlamov sick, Philipp Grubauer will get the start and Pavel Francouz was called up to be the backup.
Grubauer allowed two goals on 28 shots in Colorado’s surprising loss to the Blackhawks last night. Semyon Varlamov was supposed to start tonight but he is sick, so look for Grubauer to go for the second night a row and the third time in four days. In his first start against the Coyotes, Grubauer stopped 37 of 38 shots in a 5-1 win (Nov.23).
Francouz is in his first season in the AHL after spending three full seasons in the Czech Republic and three more in the KHL. The 28-year-old netminder has gone 13-5-1 with a 2.61 GAA and .921 SV% in 21 AHL games. Francouz likely won’t even dress on Saturday.
Greer has not recorded a point in four games with the Avalanche but has been great in the AHL. The 22-year-old, former second-round pick has nine goals and 12 assists (21 points) in 21 games with he Eagles.
Jones allowed four goals on 24 shots in the Sharks loss to the Jets on Thursday. Jones has been inconsistent this season but is 5-3-0 with a 2.57 GAA, .911 SV% and one shutout in December. Tonight he faces the Kings for the second time this season—he stopped 19 of 21 shots in a 3-2 overtime win in Los Angeles back on October 5th.
Fleury allowed two goals on 21 shots in the Golden Knights win over the Islanders on Thursday. Fleury has won two in a row and four of his last five starts. Fleury has gone 11-3-1 with a 1.99 GAA, .927 SV% and four shutouts in 15 games in Vegas this season. He is a must-start whenever the Golden Knights are on home-ice.
