Hawryluk, 22, was a second-round pick in 2014 and could make his NHL debut on Saturday. Hawryluk has been excellent in the AHL this season, leading the Springfield Thunderbirds with 28 points (7G / 21A) in 25 games.
Borgstrom opened the season with the Panthers, picking up a single goal in four games. Since being sent to Springfield, the former first-round pick ranks third on the team in points with 22 (5G / 17A) in 24 games.
Stolarz surrendered six goals on 41 shots in the Flyers overtime loss in Calgary on Wednesday. Stolarz has been given an extended run as the Flyers’ No.1 but has gone 2-1-2 with a 3.80 GAA and .889 SV% in five starts and two relief appearances. Stolarz has made some big saves but he hasn’t been great, so look elsewhere on Friday night.
Holtby stopped 35 of 37 shots in the Capitals win over the Red Wings on Tuesday. Holtby has won two in a row while stopping 63 of 65 shots (.969 SV%) and is re-entering must-start territory. Since returning from a minor injury, Holtby has gone 7-2-0 with a 2.20 GAA, .932 SV% and one shutout in nine games.
Howard stopped nine of 10 shots after replacing Jonathan Bernier in the Red Wings loss in Washington on Tuesday. Howard has been solid at Little Caesars Arena so far this season, going 7-3-3 with a 2.57 GAA and .927 SV% in 14 games. He lost his first start against the Senators but played very well and should be a solid option tonight.
Lundqvist allowed five goals on 35 shots in the Rangers loss in Tampa Bay on Monday. Lundqvist has now lost three of his last four starts while allowing a combined 15 goals on 142 shots (.894 SV%). The team in front of him will get a little healthier tonight and he actually draws a nice matchup with the No.29 ranked offence in town.
Brossoit allowed three goals on 35 shots in the Jets win over the Blackhawks on Tuesday. Brossoit has registered three straight wins despite allowing a combined 10 goals on 101 shots (.901 SV%). Overall, his 2.27 GAA and .932 SV% is as impressive as it gets in the NHL right now and he has a nice matchup in Chicago but comes with some risk as the Jets enter on a back-to-back.
Darling will make his first NHL start since November 24th. After going to the AHL, Darling was quickly recalled because of an injury to Curtis McElhinney. Darling has struggled to a 3.14 GAA and .892 SV% in seven games this season and should be left on the waiver wire until he can prove he is a capable NHL netminder again.
Hill allowed four goals on 32 shots in the Coyotes loss to the Sharks last Saturday. Hill has had a great run but has lost two in a row while giving up a combined seven goals on 60 shots (.883 SV%). With Darcy Kuemper starting last, Hill will start for the first time in just under a week. He has a solid matchup in New York but is a risky option because of the team in front of him.
Wideman played 11:07 TOI in Winnipeg last night but is expected to be replaced by Caleb Jones in the Oilers’ second game without Oscar Klefbom. This will be the fifth time in six games that Wideman has been a healthy scratch.
Jones was recalled from Bakersfield (AHL) after Oscar Klefbom and Kris Russell was injured. Jones sat as a healthy scratch last night but is expected to replace Chris Wideman on Friday. Jones is Seth Jones’ brother but doesn’t have the exact same skillset. Jones is a physical defenseman with a little offensive upside, picking up 12 points (2G / 10A) in 21 games with the Condors this season.
With both Connor Murphy and Erik Gustafsson set to be in the lineup on Friday, Rutta was waived on Thursday. This will be Rutta’s first trip to the AHL.
Rittich allowed one goal on five shots after replacing Mike Smith in the Flames win over the Flyers on Wednesday. With Smith listed as day-to-day, Rittich could get the next couple of games. The 26-year-old is 4-3-0 with a 1.72 GAA, .946 SV% and one shutout on the road this season.
Backlund has missed the last three games with an undisclosed injury but could play on the Flames’ three-game road-trip, which starts Saturday afternoon in Minnesota. Monitor his status as the Flames hit the ice for warmups at 1:00 pm on Saturday.
Koivu has missed the last three games with a knee injury that he suffered on December 6th in Calgary. The Wild play in the afternoon on Saturday, so monitor his status when they hit the ice for warmups at 1:00 pm.
With Erik Gustafsson back from an illness, Manning will be a healthy scratch on Friday. With Connor Murphy also healthy again, Manning could be a healthy scratch more often than not moving forward.
Gustafsson has missed the last two games with an illness but will replace Brandon Manning in the lineup on Friday. Gustafsson has scored five goals and eight assists (13 points) in 30 games this season.
Crawford allowed three goals on 43 shots in the Blackhawks win over the Penguins on Wednesday. The win snapped an eight-game personal losing streak for Crawford, who will make his 22nd appearance tonight vs. the Jets. Crawford is 5-5-1 with a 2.45 GAA, .926 SV% and one shutout in 11 games on home-ice.
