The Golden Knights struggled without Schmidt, going 8-11-1 during his 20-game suspension. The 27-year-old is coming off of a career-year, having scored five goals with 31 assists (36 points) in 76 games. He will likely replace Jon Merrill and play huge minutes on the Vegas top pair on Sunday.
Domingue allowed three goals on 31 shots the Lightning’s win in Pittsburgh on Thursday. With Andrei Vasilevskiy out long-term, Domingue is expected to get an extended run in the Lighting crease. Even with the injury to their No.1, the Lightning should have the advantage in net this afternoon with the Flyers No.3 getting the start for them.
Megan played just 3:22 TOI in Ottawa on Thursday and has no points while averaging just 7:59 TOI/gm in six games this season. He will be replaced by Jacob De La Rose this afternoon.
Rinne allowed two goals on 23 shots in the Predators loss in Arizona on Thursday. The Coyotes got to Rinne early and Darcy Kuemper stood on his head at the other end, handing Rinne his second straight loss. Rinne is now 3-1-1 with a 0.99 GAA, .966 SV% and one shutout in November and a must-start with the Kings in town.
Pickard stopped the only shot that he faced after replacing Brian Elliott in the Flyers loss to the Devils on Thursday. With Elliott on IR, Pickard will remain between the pipes this afternoon. Pickard has an ugly 4.33 GAA and .865 SV% in seven appearances this season.
Eriksson will sit on Saturday so he can “reset” according to head coach Bruce Boudreau. Zach Parise (illness) is expected to draw back in to replace him.
De La Rose has missed the last three games, but is expected to replace Wade Megan in the lineup in New Jersey. De La Rose has one goal and one assist (two points) in seven games with the Red Wings.
Hischier will miss his third straight game with an upper-body injury, but he was originally listed as a game-time decision which suggests that he is close. With Hischier still out, Travis Zajac is expected to remain on the Devils’ top-line.
Bernier made 49 saves on 52 shots in the Red Wings win in Carolina last Saturday. Bernier struggled early in his Red Wings career, but has since won two of his last three while stopping 115 of the last 124 shots (.927 SV%) that he has faced. This afternoon he faces a Devils team that is tied for 15th in goals for (3.06 GF/pg).
Vatanen was injured in Thursday’s win in Philadelphia and will miss at least the next three games with a lower-body injury. With Vatanen on IR, Eric Gryba was recalled from the AHL, but Yegor Yakolev will draw into the lineup.
Darling allowed two goals on 35 shots in the Hurricanes win over the Blackhawks on Monday. Darling has played well in his last three starts, going 2-0-1 while stopping 97 of 105 shots (.924 SV%). He will look to string a pair of wins together tonight vs. a red-hot Blue Jackets team—3-0-1 in their last four.
Johnson allowed three goals on 18 shots in the Blues loss to Minnesota last Sunday. Johnson started all three games last week, going 2-1-0 while stopping 86 of 90 shots (.956 SV%). One of those wins came against the Sharks, who he’ll face again tonight—he stopped all 33 shots that he faced in the 4-0 shutout win last Friday.
Price made 43 saves on 45 shots in the Canadiens win in Calgary on Thursday. Price snapped a three-game losing streak in impressive fashion, moving to 3-1-2 with a 2.49 GAA, .922 SV% and one shutout on the road this season. He will look to string wins together tonight vs. a Canucks team that has lost four in a row.
Sparks allowed five goals on 34 shots in the Maple Leafs loss in Boston last Saturday. Sparks is 2-1-0 with a 4.00 GAA and .879 SV% in three starts this season, making him a risky option whenever he gets the nod. Tonight he faces a Ducks team that is 5-3-3 on home-ice this season.
Petersen stopped 15 of 16 shots after replacing Peter Budaj in the Kings 5-1 loss to the Maple Leafs on Tuesday. With Budaj sick, Petersen will likely make his first career start tonight in Chicago. The 24-year-old has a career .903 SV% in 51 career games with the Ontario Reign (AHL).
Kuemper stopped 45 of 46 shots in the Coyotes 2-1 win over the Predators on Thursday. It was a much different performance than the one we saw in Detroit, when he was pulled. Kuemper has lost four of his last six starts (2-3-1) while posting a 3.52 GAA and .899 SV%. He is too inconsistent to trust every night, but tonight he gets a Bruins team on a back-to-back.
