van Riemsdyk had five shots on goal and a minus-1 rating while averaging 16:53 TOI/GM in the first three games of the season. The Hurricanes will get Haydn Fleury his first game of the season, replacing van Riemsdyk in the lineup vs. the Canucks.
Fleury spent most of his time with the Hurricanes last year, picking up eight assists in 67 games. The former No.7 overall pick has posted strong offensive numbers at lower-levels but will be limited in Carolina because of their depth on the blueline.
MacKenzie will likely miss Thursday’s game with an upper-body injury, evidenced by the Panthers recalling Juho Lammikko from Springfield (AHL).
Lammikko, 22, was a third round pick (No.65 overall) in 2014 and has spent the last two seasons with the Thunderbirds. Lammikko has just 14 goals and 25 assists (39 points) in 108 career AHL games. He is expected to make his NHL debut on Thursday with Derek MacKenzie dealing with an upper-body injury.
Kamenev did not make the Avalanche out of training camp and headed to the Eagles (AHL) to start the season. The 22-year-old had one assist in two games but has been recalled with Gabriel Landeskog banged up.
Getzlaf left the Saturday’s game after playing 13:03 TOI and did not return. Getzlaf wasn’t on the ice for the Ducks morning skate, which clouds his status for tonight’s meeting with the Red Wings. If Getzlaf is unavailable, Isac Lundestrom would draw in and centre Andrew Cogliano and Kiefer Sherwood.
Landeskog did not practice on Monday and is questionable to play tomorrow in Columbus. The Avalanche are hopeful that he will be available, but Matt Calvert skated on the Avalanche top line with Landeskog unavailable.
Gibson stopped all 41 shots that he faced in the Ducks shutout win over the Coyotes on Saturday. It was a terrible game for the Ducks, but Gibson absolutely stole two points for the road team. Gibson has been stellar to start the year, stopping 72 of 74 shots (.973 SV%) and is a must-start tonight vs. the Red Wings.
Fleury allowed one goal on 30 shots in the Golden Knights overtime win in Minnesota on Saturday. It was a much better game than the season opener, when he was yanked after allowing five goals on 16 shots. He makes for a great start this afternoon vs. a below-average Sabres team.
Hutton allowed one goal on 44 shots in the Sabres win over the Rangers on Saturday. It was a great outing for Hutton, who was so-so in his Sabres debut on Thursday. As good as Hutton was on Saturday and last season, he’s going to be in tough this afternoon with the Golden Knights in town.
Over the last three seasons with the Capitals, Grubauer had a 2.25 GAA and .923 SV% in 63 starts and 18 relief appearances as Braden Holtby’s backup. This summer he was dealt to the Avalanche, where he’s expected to split time with Semyon Varlamov. The Avalanche have won their first two games of the season, but have not been the same team on the road.
Jones allowed two goals on 21 shots in the Sharks win in Los Angeles on Friday. It was a nice bounce-back effort for Jones, who struggled vs. the Ducks in the season opener. On a short Monday-slate, Jones makes for one of the safer options against a sub-par Islanders team.
