Kylington has failed to record a point while averaging 11:59 TOI/gm through three games this season. Michael Stone is expected to replace Kylington on the third-pair on Thursday.
Stone has been a healthy scratch for the first three games of the season but will replace Oliver Kylington in the lineup on Thursday. Stone had just five assists in 14 NHL games last season.
Halak stopped all 35 shots that he faced in the Bruins shutout win in Arizona last Saturday. It was an outstanding start to the season for the veteran backup, who draws a tough matchup in Colorado tonight. Halak is 9-8-3 in his last 20 road starts dating back to last season and gave up seven goals on 61 shots (.885 SV%) in two starts vs. the Avalanche last season.
Raanta will make his season debut after recovering from a lower-body injury. A knee injury limited the 30-year-old netminder to 12 games last season. He posted a 5-6-0 record with a .906 SV% and a 2.88 GAA. It will be interesting to see which Raanta we see now that he's finally healthy. He's posted a remarkable .920 SV% across his six-year career, but he draws a tough matchup tonight against the Avalanche.
Kuemper allowed one goal on 26 shots in the Coyotes 1-0 loss to the Bruins last Saturday. Kuemper is still looking for his first win of the season, despite stopping 52 of the 55 shots (.945 SV%) that he has faced thus far. As good as he has been, he has a brutal matchup vs. a tough Golden Knights team—he was 2-1-1 with a 2.71 GAA and .923 SV% in four starts against Vegas last year.
Hayton sat as a healthy scratch during the first two games of the season, but the No.5 pick in 2018 will play Thursday vs. the Golden Knights. Hayton, who had 66 points (26G / 40A) in 39 OHL games last year, is expected to skate on a line with Christian Dvorak and Nick Schmaltz.
Rittich surrendered four goals on 40 shots in the Flames overtime loss to the Kings on Tuesday. It was a disappointing effort against a beatable team but Rittich is expected to make his fourth consecutive start tonight in Dallas. Rittich was 0-2-1 with a 2.73 GAA and .899 SV% in three games vs. the Stars last season.
Price allowed five goals on 37 shots in the Canadiens come-from-behind win in Toronto last Saturday. Price, who was given last night off, has given up eight goals on 80 shots (.900 SV%) in two starts but draws a great matchup vs. the Red Wings—Price was 2-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .937 SV% in two starts vs. Detroit last year.
Andersen gave up three goals on 30 shots in the Maple Leafs loss to the Blues on Monday. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak to open the season for Andersen, who has allowed just seven goals on 85 shots (.918 SV%) to open the season. He had a tough time vs. the Lightning last year, going 1-3-0 with a 3.55 GAA and .887 SV%.
Murphy missed the Blackhawks season opener but will draw into the lineup on Thursday. Murphy, who had 13 points (5G / 8A) in 52 games last year, will skate on the third pair with Slater Koekkoek.
Grimaldi was absent from the morning skate on Thursday and head coach Peter Laviolette listed him as a game-time decision. Daniel Carr skated in his spot on the third line and will replace him in Grimaldi is unable to go.
Dubnyk gave up three goals on 31 shots in the Wild’s loss in Colorado last Saturday. It has been a tough start to the year for Dubnyk, who has given up seven goals on 62 shots (.887 SV%) in two games. Alex Stalock was scheduled to start tonight but with the 0-2 start, the Wild will go back to their No.1 netminder in Winnipeg. Dubnyk was 4-0-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .950 SV% vs. the Jets last year.
Rittich surrendered four goals on 40 shots in the Flames overtime loss to the Kings on Tuesday. It was a disappointing effort against a beatable team but Rittich is expected to make his fourth consecutive start tonight in Dallas. Rittich was 0-2-1 with a 2.73 GAA and .899 SV% in three games vs. the Stars last season.
Holtby surrendered four goals on 26 shots in the Capitals overtime loss to the Stars on Tuesday. After a win on opening night, Holtby has dropped his last two starts while allowing a combined seven goals on 54 shots (.870 SV%). Holtby is 16-10-1 in his last 27 road starts but has a terrible matchup in Nashville.
Dahlstrom has not recorded a point and is a minus-2 while play 22:04 ATOI in his first two games with the Jets. Dmitry Kulikov (personal) will replace Dahlstrom on Thursday.
Niku had one shot in 17:01 TOI in his season debut on Tuesday but will come out of the lineup on Thursday. Josh Morrissey (upper-body) will draw in for him after missing the last two games.
Kulikov missed Tuesday’s game in Pittsburgh but is expected to replace Sami Niku in the lineup on Thursday. Kulikov has one goal and one assist while averaging 20:18 TOI/gm in three games this season.
Morrissey missed Saturday’s game against the Islanders with an upper-body injury and was held out of Tuesday’s game for “precautionary reasons.” Morrissey has played 26:01 ATOI in his first two games as the team’s No.1 defenseman and will be back on the top-pair and top PP tonight.
Crawford allowed four goals on 38 shots in the Blackhawks’ season-opening loss to the Flyers overseas. Back in North America, it looks like Crawford will start the home-opener vs. the Sharks. The 34-year-old netminder was 8-6-4 with a 2.54 GAA, .921 SV% and one shutout on home-ice last year and faces a Sharks team that is off to a dreadful start to the season.
Bernier gave up three goals on 22 shots in the Red Wings win over the Stars last Sunday. Bernier made a massive stop in the final seconds to preserve his first win of the season. The Quebec native struggled on the road last year, going 6-12-4 with a 3.40 GAA and .899 SV%. He had to replace Jimmy Howard in two games vs. Montreal, allowing six goals on 62 shots (.903 SV%) in his three appearances vs. his hometown team.
