Stewart was a healthy scratch for the last five games but will re-enter the lineup tonight with Mathew Tkachuk day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Stewart has no points in two games with the Flames and has just 13 points (9G / 4A) in 49 games this season.
Backlund missed Monday’s practice but he is good-to-go for tonight’s game vs. the Oilers. Backlund will have Sam Bennett on his wing tonight though because Mathew Tkachuk is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Backlund has just one goal in his last five games.
Monahan missed Monday’s practice with a lingering issue, but he will be available tongiht vs. the Oilers. Monahan has cooled down recently, picking up just one goal and two assists in his last seven games, but he hit the 30-30 threshold for the second time in four years.
Tkachuk was not on the ice for the second straight day and will miss tonight’s game vs. the Oilers with a suspected concussion. With Tkachuk out, Sam Bennett will move up the lineup and play on the second line and Chris Stewart will draw back in the lineup. Tkachuk is officially listed as day-to-day.
Varlamov stopped all four shots that he faced after replacing Jonathan Bernier (head) in Colorado’s win over the Coyotes on Saturday. With Bernier back on the shelf, the crease is all Varlamov’s moving forward. Tonight he faces the Wild, who he beat on March 2nd, but has lost three in a row (all in OT) since, allowing a combined 11 goals on 102 shots (.892 SV%).
Shattenkirk has been sidelined since the middle of January with a torn meniscus and it looks like his rehab will be pushed back a little bit. The Rangers season is over so there’s no need to rush Shattenkirk, but there is some hope in the organization that he will play again this season.
Husso was recalled to backup Jake Allen on Monday and he could be recalled again to do the same on Thursday, but that is all dependant on Carter Hutton’s health.
After Tuesday, the Lightning are off until Saturday, so Domingue heads to Syracuse where he will likely start Wednesday and maybe Friday as well. However the Lightning said they plan on carrying three goalies right now, so Domingue AHL stint will likely be short lived.
Georgiev stopped 41 of 44 shots in the Rangers win over the Hurricanes on Monday. He has basically forced the Rangers to consider starting him as he continues to stand tall despite facing a barrage of shots. In his first four NHL starts, Georgiev has faced an average of 39.5 shots per game and has turned aside 93 percent of them. Tonight may be the stiffest test of his young career with the two-time Stanley Cup Champs coming to MSG.
Smith allowed four goals on 26 shots in his return to the Flames crease—a 5-2 loss to the Islanders on Sunday. Smith will likely be leaned on heavily down the stretch as the Flames come in to tonight two points out of the final Wild Card in the Western Conference. Smith is 0-1-0 with a 4.24 GAA and .901 SV% v.s Edmonton this season.
Claesson had one assist but played just 11:28 TOI in last night’s win in Florida. Claesson has been inconsistent this season but tonight’s scratching is more about getting Erik Burgdoefer a game.
Burgdoefer had 13 points (5G / 8A) when he was called up from Belleville (AHL) but the 29-year-old has no points in three career NHL games. He will replace Fredrik Claesson in the lineup tonight and skate with Mark Borowiecki.
Dermott missed Tuesday’s practice with an illness, so his status for Wednesday’s game vs. the Stars is in doubt. Calle Rosen was recalled from Toronto (AHL) and will play if Dermott is unable to go.
Zaitsev missed Saturday’s game and both practices on Monday and Tuesday because of an illness, so it doesn’t look like he’ll be available for Wednesday’s game vs. the Stars. Zaitsev is officially listed as questionable, so monitor his status during tomorrow’s morning skate.
Murray has missed the last seven games with a concussion but he faced “full shots” before Tuesday’s practice and will accompany the team on their three-game road trip that starts Wednesday in New York. This doesn’t guarantee that Murray will start on the trip, but at least opens the door for him to practice with the team.
Bernier, who had to leave his first start after a concussion after being hit in the head by a shot, was reportedly feeling better on Monday but he remains out indefinitely. Bernier missed nearly one month the first time around, but head injuries and concussion recovery times always vary. Spencer Martin was recalled but Semyon Varlamov will likely start every game until Bernier is back.
Condon allowed two goals on 37 shots in the Senators loss to the Flames last Friday. With Craig Anderson going last night, the Senators will turn to Condon tonight in Tampa Bay. Condon has played better as of late, stopping 115 of the last 124 shots (.927 SV%) that he has faced, but is 0-3-1 in those four starts.
The Predators will continue to rotate players out of the lineup to get them some rest with a playoff spot locked up. It looks like Calle Jarnkrok will draw back in for Hartnell, who will sit tonight and likely draw bak in in Arizona on Thursday.
Marchand took the ice for warmups but was a late scratch against the Blackhawks on Sunday afternoon. However, he was on the ice for the Bruins morning skate on Tuesday and should play despite being labeled as a game-time decision.
Hutchinson allowed three goals on 36 shots in the Jets win in Dallas on February 24th. With Steve Mason out with 2-3 weeks with a knee injury, Hutchinson is back up with the Jets and is expected to start tonight in Nashville. The 28-year-old has gone 2-0-0 while stopping 56 of 60 shots (.933 SV%) in his only two NHL starts this season.
