Schmidt has missed the last four games with an undisclosed injury but will play vs. the Sabres this afternoon. Schmidt, who has 30 points (5G / 25A) in 63 games this season, will skate with Brayden McNabb on the top-pairing.
Fleury stopped all 28 shots that he faced in the Golden Knights shutout win over the Red Wings on Thursday. It was a big outing for Fleury, who had been struggling a bit heading into Thursday’s game. He makes for a great option again this afternoon in Buffalo. Fleruy is 11-4-1 with a 1.99 GAA and .938 SV% on the road this year—so they're not just great in Vegas.
Jarry allowed two goals on 28 shots in the Penguins win in Philadelphia on Wednesday. Jarry has won three straight while posting a 2.25 GAA and .925 SV%, so he will make his fifth straight start tonight in Toronto. He was yanked in his first start vs. the Maple Leafs after allowing three goals on 16 shots in the first period of a 4-3 loss in mid-December.
Domingue allowed four goals on 35 shots in the Lightning’s win in Dallas on March 1st. Domingue has won his last two starts while allowing a combined seven goals on 71 shots (.901 SV%). Tonight he will face a Montreal team that has lost 11 of their last 14 games (3-6-5).
Josi has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury, but it looks like he will play tonight vs. the Devils. Josi has had an excellent season, picking up 10 goals and 34 assists (44 points) in 60 games. Josi will replace Anthony Bitetto on the blueline and will skate with Ryan Ellis.
McDonagh will play for the first time since February 7th and will make his Tampa Bay debut vs. the Canadiens. McDonagh had 26 points (2G / 24A) in 49 games with the Rangers before he was traded to the Lightning at the trade deadline. He will likely replace Andrej Sustr in the lineup today.
Saros allowed three goals on 27 shots in the Predators win in Vancouver on March 2nd. Saros has won two straight while allowing a combined five goals on 63 shots (.920 SV%). He has not played a lot this season, but has played great when he spells Pekka Rinne. Saros comes into Saturday at 2-3-1 with a 2.04 GAA and .935 SV% at the Bridgestone Arena this season.
Hinostroza is dealing with a family matter and will not play on Saturday. John Hayden was an emergency recall from Rockford (AHL) and will replace Hinostroza in the lineup today.
Sanheim, 21, has picked up one goal and 15 assists (16 points) in 18 games with the Phantoms this season. Today he will play his first NHL game since January 13th and comes up with five points (1G / 4A) and a minus-10 rating in 35 NHL games.
Oduya will not play for the third straight game and with Robert Hagg also out, Travis Sanheim has been recalled from the AHL and will play on Saturday.
Hagg must have suffered an injury in Boston on Thursday and will miss at least two weeks. With Johnny Oduya (undisclosed) also hurt, Travis Sanheim has been recalled from Lehigh Valley (AHL) and will play on Saturday.
Matthews will miss his sixth straight game with an upper-body injury despite practicing throughout the week. His next chance to return is Wednesday vs. the Stars or Thursday in Buffalo.
Andersen gave up five goals on 24 shots in the Maple Leafs loss in Buffalo on Monday. Andersen has lost three straight while allowing a combined 13 goals on 91 shots (.857 SV%). To make matters worse, Andersen has allowed at least three goals in nine of his last 10 starts. He is 1-1-0 with a 4.08 GAA and .893 SV% vs. the Penguins this season.
Berube allowed three goals on 40 shots in the Blackhawks loss to the Hurricanes on Thursday. Berube has turned in some inconsistent performances and comes into Saturday’s game with a 3.18 GAA and .916 SV% in five games since being recalled from Rockford (AHL). He’ll be in tough this afternoon against a Bruins team that is riding a five-game winning streak.
Beaulieu, who has been held pointless in his last six games and was a healthy scratch in Ottawa on Thursday, will replace Justin Falk in the lineup on Saturday.
Bailey, who has 10 points (6G / 4A) in 27 games with Rochester this season will replace Kyle Okposo (concussion) in the lineup on Saturday. Bailey has seven points (4G / 3A) in 47 career NHL games with the Sabres.
Falk will be scratched for the third time in four games as he’s replaced by Nathan Beaulieu vs. the Golden Knights. Falk has just one goal and one assist in 37 games this season.
Okposo left Thursday’s game after playing just 4:00 TOI following a heavy collision and was later diagnosed with a concussion. Justin Bailey was recalled from Rochester (AHL) on Friday and will replace Okposo in the lineup this afternoon.
Lehner allowed three goals on 40 shots in the Sabres win in Ottawa on Thursday. In his last four appearances, Lehner has allowed 12 goals on 124 shots (.903 SV%). The 26-year-old is an ugly 6-12-3 on home-ice this season and draws a terrible matchup this afternoon with the 43-19-5 Golden Knights in town.
Vatrano has been sidelined since February 6th with a lower-body injury, but it looks like he’ll play tonight vs. the Rangers. Vatrano appeared to have a bright future in Boston but was passed on the depth chart by players like Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen. He will make his Panthers debut with 20 goals and 11 assists (31 points) in 108 career NHL games.
