Varlamov turned aside 28 of 30 shots in Colorado’s win over the Capitals on Thursday. Varlamov has won three of his last four starts despite allowing at least three goals in three of those games. He doesn’t have the best numbers but he’s been able to record seven wins in 11 starts this season, but will be in tough against a great home team in Nashville.
Dell stopped all 41 shots that he faced in a shutout win over the Canucks last Saturday. Martin Jones started the last two games, but Dell will close out the week tonight vs. the Bruins. He has played well in his six appearances this season, posting a 1.94 GAA and .934 SV%.
Murray allowed one goal on 22 shots in the Penguins win in Ottawa on Thursday. Murray has won three of hi last four and 11 of his first 17 despite posting below average numbers (2.85 GAA / .906 SV%). The first time the Penguins and Blackhawks played this season, Murray came in in relief and allowed six goals on 31 shots in a 10-1 loss.
Toninato was a fifth round pick in 2012 and has registered three goals and three assists in 13 games in his first pro year with the Rampage. The 23-year-old will centre a line with Nail Yakupov and Sven Andrighetto on his wings.
Talbot allowed four goals on 39 shots in the Oilers loss to the Blues on Thursday. The 30-year-old has gone 4-4-0 with a 2.73 GAA and .917 SV% in eight starts in November and draws a rough afternoon matchup in Dallas. In his first start of the season vs. the Stars, Talbot stopped 28 of 32 shots in a 5-4 win in Edmonton.
Smith allowed two goals on nine shots before leaving Monday’s game vs. the Blues with an upper-body injury. The injury forced him to miss Wednesday’s game in Detroit, in which Eddie Lack was lit up, but joined the team in Philadelphia and is expected to start this afternoon. The 35-year-old has gone 4-1-0 with a 1.77 GA and .953 SV% in five road starts this season.
Elliott allowed four goals on 25 shots in the Flyers’ loss in Winnipeg on Thursday. Despite losing three in a row, Elliott has been really good, stopping 74 of the last 78 shots (.949 SV%) that he has faced in those games. This afternoon he will have a shot against the team he played for last season.
Raanta allowed four goals on 37 shots in the Coyotes’ win in Montreal on Thursday. Rant snapped a four-game losing streak with the win, but remains a risky option as long as the Coyotes aren’t playing well in front of him. He comes into the weekend with a 3.27 GAA and .903 SV% in 10 games this season.
Megan, 27, has recorded three assists in 10 games with the Wolves this season. He has appeared in one game with the Blues this season and has one goal in four career NHL games.
Jooris will come out of the lineup tonight because of a lower-body injury, opening the door for Marcus Kruger (illness) to get back in the lineup after a one-game absence.
Kruger missed Thursday’s game in Brooklyn, but will return to tonight in Buffalo. Kruger is a fourth line defensive forward who has just one assist and 13 shots in 16 games this season.
Darling allowed five goals on 35 shots in the Hurricanes’ loss in Brooklyn on Thursday. Darling is now 2-1-2 with a 2.36 GAA and .918 SV% in November. He makes for a great option tonight in Buffalo as the Sabres come in on the tail-end of a back-to-back.
Greiss allowed four goals on 32 shots in the Islanders win over the Hurricanes on Thursday. With Greiss winning his last two starts, the Islanders will stick with the hot hand as Greiss starts his third consecutive game in Tampa Bay. The 31-year-old is 2-2-0 with a 3.97 GAA and .898 SV% on the road this season.
Maatta missed the Penguins morning skate and is listed as a game-time decision for tonight's game vs. the Blackhawks. Maatta has had a solid campaign to date, having picked up two goals and nine assists (11 points) in 21 games.
Hunwick has been sidelined by a concussion since October 14th, but will draw back into the lineup tonight vs. the Blackhawks. Hunwick will likely replace Chad Ruhwedel in the lineup and comes in with just one goal in six games this season.
Lindgren allowed five goals on 32 shots in the Canadiens’ loss to the Coyotes on Thursday. Lindgren was due for a dud eventually, but with Carey Price still out he will get a chance to redeem himself tonight vs. the Maple Leafs. Lindgren has a 2.00 GAA and .938 SV% in six starts since being recalled.
Matthews took part in the Maple Leafs optional morning skate and was off of the ice ahead of the scratches, which suggests that he will return to the lineup tonight. Monitor his status when the Leafs hit the ice for warmups at 6:30 p.m. ET.
