Ward allowed two goals on 32 shots in the Hurricanes’ loss to St. Louis last Friday. Ward has made just two starts this season, but he has played extremely well in both games—stopping 80 of the 85 shots (.941 SV%) that he has faced thus far. Tonight he makes for a nice spot-start against an Avalanche team that has lost four of their last six.
Ward allowed two goals on 32 shots in the Hurricanes’ loss to St. Louis last Friday. Ward has made just two starts this season, but he has played extremely well in both games—stopping 80 of the 85 shots (.941 SV%) that he has faced thus far. Tonight he makes for a nice spot-start against an Avalanche team that has lost four of their last six.
Shaw missed Wednesday’s practice, but will be in the lineup tonight vs. the Wild. Shaw has registered just four assists with 29 shots on goal in 12 games so far in 2017-18.
Smith made 30 saves on 31 shots in the Flames win over the Capitals on Sunday. After losing three of four, Smith turned in another great outing, moving his GAA to 2.31 while posting a .931 SV% in 11 October appearances. He faces an 8-5-1 Penguins team that is averaging 2.79 goals for per game so far.
Nielsen was held off of the ice for the Red Wings’ morning skate, but could play tonight in Ottawa. Nielsen has had a slow start to the season, recording four goals on 25 shots in 14 games.
Turris has missed the last three games with a viral infection, but gets back in tonight vs. the Red Wings. Turris has just three goals and five assists (eight points) in nine games so far this season.
Phaneuf was held off of the ice this morning, but will be in the lineup against the Red Wings. Phaneuf has registered three goals and three assists (six points) in 12 games so far this season.
Ritchie, who has recorded just one goal and one assist in 12 games so far this season, will miss tonight’s contest in Winnipeg which leaves him as questionable at best for Saturday’s home game vs. the Sabres.
Beleskey has been a healthy scratch for the lsat three games, but will draw back into the lineup tonight vs. the Golden Knights. He has no points with seven shots in six games so far this season.
Backes has already been ruled out for eight weeks, so his move to IR simply opens up a roster spot for the Bruins to recall Austin Czarnik from Providence (AHL).
Czarnik, 24, has not recorded a point in his two games with the Bruins so far this season, but has been lightning up the AHL, collecting 10 points (4G / 6A) in five games with Providence. He is expected to draw into the Bruins lineup on Thursday.
McCann will miss his fifth straight game with a lower-body injury, but has not been ruled out for Saturday’s game vs. the Rangers. McCann had a nice start to the season, collecting two goals and three assists (five points) in seven games, providing the Panthers with plenty of secondary offence.
McElhinney stopped 30 of 33 shots in the Maple Leafs win over the Red Wings on October 18th. McElhinney likely won’t see many start this season, but when he does he has a good chance at winning thanks to a high-powered offence in front of him. Tonight he takes on a Kings team that is 9-2-1 while averaging 3.25 goals for per game.
Dubnyk allowed one goal on 30 shots in the Wild’s win over the Penguins last Saturday. Alex Stalock gave him the night off on Tuesday, so Dubnyk comes into tonight’s meeting with the Habs well rested. Montreal got off to a terrible start to the season, but comes in as winners of three of their last four while averaging 4.50 goals per game.
Lagace gave up five goals on 37 shots in the Golden Knights loss to the Rangers on Tuesday. Lagace looked good through two periods, but New York turned it on in the third and there wasn’t much the 24-year-old netminder could do. With all the other netminders on the Vegas roster out, the crease is Lagace’s for the foreseeable future.
Lundqvist allowed four goals on 34 shots in the Rangers win over Vegas on Tuesday. The final stat line might not look great, but King Henrik was the only reason the Rangers weren’t blown out in the first two periods. Lundqvist finished October with just three wins in 10 tries while posting a 3.21 GAA and .898 SV%. It wasn’t pretty, but there should be better days ahead.
Allen allowed two goals on 28 shots in the Blues’ win over the Kings on Monday. It was his third straight win and seventh of the season—he finished October with a 2.46 GAA and .921 SV% in 10 starts, pretty much right where he is expected to be. He should make for a great option tonight against a Flyers team coming in on the tail-end of a back-to-back.
Vasilevskiy surrendered five goals on 23 shots but still walked away with the win in Florida on Monday. Vasilevskiy has had better nights, but playing behind the Lightning’s 4.08 goals for per game will give him a chance to win more often than not. He comes into Thursday with a 6-0-0 record, 2.32 GAA and .927 SV% on home ice this season.
Holtby allowed just two goals on 40 shots in the Capitals’ win in Edmonton last Saturday. Philipp Grubauer got the nod on Sunday, so no surprises that Holtby will go tonight vs. the Islanders. He has not faced the Isles yet this season, but has gone 1-2-0 with a 1.70 GAA and .952 SV% at Capital One Arena so far this season.
Gudas left yesterday’s game in the first period after being hit by Blackhawks’ forward Brandon Saad. This is another big blow to the Flyers’ blueline that is already without Shayne Gostisbehere, Andrew MacDonald and Samuel Morin. Consider Gudas as doubtful for Thursday's game in St. Louis.
