Raanta gave up three goals on 23 shots in the Coyotes loss to the Sabres on Tuesday. Raanta has played great, posting a 2.22 GAA and .903 SV% in four starts, but the Coyotes offence has been shutout in three of those four games. Wins may be hard to come by for Raanta, but his splits should be right up there with the league’s best.
Nilsson stopped 26 of 28 shots in the Canucks win in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Nilsson’s random October dominance continued, as he’s now 6-1-0 while allowing just 11 goals on 193 shots (.943 SV%) in his last seven starts in the month of October. He’ll be in tough against a high-quality Jets team on the road, but he’s already won against the Lightning, Panthers and Penguins on the road, so these matchups don’t seem to scare Nilsson.
Crawford will be making his first start since December 23rd, 2017. He has been out for for nearly 10 months with vertigo-like symptoms, but returns with a quality matchup tonight vs. the Coyotes. Arizona ranks fourth in the NHL in shots per game (35.6) but dead last in goals per game (0.60) through their first seven games of the season.
Knight has been with the Flyers organization for the last two seasons, playing strictly in the AHL. During those two years, Knight has amassed 25 goals and 52 assists (77 points) in 130 games with Lehigh Valley. He is expected to replace Mikhail Vorobyov tonight.
Schneider was basically practicing without a timetable for his return from offseason hip surgery, but the Devils gave him the “day-to-day” tag on Thursday. New Jersey certainly won’t rush Schneider back the way Keith Kinkaid is playing right now, so expect him to be sidelined for a little longer.
Butcher was forced to leave Tuesday’s game vs. the Stars with what the Devils described as a “soft tissue” injury, but will play Thursday. Butcher was on the ice for the morning skate, which suggests he’ll play without any limitations vs. the Avalanche. Butcher has three assists and seven shots on goal while averaging 17:19 TOI/GM through the first four games of the season.
Murray allowed five goals on 29 shots in the Penguins loss to the Canadiens on October 6th. Murray was briefly sidelined by a concussion, but it looks like he’ll be back in the crease tonight in Toronto. It’s a terrible matchup for Murray, who has allowed a combined 11 goals on 65 shots (.831 SV%) in his first two starts of the season
Pickard allowed one goal on three shots and earned the win in the shootout after replacing Brian Elliott on Tuesday. Elliott has struggled in the early part of the season, so Pickard gets the call tonight vs. Columbus—the Blue Jackets are in the middle of the pack in terms of goal scoring (3.20 goals for per game) so far this season.
Murray allowed five goals on 29 shots in the Penguins loss to the Canadiens on October 6th. Murray was briefly sidelined by a concussion, but it looks like he’ll be back in the crease tonight in Toronto. It’s a terrible matchup for Murray, who has allowed a combined 11 goals on 65 shots (.831 SV%) in his first two starts of the season.
Hellebuyck surrendered five goals on 35 shots as the Jets blew a 4-1 lead to lose 5-4 to Edmonton on Tuesday. Hellebuyck was a favourite to win the Vezina in the preseason, but he’s off to a rough start to the season—posting a 2.99 GAA and .906 SV% in his first five starts.
Crawford will be making his first start since December 23rd, 2017. He has been out for for nearly 10 months with vertigo-like symptoms, but returns with a quality matchup tonight vs. the Coyotes. Arizona ranks fourth in the NHL in shots per game (35.6) but dead last in goals per game (0.60) through their first seven games of the season.
Kovar signed with the Islanders this offseason but his contract was terminated after he wouldn’t report to Bridgeport (AHL). Instead of returning to the KHL, Kovar is practicing with Providence (AHL) on Thursday and could make his way to the Bruins if all goes well.
Andersen allowed two goals on 27 shots in the Maple Leafs win in Washington on Saturday. Andersen was sidelined by a knee injury on Monday, but it looks like he’ll be back between the pipes tonight vs. the Penguins. Andersen has won four of his first five starts despite posting a 3.02 GAA and .899 SV%.
Kinkaid stopped all 24 shots in the Devils shutout win over the Stars on Tuesday. Kinkaid has won his first four starts of the season while posting a stellar 1.00 GAA, .961 SV% and two shutouts. Kinkaid has been the biggest surprise of the season and is a good start against an Avalanche team that is 16-20-8 on the road dating back to last October.
Erne has just one assist and four shots on goal in four games this season. The left-winger will be replaced by Ryan Callahan (shoulder) who will be making his season debut.
Callahan has missed the first four games of the season after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, but will be back tonight vs.the Red Wings. His return comes earlier than expected, but doesn’t bring a lot of offence to the lineup at this point in his career. Adam Erne is expected to be the healthy scratch.
Vasilevskiy allowed two goals on 32 shots in the Lightning’s win over the Blue Jackets on Saturday. Vasilevskiy has allowed just five goals on 101 shots (.950 SV%) through his first three starts and is a must-start vs. the Red Wings tonight. Vasilevskiy was 3-0-0 with a 1.68 GAA and .950 SV% vs. Detroit last year and the Red Wings have yet to win a game this season.
Andersen allowed two goals on 27 shots in the Maple Leafs win in Washington on Saturday. Andersen was sidelined by a knee injury on Monday, but it looks like he’ll be back between the pipes tonight vs. the Penguins. Andersen has won four of his first five starts despite posting a 3.02 GAA and .899 SV%.
Lehner allowed four goals on 28 shots in the Islanders loss in Nashville on Saturday. Through two starts, Lehner has made 59 saves on 63 shots (.937 SV%) and will make his third appearance tonight in L.A. The Kings are currently tied for 28th in the NHL in scoring (2.00 GF/PG) through their first six games.
