Toninato was a healthy scratch on Saturday but will replace Nail Yakupov in the lineup on Tuesday. Toninato has brought no offence to the Avalanche, having picked up one assist in 30 games this season.
Kuemper stopped all 27 shots that he faced in the Coyotes shutout win over the Canucks on Sunday. With Antti Raanta still out, Kuemper will start his fifth straight game tonight vs. the Kings. Kuemper went 10-1-3 with the Kings earlier this season and is 2-2-1 with a 2.61 GAA, .906 SV% and one shutout since the trade that sent him to Arizona.
Kuemper stopped all 27 shots that he faced in the Coyotes shutout win over the Canucks on Sunday. With Antti Raanta still out, Kuemper will start his fifth straight game tonight vs. the Kings. Kuemper went 10-1-3 with the Kings earlier this season and is 2-2-1 with a 2.61 GAA, .906 SV% and one shutout since the trade that sent him to Arizona.
Rinne allowed two goals on 33 shots in the Predators win over the Ducks last Thursday. With Juuse Saros starting on Saturday, Rinne comes into Tuesday well rested and one a personal eight-game winning streak—he has posted a 1.88 GAA, .942 SV% and two shutouts over that stretch. He is a must-start regardless of matchup.
Backes was suspended for three games for his hit on Frans Nielsen last Tuesday, but he is set to return to the lineup tonight in Carolina. Backes has cooled off recently though, picking up just one goal in his last six games.
Rask allowed four goals on 27 shots in the Bruins win over the Blackhawks on Saturday. Anton Khudobin started on Sunday, so the Bruins will come back to Rask tonight in Carolina. Rask has won four consecutive starts while posting a 3.24 GAA and .890 SV%—he is a must-start against a Hurricanes team on the tail-end of back-to-back.
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.
