Copley, 25, has gone 11-4-1 with a 2.32 GAA and .920 SV% in 18 games with Chicago this season. The Blues’ No.1 Jake Allen has struggled mightily recently, so they will leave him in St. Louis when the Blues depart for Winnipeg for Saturday’s game. The Blues did not name a starter for Saturday, so the North Pole, Alaska native could make his first career NHL start.
Hannikainen, 23, has no points in five games with the Blue Jackets this season. He has spent the majority of the year with the Monsters, where he registered nine goals and five assists (14 points) in 25 AHL games. Hannikainen will replace Matt Calvert in the lineup.
Talbot allowed three goals on 31 shots in the Oilers’ win over the Panthers on Wednesday. Talbot has won four in a row and six of his last seven starts while posting a 2.22 GAA and .912 SV%. Tonight he will take on a Predators team that has won four of their last five while averaging just 2.20 goals per game.
Helm has missed the last 27 games with a dislocated shoulder, but will draw into the lineup for Drew Miller on Friday. Before Helm got hurt, he had built a lot of chemistry with Thomas Vanek and Gustav Nyquist, but will not play with them tonight. He has four goals and three assists (seven points) in 17 games this season.
Murray allowed one goal on 20 shots in the Penguins’ win in Montreal on Wednesday. It was a much better outing than the seven goals he allowed vs. the Capitals on Monday. The 22-year-old has gone 7-4-0 with a 2.45 GAA and .911 SV% on the road this season and stopped 25 of 27 shots in two periods in his first start vs. Carolina.
Mrazek allowed two goals on 25 shots after replacing Jared Coreau in the Red Wings’ miraculous comeback shootout win over the Bruins on Wednesday. Mrazek has struggled this season, but Wednesday’s performance may have been just what he needed to turn things around. In his first start vs. the Sabres, Mrazek allowed four goals on 22 shots in a 4-3 loss.
Beleskey has been out with a knee injury since December 3rd, but will return to the lineup tonight. Beleskey, who will replace Anton Blidh, had two goals and three assists (five points) in 24 games before he got hurt. He will skate on the fourth line with Dominic Moore and Austin Czarnik.
Nilsson allowed one goal on 16 shots after replacing Robin Lehner in the Sabres’ loss in Toronto on Tuesday. Nilsson missed Thursday’s practice with an illness, but will be in the crease tonight vs. the Red Wings. Nilsson has gone 2-3-1 with a 2.74 GAA and .921 SV% in January and comes into Friday with a .924 SV% on the season while facing 33.8 shots per start.
MacArthur has been skating almost every day and was hoping to be cleared to return this morning. The Senators said they followed all the league protocols and the doctors did not clear him despite him being symptom-free.
Anderson has not been with the Senators since December 5th,but he is expected to be back with the team in the next few weeks and is expected to stay with the team through the remainder of the season. Mike Condon has filled in admirably while Anderson was away, but the 35-year-old will return to the crease with a 12-6-1 with a 2.46 GAA and .924 SV%.
Rinne allowed one goal on 26 shots in the Predators’ 1-0 loss in Vancouver on Tuesday. Rinne has been great in January, going 3-2-1 with a 1.63 GAA and .946 SV% so far. Head coach Peter Laviolette said that he started Juuse Saros last night and saved Rinne for tonight because of is success vs. the Oilers—he is 15-6-1 with a 2.43 GAA and .911 SV% in his career vs. Edmonton.
Saros turned away 35 of 36 shots in the Predators’ win over the Bruins last Thursday. Saros has been excellent in his eight starts, going 4-3-1 with a 1.25 GAA, .957 SV% and one shutout. If he continues to play well, he’ll see more playing time and that starts tonight in Calgary—Saros is 2-2-0 with a 1.01 GAA and .963 SV% on the road.
Dell allowed three goals on 28 shots in the Sharks’ loss in Calgary on January 11th. Dell has been solid in limited action, going 4-2-0 with a 1.97 GAA and .929 SV% in six starts and one relief appearance. Dell is undefeated in three home starts and tonight he faces a Lightning team that is without a number of key players.
Bobrovsky made 24 saves on 25 shots in the Blue Jackets’ win over the Hurricanes on Tuesday. It was a nice return to the crease for Bobrovsky, who has won 16 of his last 17 starts entering play on Thursday. Bobrovsky will face a Senators team that has won three of their last four—Bob is 16-3-0 with a 1.79 GAA and .940 SV% on home ice.
Lehtonen stopped all 12 shots that he faced after he replaced Antti Niemi in the Stars’ win over the Rangers on Tuesday. Lehtonen wasn’t awarded the win on Tuesday and is still 0-2-1 with a 3.73 GAA and .882 SV% in four starts and two relief appearances in January. Tonight he will face an Islanders team that is eighth in the NHL in scoring (2.83 GF/PG).
