Miller stopped all 22 shots that he faced in the Canucks’ shutout win over the Coyotes on Wednesday. Ummm… the Canucks have won five in a row and Miller is on a personal four-game winning streak, having allowed just five goals on 111 shots (.955 SV%). Tonight he faces the Flames for the second time—he stopped all 25 shots he faced in a shootout win in the season opener.
Gibson stopped all 23 shots that he faced in the Ducks’ 2-0 shutout win over the Red Wings on Wednesday. Tonight will be Gibson’s seventh consecutive start—he has won three of the last six while posting a 1.94 GAA and .933 SV%. He has gone 9-4-1 on home ice and stopped 21 of 22 shots in a 5-1 win in his first start vs. the Coyotes.
Greiss turned aside 32 of 34 shots in the Islanders win in Winnipeg on New Year’s Eve. Greiss has won three in a row while allowing just five goals on 113 shots (.956 SV%). Greiss has also gone 3-2-0 with a 2.12 GAA and .938 SV% on the road this season and makes for a great option against a bad Avalanche team.
Beauchemin will come out of the lineup on Friday, which means that Eric Gelinas will be back in on the Avalanche blueline. Beauchemin is day-to-day and should be back in the lineup next week.
Andrighetto, 23, has appeared in eight games with the Canadiens this season, registering two assists. The 23-year-old has picked up 22 points (8G / 14A) with the IceCaps and he is expected to be in the lineup on Friday wit Brendan Gallagher sidelined.
Pickard allowed four goals on 37 shots in Colorado’s loss in Calgary on Wednesday. Semyon Varlamov will dress tonight, but Pickard will start despite losing five straight games while allowing a combined 22 goals on 162 shots (.864 SV%). It’s been a struggle for the Avalanche, so avoid Pickard even with an above average matchup.
Darling allowed three goals on 28 shots in the Blackhawks’ loss in Carolina on December 30th. Corey Crawford has started five of the last six games, but Darling will get the second game of the back-to-back tonight vs. the Hurricanes again. Darling is 6-2-1 with a 2.09 GAA and .933 SV% in nine starts on home ice.
Scherbak, 21, was the Canadiens’ first round pick (26th overall) in 2014 and has scored 10 goals with 10 assists (20 points) in 27 games with St. John’s this season. Scherbak could get an extended look with the Canadiens with Brendan Gallagher out for at least eight weeks with fractured left hand.
Gallagher fractured his hand when he was hit by a Shea Weber shot in Dallas and will be out until approximately early-March. It has been a tough season for Gallagher, who has just six goals in 39 games and this just adds onto it.
Luongo allowed four goal on 39 shots in the Panthers’ loss to the Jets on Wednesday. Luongo was peppered by Winnipeg and ended up losing his third straight game and has posted a 2.86 GAA and .924 SV% over that stretch. Tonight he faces the Predators on home ice where he is 8-5-2 with a 2.29 GAA and .926 SV%.
Rielly was given the morning off in New Jersey, but will be in the lineup vs. the Devils. Rielly has had a solid season, picking up 17 points (1G / 16A) across 37 games. Rielly is on-pace for a career-high 186 shots and his 1.2 shooting percentage should improve and he will start finding the back of the net with more regularity.
Andersen allowed six goals on 29 shots in the Maple Leafs’ overtime loss in Washington on Tuesday. After playing very well in November and December, Andersen has now allowed a combined 10 goals on 66 shots (.848 SV%) in his first two starts in January. Tonight he starts in New Jersey; he has gone 6-3-5 with a 2.60 GAA and .924 SV% on the road this season.
Neuvirth has been sidelined since November 12th and after backing up in his first game back, it looks like Neuvirth will start vs. the Lightning this afternoon. Neuvirth struggled before the injury, going 4-2-0 with a 3.54 GAA and .859 SV%, but the Lightning come limping in having lost four of their last six while being outscored 22-14.
Greene left Tuesday’s game after being hit by a puck near the eye and will miss tonight’s game vs. Toronto. Seth Helgeson has been recalled from Albany (AHL) and will draw into the lineup tonight.
