Svoboda, 23, has gone 2-0-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .946 SV% in two starts with the Atlanta Gladiators this season. With Pekka Rinne going on IR, Svoboda has been recalled to backup Juuse Saros in tonight’s game in Edmonton.
Saros stopped all nine shots that he faced to guide the Predators to a win after replacing Pekka Rinne last night. Rinne landed on IR this afternoon, so Saros will be their No.1 netidner moving forward and comes into Saturday at 3-0-0 with a 2.23 GAA and .917 SV% in three games.
Rinne suffered what appeared to be a head injury during the Predators win in Calgary last night. Rinne was pulled from the game by a trainer after a collision with teammate Kevin Fiala. His move to IR means that he will miss at least one week and Juuse Saros will take over as the Predators No.1 netminder.
Fleury stopped 26 of 27 shots in the Golden Knights win over the Sabres on Tuesday. After a couple rough outings on the road, Fleury has settled in his last two starts—winning both games while stopping 52 of 53 shots (.981 SV%). Tonight he faces a Ducks squad that is banged up but is still 20th in the NHL in scoring (2.86 GF/PG).
Jones stopped 24 of 25 shots in the Sharks win over the Sabres on Thursday. Jones snapped his losing streak at two and has now posted a 2.63 GAA and .896 SV% in five starts this season. Tonight he faces an Islanders team that sits 18th in the NHL in scoring (3.17 GF/PG) through their first six games.
Howard allowed two goals on 30 shots in the Red Wings loss in Tampa Bay on Thursday. It was Howard’s best game of the young season, but he is still winless while posting a 3.57 GAA and .893 SV% in his first five starts. Tonight he meets a Panthers team that is coming off of their first win of the season last night, but the back-to-back makes Howard a more viable option.
Matt Benning replaced Garrison in the lineup on Thursday, but was placed on IR on Friday. With Benning out for at least a week, Garrison will draw in next to rookie Evan Bouchard on the Oilers’ third pair.
Vasilevskiy made 29 saves on 30 shots in the Lightning’s win over the Red Wings on Thursday. Vasilevskiy has been spectacular to open the 2018-19 season, winning three of his first four starts with a 1.48 GAA and .954 SV%. He is a great matchup again tonight vs. a Wild team on back-to-back and averaging just 2.43 goals for per game (tied 25th).
Alex Stalock was scheduled to start tonight, but Boudreau may change his mind because Dubnyk “is in the zone” right now. The Wild also don’t play again until next Thursday, which would make the decision to go back to Dubnyk easier.
Talbot gave up two goals on 29 shots in the Oilers win over the Bruins on Thursday. Since starting 0-2, Talbot has won three straight while turning aside 79 of 86 shots (.919 SV%). Tonight he faces a Predators team that played last night, but comes in at 6-1-0 while averaging 3.43 goals for per game through seven games.
Patrick has missed the last two games, but is expected to play today vs. the Devils. The second-year centre has no points and a minus-5 rating while averaging just 11:48 TOI/GM through four games this season.
Elliott allowed four goals on 23 shots in the Flyers loss to the Panthers on Tuesday. Elliott recorded a win on opening night, but has since lost four in a row while allowing a combined 17 goals on 126 shots (.865 SV%). Elliott has not played well this season and will be in tough against a Devils team that is clicking right now.
Kinkaid allowed four goals on 33 shots in the Devils loss to the Avalanche on Thursday. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Kinkaid, who now has a 1.61 GAA, .941 SV% and two shutouts in his first five starts of the season. This afternoon he faces a Flyers team that is tied for 11th in goals for per game (3.43) so far.
Hintz failed to record a point in his first five NHL games this season. Hintz filled-in for Alexander Radulov on the Stars top line last night, but didn’t do much with the opportunity. He heads to Texas, where he had 20 goals and 15 assists (35 points) in 70 games last year.
Bouwmeester has just one assist and a minus-4 rating in six games for the Blues this season. The Blues will re-insert Robert Bortuzzo in Bouwmeester’s spot against the Maple Leafs
Jaros has played for Ottawa and Belleville this season, picking up one assist in two NHL games. Jaros could play on Saturday as the elect to go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
Ericsson has not played this season because of an upper-body injury, but is he expected to replace Luke Witkowski on the blueline. Ericsson will likely be reunited with Trevor Daley and play against the Panthers’ top line more often than not.
Rinne was replaced by Juuse Saros in the third period after being pulled by the Predators head athletic training. Rinne was hurt after an accidental collision with his teammate (Fiala). Head coach Peter Laviolette did not have an update on Rinne postgame, but look for Saros to start on Saturday.
Allen allowed three goals on 23 shots in the blues 3-2 loss in Montreal on Wednesday. It has been a tough couple of weeks for Allen, who has just one win in five games while posting an ugly 3.91 GAA and .877 SV%. A tough start and a brutal matchup in Toronto makes Allen a below average option on Saturday night.
