Niskanen left Wednesday’s game with an upper-body injury and did not return. Niskanen will not travel to Buffalo, but the Capitals are back on home-ice on Sunday, so monitor his status prior to that meeting with the Canucks.
Bobrovsky gave up one goal on 18 shots in the Blue Jackets’ win over the Coyotes on Monday. Bobrovsky has won three straight and four of his last five while posting a 1.58 GAA and .931 SV%. Bobrovsky is currently tied for second in the NHL in wins (14), eighth in GAA (2.03) and 10th in SV% (.930). Tonight he faces a Red Wings team that has gone 5-1-2 in their last eight.
Landeskog has been sidelined since November 15th and will not play tonight in Boston. Landeskog is progressing, but is not quite ready to return to the lineup tonight. Monitor his status as we head into the weekend.
Talbot allowed four goals on 26 shots in the Oilers’ loss in Buffalo on Tuesday. Jonas Gustavssson started last night, so Talbot will tart tonight in Minnesota. The 29-year-old has gone 7-3-3 with a 2.66 GAA and .912 SV% in 13 starts on the road so far this season. Tonight he faces a Minnesota team that has gone 7-3-0 on home-ice.
Smith allowed four goals on 27 shots in the Coyotes’ loss in Chicago on Tuesday. Smith has lost four in a row (2-0-2) while posting a 2.96 GAA and .926 SV%. This dude faces so many shots it’s ridiculous, so while the SV% will likely be high, so will the GAA. In his first start against Calgary, Smith allowed two goals on 24 shots in a 2-1 OT loss.
Luongo allowed four goals on 36 shots in the Panthers’ loss in Boston on Monday. Luongo has lost three of his last four starts despite posting a 1.95 GAA and .928 SV%. Tonight he faces a Penguins team that has won four of their last five games while averaging an absurd 5.00 goals per game.
Scheifele has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury, but he will return to the lineup tonight vs. the Rangers. Scheifele has been great this season, scoring 13 goals with 13 assists (26 points) in 26 games. He will skate in the middle of Drew Stafford and Blake Wheeler tonight.
Murray allowed one goal on 18 shots after replacing Marc-Andre Fleury in the Penguins’ 8-5 win over the Senators on Monday. Murray has posted a 2.01 GAA and .931 SV% across 10 appearances since returning from a preseason hand injury. Tonight he faces a Panthers team that has dropped five of their last six.
Redmond was with the Avalanche last year, appearing in 37 games and picking up six points (2G / 4A). Redmond will replace Greg Pateryn and make his Canadiens’ debut on the third pairing.
Callahan was listed as probable on Wednesday, but he is not quite ready to play vs. the Canucks. Look for Callahan to return to the lineup on Saturday vs. the Penguins.
Drouin missed Sunday’s game in Carolina, but will draw back into the lineup tonight. Drouin was expected to breakout after a strong 2016 playoffs, but he has just 10 points (3G / 7A) in 19 games so far.
Griffith has been a healthy scratch for the last two games, but will replace Shawn Thornton in the lineup tonight. Griffith has just one assist in 11 games this season.
Yandle was expected to miss an extended period of time, but was in the lineup on Tuesday and will be game-time decision again tonight. Yandle played 23:57 in Philadelphia, so it appears as if he is fine, so expect him to be in the lineup tonight.
Simpson, 23, was a fourth round pick (No.92 overall) in 2011 and will fill-in for an injured Mark Fayne on Thursday. Simpson has picked up one goal in 12 games with Bakersfield prior to his call-up.
Hutchinson allowed two goals on 22 shots in the Jets’ overtime win in St. Louis on Saturday. Connor Hellebuyck started the last two games, but Hutchinson will be between the pipes tonight vs. the Rangers. He has a less than ideal .895 SV% through his first 11 appearances and New York continues to pace the NHL with 3.59 goals for per game.
Gustavsson allowed two goals on 33 shots in the Oilers’ loss to Minnesota on Sunday. Gustavsson has posted a 2.00 GAA and .923 SV% across five performances this season and will start the first game of the Oilers back-to-back tonight in Philadelphia. The Flyers come in having won six in a row.
Bishop allowed a single goal on 30 shots in the Lightning’s overtime loss in Carolina on Sunday. Bishop has gone 1-0-1 while stopping 63 of 65 shots (.969 SV%) in his last two starts, so tonight he makes his third consecutive start. Bishop is a must-start vs. the Canucks, who currently rank 28th in the NHL in scoring (2.19 GF/PG).
Price allowed four goals on 31 shots in the Canadiens’ shootout win over the Kings on Sunday. The win snapped a brief two-game losing skid for Price, who will make his 19th appearance tonight vs. New Jersey. The Habs will be without Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais for 6-8 weeks, so Price will be leaned on even more heavily for the next month an a half.
Beauvillier has been a healthy scratch for the last three games, but he is expected to play on Thursday. Ryan Strome is not feeling well, so Beauviller will likely replace him in the lineup tonight. The young forward has two goals and five assists (seven points) in 18 games this season.
