Lehner allowed two goals on 33 shots in the Sabres’ loss to the Hurricanes last Thursday. Lehner has lost his last two games and is now 4-4-3 with a 2.54 GAA and .920 SV% on the road this season. He stopped 23 of 24 shots in a 2-1 shootout loss in his first start vs. the Red Wings.
Faulk got hurt in the Hurricanes’ last game before the break and will miss at least a few weeks. This is a huge blow for the Hurricanes and will get Ryan Murphy back in the lineup with Faulk sidelined.
O’Reilly underwent an appendectomy over thee Christmas break and will miss some time, but the Sabres did not release a timetable on his return. O’Reilly will likely miss a few weeks, but shouldn’t be sidelined for too long.
Crawford allowed two goals on 34 shots in the Blackhawks’ OT loss to the Avalanche last Thursday. Despite the loss, it was a great return to the crease for Crawford who had previously missed 10 games after undergoing an appendectomy. Crawford will face the jets at the United Center, where he is 7-1-3 with a 1.89 GAA and .940 SV% this season.
Rask gave up one goal on 30 shots in the Bruins’ win in Florida on Thursday. Anton Khudobin started on Friday, but Rask will get back in goal tonight in Columbus. Rask will be in tough against a scorching hot Blue Jackets team, but he has already beat them twice while posting a 2.51 GAA and .896 SV% this season.
Halak allowed four goals on 38 shots in the Islanders’ loss to the Capitals on December 13th. J-F Berube and Thomas Greiss have started the last five games, but Halak will be back in the crease tonight. It will be his third start against the Capitals—Halak is 1-1-0 with a 2.03 GAA and .947 SV% in the first two meetings.
Holtby stopped all 23 shots that he faced in the Capitals’ shutout win over the Lightning on Friday. Holtby has gone 5-2-2 with a 1.64 GAA and .943 SV% in December tonight he will make his fourth start of the season vs. the Islanders. Holtby is 2-1-0 with a 2.04 GAA and .923 SV% in the first three.
Smith has missed the last 12 games with a knee injury, but will return to the lineup tonight vs. the Sabres. Smith is expected to replace Ryan Sproul and comes in with two goals and two assists in 20 games this season.
Bobrovsky turned aside 36 of 37 shots in the Blue Jackets’ win vs. the Canadiens before the break. Bobrovsky has won 10 in a row while posting a 1.40 GAA and .947 SV%. He has been absolutely outstanding in 2016-17, but has lost his first two starts against the Bruins, while posting a 7.60 GAA and .800 SV%.
Schneider allowed four goals on 39 shots in the Devils’ loss in Pittsburgh before the break. The Devils will take on the Penguins again tonight and Schneider will look to turn in a better performance. The 30-year-old has had a tough month, going 2-5-2 with a 3.42 GAA and .890 SV% in nine December starts.
Bobrovsky turned aside 36 of 37 shots in the Blue Jackets’ win vs. the Canadiens before the break. Bobrovsky has won 10 in a row while posting a 1.40 GAA and .947 SV%. He has been absolutely outstanding in 2016-17, but has lost his first two starts against the Bruins, while posting a 7.60 GAA and .800 SV%.
Mrazek allowed three goals on 15 shots after replacing Jimmy Howard in the Red Wings’ loss in Tampa Bay last Tuesday. Jared Coreau started the final game before the break, but it looks like Mrazek will face the Sabres tonight. The 24-year-old has gone 3-2-1 with a 3.42 GAA and .885 SV% in five December starts.
Lundqvist missed the Rangers' morning skate because of the flu and will not start against the Senators. With Lundqvist ailing, Antti Raanta will get the nod. Consider Lundqvist as day-to-day.
Raanta allowed two goals on seven shots after replacing Henrik Lundqvist in the Rangers’ loss to the Wild before the Christmas break. With Lundqvist out with the flu, Raanta will start tonight vs. Ottawa. The 27-year-old has gone 3-3-0 with a 2.13 GAA and .916 SV% in December. He allowed two goals on 20 shots in a 2-0 loss in his first start vs. the Senators.
Halak allowed four goals on 38 shots in the Islanders’ loss to the Capitals on December 13th. J-F Berube and Thomas Greiss have started the last five games, but it looks like Halak will be back in the crease tonight. It will be his third start against the Capitals—Halak is 1-1-0 with a 2.03 GAA and .947 SV% in the first two meetings.
Schroeder was sent to Iowa over the Christmas break, but returns to Minnesota and should be in the lineup on Tuesday. He has one goal in four games with Minnesota and another 18 points (6G / 12A) in 25 AHL games.
Dickinson, 21, made his NHL debut on December 8th and has 14 points (4G / 10A) in 19 games with Texas this season. Expect him to draw into the lineup on Tuesday with Antoine Roussel on IR.
Roussel missed the Stars final game before the Christmas break and finds himself on IR retroactive to December 20th, which means he is eligible to play whenever he is ready to go. His move to IR allowed the Stars to recall Jason Dickinson from Texas (AHL).
Smith allowed three goals on 21 shots in the Coyotes’ loss to the Oilers on Wednesday. Smith has lost three in a row while allowing three goals in each start and posting an .883 SV%. Tonight he will face the Maple Leafs for the second time in just over a week—he allowed just two goals on 46 shots a win in Toronto on December 15th.
