Mason stopped 30 of 31 shots in the Flyers’ shootout loss to the Predators on Monday. Mason has been excellent in December, winning seven of his nine starts (7-1-1) with a 2.19 GAA and .925 SV%. The Flyers have been red-hot and tonight they’ll take on a Capitals team that has won six of their last seven while averaging 3.29 goals per game.
Stastny left Tuesday’s game with an upper-body injury and did not return. Stastny had one assist in 14:30 TOI before leaving the game. The veteran centre is day-to-day and could miss Friday’s game vs. the Oilers.
Hossa left Tuesday’s game after suffering an upper-body injury in the first period and did not return. Head coach Joel Quenneville said that Hossa was “OK” and is listed as day-to-day. The Blackhawks have one game before the Christmas break, so don’t be surprised if Hossa sits out on Friday to give him a full week to recover.
Bishop left Tuesday’s game with a lower-body injury and did not return. He was hurt when he extended his right leg to make a save on what appeared to be an otherwise harmless play. Andrei Vasilevskiy will replace Ben Bishop as the Lightning’s starter until Bishop is available.
Howard left Tuesday’s game after a collision with his teammate Nick Jensen and Lightning forward Erik Condra. Howard was writhing in pain and was unable to put any weight on his right leg as he left the ice. The Red Wings did not have an update on his status after the game, but expect an update in the next few days after he is evaluated. Jared Coreau has been recalled from Grand Rapids (AHL).
Niemi stopped 31 of 32 shots in the Stars’ win over the Flyers on Saturday. Niemi will make his fourth straight start after going 2-1-0 with a 1.35 GAA and .959 SV% in his previous three starts. Niemi has gone 1-0-1 with a 2.93 GAA and.902 SV% in his first two starts against the Blues this season.
Budaj gave up on goal on 30 shots in the Kings’ loss in Boston on Sunday. It was a great outing for Budaj, who has gone 2-1-1 with a 2.27 GAA and .918 SV% in six December starts. In his first start against the Blue Jackets, Budaj stopped 19 of 21 shots in a 3-2 overtime win. Luckily for him,Curtis McElhinney goes for Columbus.
Johnson gave up four goals in 29 shots in the Flames’ loss to the Blue Jackets last Friday. Johnson has now lost two in a row while allowing a combined eight goals on 50 shots (.840 SV%). Johnson wasn’t going to be able to maintain his previous pace, but he also isn’t as bad as he’s been in the last two. With that said, tonight’s matchup is one you should avoid.
Petan has missed the last 10 games with a lower-body injury that he suffered back on November 27th. Petan is expected to centre the Jets’ third line with Marko Dano and Drew Stafford on his wings. Petan has seven points (1G / 6A) in 13 games this season.
Hellebuyck stopped 27 of 28 shots in the Jets’ win over the Avalanche on Sunday. After losing three straight, Hellebuyck has now won two in a row while stopping 68 of 72 shots (.944 SV%). He draws a really good matchup in Vancouver, stub has gone 3-6-0 with an ugly 3.27 GAA and .885 SV% in nine starts on the road so far this season.
Ward was a healthy scratch last Friday, was back in the lineup on Sunday, but will come out again tonight. Ward will be replaced by Michael Haley.
Schlemko appeared in the last four games, collecting one goal and two assists. Tonight he will be replaced by Dylan DeMelo in what Peter DeBoer is calling a “coaches decision.”
Jones allowed three goals on 25 shots in the Sharks’ loss in Chicago on Sunday. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Jones, who will make his fifth consecutive start tonight vs. the Flames. Tonight will be his second start vs. Calgary and the first one didn’t go well—he allowed three goals on22 shots in aa 3-2 loss.
Condon allowed two goals on 24 shots after replacing an injured Andrew Hammond in the Senators’ win in Brooklyn on Sunday. Condon has played well in Craig Anderson’s absence, going 4-2-2 with a 2.48 GAA and .914 SV% in December. Tonight he will take on a Blackhawks team that has won five games in a row.
