Palat was on the ice for the morning skate in a no-contact sweater and will miss his third straight game with an undisclosed injury. With Palat sidelined, Brian Boyle will skate on the left side of the first line.
Callahan appeared to be close to returning the lineup last week, but he remains sidelined with a lower-body injury. Callahan is day-to-day.
Kucherov will miss his fourth consecutive game with a lower-body injury. The Lightning are extremely banged up and with Kucherov out, Jonathan Drouin will play on the right side of Tyler Johnson.
Paquette missed Saturday’s game in Edmonton, but will return to the lineup tonight vs. the Red Wings. Paquette will centre the third line with Erik Condra and Cory Conacher on his wings. Paquette has three goals and four assists (seven points) in 30 games this season.
Marchessault has missed the last two games and six of the last seven due to a lower-body injury. Marchessault has had a strong year and comes in with two goals and four assists (six points) in his last nine games.
Howard allowed three goals on 30 shots in the Red Wings’ loss to the Kings on Thursday. Howard was slated to start last night, but the game was postponed, so Howard will go tonight in Tampa Bay. Howard has gone 0-2-1 with a 2.35 GAA and .913 SV% in December and tonight will be his seventh start on the road. He has gone 3-2-0 with a 2.20 GA and .925 SV% away from Detroit.
Dubnyk allowed two goals on 36 shots in the Wild’s win in Nashville on Thursday. Darcy Kuemper started on Saturday, so Dubnyk will start tonight vs. the Avalanche. Dubnyk has won six consecutive starts while posting a 1.47 GAA and .951 SV%. Dubnyk has had a great year, but has gone 0-2-0 with a 2.05 GAA and .942 SV% in his first two starts vs. the Avalanche.
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.
Luongo allowed three goals on 32 shots in the Panthers’ shootout loss in Winnipeg last Thursday. James Reimer started on Friday, so they’ll go back to Luongo after a four-day break. Luongo has lost four of his last five (1-2-2) while allowing a combined 18 goals on 153 shots (.882 SV%). Tonight he faces a Sabres team that he has dominated in his career.
Bishop allowed two goals on 32 shots in the Lightning’s shootout loss in Edmonton on Saturday. Bishop has lost three of his last four (1-1-2) while posting a 2.66 GAA and .904 SV%. It has been a mostly difficult season for Bishop, who will make his third start vs. the Red Wings—he has gone 2-0-0 with a 3.53 GAA and .883 SV% in the first two meetings.
McElhinney stopped 32 of 34 shots in the Blue Jackets’ win in Arizona on December 3rd. Sergei Bobrovsky started the last six games, but McElhinney will give him the night off tonight. The veteran has gone 1-0-2 with a 2.03 GAA and .930 SV% in three starts and one relief appearance in 2016-17.
Dubnyk allowed two goals on 36 shots in the Wild’s win in Nashville on Thursday. Darcy Kuemper started on Saturday, so Dubnyk will start tonight vs. the Avalanche. Dubnyk has won six consecutive starts while posting a 1.47 GAA and .951 SV%. Dubnyk has had a great year, but has gone 0-2-0 with a 2.05 GAA and .942 SV% in his first two starts vs. the Avalanche.
Schneider allowed two goals on 27 shots in the Devils’ loss in New York on Sunday. Schneider has lost his last four starts while posting a 3.95 GAA and .883 SV%. It has been a tough season for Schneider, but his troubles have come on the road. Tonight he starts on home-ice where he has gone 8-0-1 with a 2.28 GAA and .920 SV%.
Vatrano was recalled from his conditioning stint in Providence after scoring two goals in two games, but he will not make his season debut tonight. Vatrano will sit out for another game, so expect Anton Blidh to remain in the lineup.
Greiss allowed five goals on 32 shots in the Islanders’ loss to the Blackhawks last Thursday. The Islanders have three goalies, so the starts have been few and far between for Greiss. Tonight he will make his 12th start of the year and his fourth on the road—he has gone 1-2-0 with a 2.19 GAA and .927 SV% in the previous three.
Murray stopped all six shots after replacing Marc-Andre Fleury for about half of a period after he was cut by a skate. Murray has gone 5-0-1 with a 1.57 GAA and .950 SV% in December and will start tonight vs. the Rangers. The 22-year-old stopped 16 of 17 shots in a 6-1 win in his first start vs. New York this season.
The Lightning’s forward group is banged up, so Richard has been recalled and could make his NHL debut on Tuesday. The 23-year-old, former third round pick (71st overall in 2012) has picked up seven goals and 10 assists (17 points) in 22 games with the Crunch this season.
Greiss allowed five goals on 32 shots in the Islanders’ loss to the Blackhawks last Thursday. The Islanders have three goalies, so the starts have been few and far between for Greiss. Tonight he will make his 12th start of the year and his fourth on the road—he has gone 1-2-0 with a 2.19 GAA and .927 SV% in the previous three.
McElhinney stopped 32 of 34 shots in the Blue Jackets’ win in Arizona on December 3rd. Sergei Bobrovsky started the last six games, but McElhinney will give him the night off tonight. The veteran has gone 1-0-2 with a 2.03 GAA and .930 SV% in three starts and one relief appearance in 2016-17.
