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.
Hoffman served his two-game suspension over the weekend and will return to the lineup tonight in Chicago. Hoffman is on-pace for another 25-plus goal, 30-plus assist season and should be activated in all formats. Expect Hoffman to reclaim his spot on the top line with Derick Brassard and Mark Stone.
Andrew Hammond was hurt in Sunday’s game in Brooklyn so O’Connor has been recalled presumably to serve as Mike Condon’s backup in Chicago. The 24-year-old has gone 7-9-0 with a 2.78 GAA and .898 SV% in 17 games with Binghamton (AHL).
Enroth served as Frederik Andersen’s backup or the last two games while Antoine Bibeau was in the AHL getting some game action. They have swapped places so Enroth returns to the Marlies, where he is 1-0-0 with an .889 SV%.
Bibeau went back to the Marlies for a few days to get a couple of starts, but is back with the Maple Leafs and is expected to start one of the Maple Leafs’ back-to-back games on Thursday and Friday.
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.
Martin served as Calvin Pickard’s backup for three games while Semyon Varlamov was sidelined with a groin injury. With Varlamov back on Tuesday, Martin returns to San Antonio, where he has gone 11-7-0 with a 2.31 GAA and .924 SV%.
Varlamov missed the last three games with a groin injury, but was back at practice on Monday and is set to return to the lineup on Tuesday. The Avalanche did not name a starting goalie, but Spencer Martin was reassigned to San Antonio (AHL), so Varlamov is definitely available.
Markstrom gave up one goal on five shots after replacing Ryan Miller in the Canucks’ 8-6 loss in Carolina last Tuesday. Markstrom has had a tough time in December, going 0-4-0 with a 2.76 GAA and .908 SV%. Tonight he will face a Jets team that has lost four of their last six and are 5-10-2 on the road this season.
