Versteeg has missed the last four games and will miss multiple months after he undergoes surgery on his hip later today. With Versteeg out longterm, mark Jankowski appears to have landed a full-time gig with the Flames.
Irwin has been a mainstay on the Predators blueline this season, appearing in 24 of 26 games but he will come out of the lineup tonight with Yannick Weber (lower-body) set to return from injury.
Weber, who has just two assists in 12 games this season, will play in his first game since November 11th. The 29-year-old defenseman will replace Matt Irwin in the lineup and skate on the third pairing with Anthony Bitetto.
Johansen was forced to leave Saturday’s game early and was not on the ice for Monday’s morning skate, so don’t expect him to suit up against the Bruins. With Johansen out, Pontus Aberg is expected to draw into the lineup and his linemates Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson are expected to skate on separate lines.
Brickley was a healthy scratch for the last four games, but will replace Dryden Hunt in the Panthers lineup vs. the Islanders. Brickley has collected eight points (2G / 6A) in 18 contests this season.
Hunt was in the lineup on Saturday but will be replaced by Connor Brickley tonight vs. the Islanders. Hunt has just one assist in nine games with the Panthers this season.
Haapala picked up one assist while averaging 13:42 TOI/GM in his first five games with the Panthers. With the Panthers getting healthier up front, he will sit for the second straight contest.
Halak allowed one goal on 15 shots after replacing Thomas Greiss in the Islanders loss to Ottawa on Friday. Halak has played really well recently, stopping 68 of the last 72 shots (.944 SV%) that he has faced. Tonight he will face the NHL’s 21st ranked offence (2.81 GF/PG) on the road, where he is 3-5-0 with a 2.94 GAA and .900 SV%.
Rinne allowed two goals on 35 shots in the Predators win over the Ducks on Saturday. Rinne has won six of his last seven starts while posting a 2.10 GAA, .936 SV% and one shutout. The veteran netminder will start the front-end of the Predators back-to-back tonight vs. Boston—he allowed three goals on 31 shots in a 4-3 loss in his first start vs. the Bruins.
Beaulieu left Saturday’s game in Pittsburgh early and likely will not play Tuesday in Colorado. Beaulieu has recorded just three assists in 20 games this season.
Luongo allowed two goals on 32 shots in the Panthers’ loss to the Sharks last Friday. Since returning from injury in early-November, Luongo has gone 5-4-1 with a 2.28 GAA, .936 SV% and one shutout in 10 starts. He will look to continue his strong play tonight, but will be in tough against the NHL’s highest scoring team—the Islanders averaging 3.72 goals for per game.
Grubauer allowed one goal on 26 shots in the Capitals’ win over the Lightning on November 24th. Despite Braden Holtby playing very well recently, Grubauer will start tonight vs. the Sharks. He is coming off of his first win of the year and San Jose comes in ranked third last in the NHL in scoring, averaging just 2.56 goals for per game.
Luongo allowed two goals on 32 shots in the Panthers’ loss to the Sharks last Friday. Since returning from injury in early-November, Luongo has gone 5-4-1 with a 2.28 GAA, .936 SV% and one shutout in 10 starts. He will look to continue his strong play tonight, but will be in tough against the NHL’s highest scoring team—the Islanders averaging 3.72 goals for per game.
The Predators continue to flip Juuse Saros and Lindback to get Saros some starts. With a back-to-back on Monday/Tuesday, the Predators have brought Saros back to start him in one of those games. Lindback returns to Milwaukee where he is 11-4-0 with a 2.32 GAA and .925 SV%.
The Predators continue to try and get Saros some playing time in the AHL when they know Pekka Rinne will start a stretch of games. With Nashville having a back-to-back on Monday/Tuesday, Saros has been recalled and will likely start one of those games. Saros has struggled this season, going 0-3-0 with a 3.53 GAA and .874 SV% in three AHL games and a 1-3-1 with a 3.71 GAA and .870 SV% with Nashville.
Hanzal was listed as week-to-week with a hamstring injury so his move to IR was simply a formality to create a roster spot to recall Jason Dickinson from Texas (AHL). Hanzal has had a lot of injury troubles throughout his career and 2017-18 has been a disaster so far.
The Stars have recalled Dickinson because Martin Hanzal was placed on IR with a hamstring injury. The 22-year-old has scored nine goals and one assists (10 points) in 17 games with Texas this season. Dickinson has just there goals in 15 career NHL games.
Milano, who was the No. 16 overall pick in 2014, has had an average first quarter of the season, collecting five goals and five assists (10 points) in 24 games this season. He’ll return to Cleveland but will likely be the first forward recalled in the future. Milano had 47 points (18G / 29A) in 54 AHL games last season.
