Talbot allowed one goal on 35 shots in the Oilers win over the Capitals on Wednesday. Talbot is on fire to start the 2016-17 season, winning six of his first seven starts with an impressive 2.49 GAA, .927 SV% and one shutout. He is a must-start on Friday against a Canucks team that is last in the NHL in scoring (2.00 G/PG).
Miller allowed two goals on 27 shots in the Canucks loss to the Senators on Tuesday. After opening the season with a win, Miller has dropped two games in a row while allowing a combined six goals on 64 shots (.906 SV%). He’s in for a long night again on Friday—he faces an Oilers team that is tied for the NHL-lead in goals (3.86).
Elliott stopped 23 of 24 shots in the Flames’ win in St. Louis on Tuesday. After a rough start to his Flames’ career, Elliott has won two in a row while turning aside 54 of 57 shots (.947 SV%). Elliott has been brilliant this week, but draws a rough matchup vs. the Senators who are averaging 3.33 goals per game.
McIlrath only appeared in one game this season, sitting as a healthy scratch in six games of the first seven games. McIlrath went unclaimed, so he’ll go back to Hartford, where he had 17 points (6G / 11A) in 73 games in 2014-15.
Rask has missed the last three games, but he practiced on Friday and will travel to Detroit for Saturday’s game. The Bruins are expected to send either Malcolm Subban or Zane McIntyre to Providence (AHL), which lends some hope that Rask will be able to start.
Skinner missed Tuesday’s game in Detroit, but took part in Friday’s morning skate and will be a game-time decision for the Hurricanes’ home opener vs. the Rangers. Skinner has enjoyed a hot-start to the season, picking up six points (2G / 4A) in five games this season.
Ward allowed four goals on 25 shots in the Hurricanes’ loss in Detroit on Tuesday. Ward has lost his first three starts of the season while posting an ugly 4.03 GAA and .848 SV%. Ward draws a difficult matchup against a Rangers team that has won three in a row and five of their first seven games.
Little was injured in the season opener and is not expected to be in the lineup in November. With Little moved to IR, the Jets have recalled Marko Dano from Manitoba (AHL).
The Jets placed Bryan Little on IR to make room for Dano, who has picked up two assists in six games with Manitoba this season. Dano spent some time with the Jets last year, picking up eight points (4G / 4A) in 21 games.
Ward allowed four goals on 25 shots in the Hurricanes’ loss in Detroit on Tuesday. Ward has lost his first three starts of the season while posting an ugly 4.03 GAA and .848 SV%. Ward draws a difficult matchup against a Rangers team that has won three in a row and five of their first seven games.
Hutchinson allowed three goals on 26 shots in the Jets’ loss in Dallas on Tuesday. The Jets’ goalie rotation will continue with Hutchinson getting his fourth start of the season tonight in Colorado. The 26-year-old netminder is 1-2-0 with a 3.70 GAA and .887 SV% in his first four starts of the season.
Hammond gave up five goals on 25 shots in the Senators’ loss in Detroit on October 17th. With Craig Hammond back in Ottawa to deal with a personal matter, Hammond will start tonight in Calgary. His first start wasn’t pretty, but he was strong on the road last year—5-5-2 with a 2.50 GAA and .924 SV%.
Budaj turned aside 19 of 21 shots in the Kings’ win over the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Don’t look now, but Budaj has won three in a row and has stopped 67 of the 75 shots (.893 SV%) that he’s faced in four appearances. Budaj won’t post great numbers, but he could rack up wins as long as the Kings continue to limit their opponents to 22 shots per game.
Allen allowed four goals on 27 shots in the Blues’ win in Calgary last Saturday. The win snapped a brief two-game losing streak and now sits at 3-1-1 with a 2.39 GAA and .896 SV%. Allen draws a rough matchup vs. a Red Wings team that has won five in a row while averaging 3.80 goals per game over that stretch.
Fleury allowed two goals on 22 shots in the Penguins’ win over the Panthers on Tuesday. Fleury has won four of his first seven starts while posting a 3.11 GAA and .904 SV%. Despite Matt Murray being back, it looks like Fleury will make his eighth consecutive start tonight vs. the Islanders. Fleury is an impressive 4-0-1 with a 2.36 GAA and .927 SV% on home ice.
Pickard allowed three goals on 31 shots in Colorado’s win over the Penguins on October 17th. With Semyon Varlamov starting last night, Pickard will make his second start of the season tonight in Arizona. Pickard makes for a solid spot-start against a Coyotes team that has lost five of their first seven despite averaging 3.14 goals per game.
Varlamov allowed five goals on 38 shots in Colorado’s loss in Florida last Saturday. The Avalanche have had six days off, so Varlamov should be well rested for tonight’s game vs. the Jets. Varlamov has won two of his first four starts while posting a 3.25 GAA, .902 SV% and one shutout.
Head coach Jeff Blashill called Abdelkader a game-time decision, but Abby said that he will play on Thursday. There is no indication as to who will come out of the lineup for Abdelkader.
Niemi allowed two goals on 30 shots in the Stars win over the Jets on Tuesday. Tonight they will wrap up a home-and-home series in Winnipeg, where Niemi will go for his third win of the season. Given his success on Tuesday, you’d like to think Niemi is trust-worthy but he’s had a tough time stringing two strong starts back-to-back during his time in Dallas.
