Laine was absolutely crushed by Sabres’ defenseman Jake McCabe during Saturday’s loss to Buffalo. Laine is likely being evaluated for a concussion and is considered questionable, if not doubtful to play Monday vs. the Flames.
Ward allowed two goals on 24 shots in the Hurricanes loss in Chicago on Friday. Ward has started the last 15 games, going 8-5-2 while posting a solid .915 SV%. Today he will face the Bruins for the third time this season—he has gone 1-0-1 with a 1.41 GAA and .956 SV% in the first two meetings.
Bobrovsky allowed five goals on 23 shots in the Blue Jackets’ loss in Washington on Thursday. The loss snapped a personal 14-game winning streak for Bob, who leads the NHL in wins (25), tied for fourth in SV% (.930) and tied for fifth in GAA (2.03). Tonight he will face his former team for the seventh time in his career—he has gone 5-1-0 in the first six meetings.
Rask allowed four goals on 25 shots in the Bruins’ loss to the Oilers on Thursday. Rask has lost his first two starts of 2017 while allowing a combined six goals on 50 shots (.880 SV%). Despite his recent struggles, tonight he will face the Panthers for the fourth time this season—he has gone 3-0-0 with a 1.66 GAA and .947 SV% in their first three meetings.
Holtby stopped all 29 shots that he faced in the Capitals’ shutout win over the Blue Jackets on Thursday. Holtby put an abrupt stop to the Blue Jackets’ winning streak and will start again in Ottawa. Despite a terrible outing vs. the Maple Leafs, Holtby sits at 2-0-0 with a 1.71 GAA, .934 SV% and one shutout in his first three starts of the 2017 calendar year.
Lundqvist allowed two goals on 32 shots in the Rangers’ win in Philadelphia on Wednesday. It was surprising to see him start on back-to-back nights, but it worked out for Lundqvist and the Rangers. He’ll go again tonight in Columbus—he has gone 8-5-0 with a 2.25 GAA and .926 SV% on the road this season, but draws a tough matchup tonight.
Markstrom allowed two goals on 44 shots in the Canucks’ win in Edmonton on New Year’s Eve. Ryan Miller started the last three games, including a win last night, but Markstrom will start on the tail-end of the back-to-back. Markstrom has gone 2-1-0 while stopping 106 of 112 shots (.946 SV%)—but that loss came against the Flames, who he faces again tonight.
Jones allowed five goals on 26 shots in the Sharks loss to the Wild on Thursday. Jones has lost three straight starts while posting a 3.37 GAA and .886 SV%. Despite his recent struggles, he should make for a strong start tonight against a Red Wings team that has struggled to score this season. Jones is 10-5-1 with a 1.89 GAA and .923 SV% on home ice.
Johnson allowed three goals on 25 shots in the Flames’ loss to the Ducks on December 29th. Brian Elliott struggled last night in Vancouver, so Johnson goes tonight vs. the Canucks on home-ice. Johnson has struggled in his last four starts, going 0-4-0 with a terrible 4.12 GAA and .862 SV%. He stopped 30 of 31 shots in a 2-1 shootout loss in his first start vs. Vancouver.
Hanzal left last night’s game in Anaheim with an upper-body injury and is questionable for tonight’s game. The Coyotes recalled Laurent Dauphin from Tucson (AHL), which is not a great sign for Hanzal’s availability.
Martinook left last night’s game in Anaheim with an upper-body injury and is questionable for tonight’s game. The Coyotes recalled Laurent Dauphin from Tucson (AHL), which is not a great sign for Martinook’s availability.
Backes has missed the last three games with a concussion, but has practiced for a few days in a row, which is a good sign that he will be available tonight. However, he has to be medically cleared and is listed as a game-time decision. If Backes does play, expect him to skate on the second line with David Krejci and Ryan Spooner.
