Talbot allowed four goals on 41 shots in the Oilers win over the Flames on Wednesday. It wasn’t Talbot’s best showing or an ideal start to the season, but it was enough for him to secure his first victory of the year. The Flames were extremely sloppy defensively which led to seven Oilers’ goals. He will see Calgary again tonight, this time on the road. He was 9-11-5 with a 2.55 GAA and .919 SV% on the road a season ago.
Kane was brought to hospital for precautionary reasons after crashing into the end boards last night. Further evaluation revealed that Kane cracked three ribs and he will be out for “weeks” according to head coach Dan Bylsma. This is a tough blow for the Sabres, who will already be without Jack Eichel for what appears to be 6-8 weeks.
Kulikov missed the Sabres’ season opener on Thursday but was on the ice for practice on Friday and is encouraged that he will be able to play on Sunday. Kulikov was skating on the third pair with Cody Franson.
After missing Thursday’s season opener, Okposo was on the ice on Friday and is encouraged that he will be in the lineup on Sunday. Okposo said that his knee swelled to the size of a beach ball—I don’t believe him—but it looks like he will be in the lineup in Edmonton this weekend. This is big news for a Sabres team that has already lost Jack Eichel and Evander Kane.
Jake Allen started the Blues’ first two games, but they will turn to Hutton for his Blues’ debut tonight. The 30-year-old netminder has gone 33-24-12 with a 2.56 GAA and .910 SV% in 76 career NHL games with the Predators (75) and Blackhawks (1). He draws a tough matchup in his debut with the Rangers in town.
The oft-injured Blue Jackets’ defenseman was injured while blocking a shot in the season opener and likely won’t play vs. the Sharks on Saturday. With Scott Harrington being sent on a conditioning stint, expect Dalton Prout to replace Murray in the lineup.
Rinne had a tremendous 2014-15 season, winning 41 games with a GAA under 2.20 and SV% above .920, but he struggled last year with a 2.48 GAA and .908 SV%. He used to be considered an elite goaltender, but that depiction has taken a hit in recent years, but he remains an above-average goalie at the very least. This year he will play behind one of the deepest lineups in the NHL and should easily top 30 wins with splits comparable to his career averages (2.37 GAA / .917 SV%).
Crawford allowed three goals on 32 shots in the Blackhawks’ opening night loss to the Blues. There are going to be growing pains for the Blackhawks this season as they transition to a lineup with multiple first-year NHL players. Crawford was busy on Wednesday and there’s a strong chance that will be the case against tonight in Nashville. The Predators are an extremely talented and deep team heading into 2016-17.
Hjalmarsson was handed a three-game suspension for his preseason hit on Blues’ forward Ty Rattie, but only missed one regular season game. He returns to the Blackhawks blueline tonight and will be paired with Duncan Keith.
Hunwick only played 2:11 in the Maple Leafs’ opener after being crushed by Senators’ forward Chris Neil in the first period. Hunwick’s face was cut on the hit and he never returned to the game. He was in practice on Friday and said he was good-to-go, but head coach Mike Babcock said that they will see where Hunwick is at on Saturday.
Motte picked up one assist in 12:16 in his NHL debut on Wednesday and will be rewarded by being bumped up to the second line tonight. In the Blackhawks’ morning skate, Motte skated with Kane in Anisimov, a spot usually reserved for Artemi Panarin, who was moved to the top line with Jonathan Toews. Marian Hossa was bumped out of the top-6—this is a look the Hawks gave in the preseason, let’s see how it works out in Nashville tonight.
Elliott was torched for six goals on 27 shots in his Flames’ debut on Wednesday. The Flames went on to lose 7-4 to the Oilers, but it can’t be pinned on Elliott. Calgary left their netminder hung out to dry on multiple occasions and one goal was a Connor McDavid penalty shot. With the same opponent tonight, Elliott looks like a risky start, but the Flames should be better in front of him in this one—they frankly can’t be worse.
Harrington, 23, was acquired in a trade from the Maple Leafs this summer and was scratched in their season opener on Thursday. There’s no word what, if anything is ailing Harrington, but he heads to the AHL, where he had three points (1G / 2A) in 17 games last season.
Andrighetto, 23, split his 2015-16 season between the AHL and NHL. With St. John’s (AHL) he collected 23 points (10G / 13A) in 26 games and had 17 points (7G / 10A) in 44 games with the Canadiens. It wouldn't be shocking if another team claims Swiss winger.
Little played just 2:48 in the first period before exiting the game with a lower-body injury. Little missed 25 games last year and a total of 37 games over the previous two seasons, so injuries are nothing new for the 28-year-old centre. After the game head coach Paul Maurice did not have an update on Little’s condition, so consider him day-to-day until more information is available.
Anderson allowed four goals on 38 shots in the Senators 5-4 overtime win vs. the Maple Leafs in the season opener. Toronto dominated the Senators throughout this game, but Anderson was equal to the task, at least when Auston Matthews wasn’t shooting. Tonight he faces a Montreal team that also won their opener. The 35-year-old was 1-1-0 with a 2.76 GAA and .941 SV% against the Canadiens last year.
Quick was injured in Wednesday’s season opener and Zatkoff played the final two periods, stopping 15 of 16 shots (.938 SV%) in a 2-1 loss to the Sharks. Zatkoff will be a busy man with Quick expected to miss an extended period of time. The 29-year-old comes in with a career 2.64 GAA and .915 SV% in 36 NHL games.
McKeown, 20, was drafted 50th overall in 2014 and was acquired from the Kings last season in a trade that sent Kris Versteeg to Los Angeles. McKeown spent last year in Kingston (OHL), posting 42 points (7G / 35A) in 59 games.
Eichel was hurt in Wednesday’s practice and the Sabres said it was a high ankle sprain but did not give a timetable for his return. On Thursday, Sabres’ GM Tim Murray said that 6-8 weeks could be a possible timetable for Eichel. The second-year forward can’t put any weight on his injured ankle, he was seen on Thursday using a scooter to get around.
The Kings did not release much information on Quick’s injury, other than to say that it was of the lower-body variety and that he is week-to-week. With Quick sidelined for an unknown amount of time, the Kings will turn to the duo of Jeff Zatkoff and Peter Pudaj. Zatkoff will likely start on Friday after stopping 16 of 17 shots in relief on Wednesday.
