Callahan will miss his second straight game on Thursday. He is listed as day-to-day and there’s no guarantee that he will return Saturday vs. the Canadiens. Callahan remains questionable for the playoffs.
Hedman will miss his second straight game with an upper-body, but he is listed as day-to-day and could potentially return Saturday vs. the Canadiens. Matt Taormina will take Hedman’s spot tonight.
Spezza woke up this morning an illness and will be replaced by Jason Dickinson, who will make his NHL debut. Spezza is day-to-day and could be back in the lineup on Saturday.
Mason allowed two goals on 25 shots in the Flyers’ 3-0 loss in Detroit last night. With Michal Neuvirth still out, the net is all Mason’s, so he’ll start on back-to-back nights for the fifth time this season—he has gone 1-2-2 with a 3.31 GAA and .905 SV% in the first four. Mason has gone 0-1-0 with a 3.48 GAA and .878 SV% in two starts vs. the Maple Leafs.
Murray allowed three goals on 30 shots in the Penguins win over the Senators on Tuesday. Murray has won six consecutive starts while posting a 1.98 GAA, .927 SV% and one shutout. The last time he lost it was against the Capitals in early March—he’ll face the Capitals again tonight. The scored three on 37 shots in a 3-2 final in that first meeting.
Bishop was pulled after allowed five goals on 23 shots in the Lightning’s loss in Brooklyn on Monday. Andrei Vasilevskiy started on Tuesday, but they’ll go back to Bishop tonight in New Jersey. The 29-year-old has gone 2-0-0 with an 0.50 GAA and .979 SV% in his first two starts against the Devils this season.
Darling allowed two goals on 31 shots in the Blackhawks win over the Coyotes on Tuesday. Darling has won three in a row while posting a 3.31 GAA and .908 SV%. He draws a rough matchup against a Blues team that have won seven of their last eight while averaging an impressive 3.75 goals per game.
Montoya allowed three goals on 26 shots in the Panthers win over the Maple Leafs on Monday. Montoya and Roberto Luongo were expected to split the final four games, so Montoya will go tonight in Ottawa. He has won his last two starts while turning aside 46 of 51 shots (.902 SV%). The Senators come in having lost five of their last seven games.
Greiss gave up two goals on 34 shots in the Islanders win over the Lightning on Monday. Greiss has won three straight starts while posting a 1.95 GAA and .929 SV%. He has yet to face the Rangers this season—but he has gone 8-7-1 with a 2.65 GAA and .921 SV% on the road in the 2015-16 season.
Lehtonen allowed two goals on 26 shots in the Stars win in Los Angeles on Saturday night. Lehtonen has won five of his last six games while posting a 2.01 GAA, .927 SV% and one shutout. Tonight he faces an Avalanche team that has lost four in a row. Lehtonen is 12-6-0 with a 2.82 GAA and .900 SV% on home ice this season.
Girardi suffered an upper-body injury in the Rangers win over the Lightning on Tuesday. Expect Dan Boyle to draw back into the lineup for Girardi tonight.
Lundqvist allowed two goals on 41 shots in the Rangers win over the Lightning on Tuesday. Lundqvist has won his last two starts while stopping 66 of 70 shots (.943 SV%). Tonight will be his third start vs. the Islanders—despite posting a 1.46 GAA and .956 SV% he has gone 0-1-1 vs. the Isles.
Backstrom has missed the last three games with an upper-body injury, but will return tonight vs. the Penguins. Backstrom has had a strong season, picking up 20 goals and 47 assists (67 points) in 73 games. He has been a point per game player in four games against Pittsburgh—picking up one goal and three assists.
Miller allowed two goals on 42 shots in the Canucks win over the Kings on Monday. He has won his last two starts while stopping 72 of 76 shots (.947 SV%). He has faced the Flames on three separate occasions this season—he has gone 1-1-1 with a 1.99 GAA and .938 SV% in the those meetings. The 35-year-old has gone 8-10-5 in 24 starts on the road this year.
Ryan left Tuesday’s game vs. the Penguins with a lower-body injury, but he said the plan is for him to play tonight vs. the Panthers. Ryan has not scored in 14 straight games, but has seven assists over that span.
Ward stopped 35 of 36 shots in the Hurricanes shootout win in Boston on Tuesday. Ward has won three of his last four starts while posting a 1.68 GAA and .941 SV%. Tonight he will make his third start against the Canadiens—Ward is 1-0-1 with a 1.44 GAA and .958 SV% in the firs two meetings of the season.
Ryan has been recalled on a few separate occasions, appearing in five games with the Hurricanes. He has two goals in those games and comes up from Charlotte, where he has 23 goals and 32 assists (55 points) in 70 games.
The Penguins are in need of a forward for the final two games of the season and those games are against two of Pittsburgh’s biggest rivals—in Washington tonight and in Philadelphia on Saturday. So, Sestito comes up to bring some toughness to the lineup.
Taormina is expected to be in the lineup on Thursday with Slater Koekkoek heading back to Syracuse. Taormina has 13 goals and 28 assists (41 points) in 61 AHL games this season. He has 12 points (4G / 8A) in 57 career NHL games with the Devils and Lightning.
Koekkoek played just 12:08 TOI on Tuesday and he swaps places with Matt Taormina, who will take his spot tonight. Koekkoek heads back to Syracuse where he has 15 points (5G / 10A) in 55 games.
