Darling made 28 saves on 29 shots in the Blackhawks win over the Maple Leafs last Friday. Corey Crawford started last night, so Darling is expected to go tonight in Florida. Darling has won three in a row while posting a 1.64 GAA and .935 SV%. He will take on a Panthers team that has lost four in a row.
Reimer made 40 saves on 41 shots in the Maple Leafs’ 1-0 OT loss to the Hurricanes on Thursday. He has stopped 71 of the last 74 shots (.960 SV%) that he has faced, so tonight he will start for the fifth time in six games. Reimer comes in at 1-3-1 with a 2.02 GAA and .939 SV% in his last five outings and he draws an excellent matchup vs. an ice-cold Canadiens team.
Moore suffered a lower-body injury on Thursday and finds himself back out of the lineup after playing just three games. With Moore out, Seth Helgeson has been recalled from Albany (AHL).
Helgeson, 25, has seven points (2G / 5A) in 33 games with Albany this season. He has not appeared in an NHL game this year, but had two assists in 22 games with the Devils last season.
Hammond allowed one goal on 12 shots after replacing a Craig Anderson in last night’s loss in New Jersey. Hammond has gone 3-4-2 with a 2.75 GAA and .912 SV% this season and tonight he’ll face the Islanders on home ice. The 27-year-old is 1-1-1 with a 2.62 GAA and .908 SV% at Canadian Tire Centre this season.
Condon gave up three goals on 23 shots in the Canadiens loss to the Bruins on Thursday. Condon has lost four consecutive games while posting a 2.77 GAA and .899 SV%. The Habs are struggling mightily right now and continue to fall in the standings. However, tonight’s matchup offers some hope. Toronto has lost six of their last seven while averaging just 1.14 goals per game.
Pirri is a goal scorer, but he has not scored in six games, so the Panthers will let him reset as a healthy scratch tonight. With Pirri out, look for Shawn Thornton to be back in the lineup.
The Rangers signed Daniel Paille to a one-year contract on Thursday and he is expected to make his debut on Friday, so Megna has been reassigned to Hartford.
Davidson suffered an undisclosed injury on Thursday and will miss at least one week. Griffin Reinhart has been recalled from Bakersfield and is expected to replace Davidson on Saturday.
Reinhart failed to record a point in 12 games with the Oilers earlier in the season. In 14 games with Bakersfield, he had five points (1G / 4A). He is expected to be in the lineup on Saturday with Brandon Davidson out.
O’Reilly had one assist in two games with the Sabres earlier in the season and is expected to be back in the lineup tonight with Sam Reinhart sidelined. O’Reilly has 23 points (4G / 19A) in 35 games with Rochester.
Reinhart suffered an upper-body injury on Wednesday and will miss at least one week as a result. With Reinhart out, the Sabres have recalled Cal O’Reilly and Matt Moulson is expected to play on the top line.
McCabe was a healthy scratch on Wednesday, but with Josh Gorges back out, McCabe will re-enter the lineup on Friday. McCabe has three goals and five assists in 43 games this season.
Gorges missed two games but returned on Wednesday only to be scratched again tonight due to an undisclosed injury. With Gorges back out, Jake McCabe will be back in the lineup.
Lehner allowed two goals on 35 shots in the Sabres loss to the Avalanche on Wednesday. He has lost each of his two starts since returning from an ankle injury, but he has played well. So far, he has stopped 60 of 65 shots (.923 SV%) but will be looking for his first win of the season tonight vs. the Red Wings. Detroit comes in averaging 2.38 goals per game (16th) on the road this season.
Hannikainen has no points in four games with the Blue Jackets, but has 11 points (5G / 6A) in 17 games with Lake Erie. He has been returned to the AHL because Nick Foligno and Matt Calvert are expected to be activated from IR.
With Sergei Bobrovsky suffering a lower-body injury on Thursday, Forsberg has been recalled from Lake Erie. Forsberg has gone 1-3-0 with a 3.03 GAA and .907 SV% with the Blue Jackets and 13-7-3 wit ha 2.56 GAA and .906 SV% with Lake Erie.
Bobrovsky was in his second game back from an extended absence due to a groin injury. His injury ravaged season continues and the Blue Jackets recalling Anton Forsberg suggests that Bobrovsky will miss some time.
With Willie Mitchell out with a lower-body injury, Dylan Olsen has been recalled to be the Panthers seventh defenseman. He has one assist in eight games with the Panthers this season.
Luongo allowed two goals on 31 shots in the Panthers loss in Tampa Bay on Sunday. Al Montoya started on Monday, so Luongo will go tonight vs. the Blackhawks. Luongo has lost three in a row and is now 3-2-1 with a 2.24 GAA and .933 SV% in January. The Blackhawks winning streak was snapped at 12 last night, but there are much better matchups out there tonight.
