Niemi gave up four goals on 39 shots in the Stars loss in San Jose last Saturday. Niemi has dropped four straight games while posting a 3.75 GAA and .878 SV%. The Stars have struggled recently, but they draw a strong matchup tonight vs. a banged up Oilers squad. I his first start in Edmonton, he allowed two goals on 24 shots in a 2-1 OT loss.
Mason allowed three goals on 35 shots in the Flyers 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs on Tuesday. Mason is 3-1-1 with a 1.95 GAA and .934 SV% in his last five games and tonight he faces a familiar foe in Pittsburgh. On paper it looks like a nice matchup, because the Penguins come in having lost five of their last seven games.
Hellebuyck allowed two goals on 34 shots in the Jets loss to the Avalanche on Monday. January has been a roller coaster ride for Hellebuyck, who is 4-3-1 with a 1.87 GAA and .938 SV%. Tonight will be his third start vs. the Predators—he has gone 2-0-0 with a 2.48 GAA and .937 SV% in their first two meetings.
Zalewski, 23, has registered 17 points (8G / 9A) in 36 games with Utica this season and he is expected to make his NHL debut on Thursday. Zalewski centred the Canucks fourth line in the morning skate, so expect to replace Adam Cracknell in the lineup.
Beaulieu suffered a lower-body injury in Tuesday’s game vs. the Bruins and is officially listed as day-to-day. The Canadiens are off until Saturday, so monitor Beaulieu’s status as we approach the weekend.
Letang missed Wednesday’s practice, but will play on Thursday vs. the Flyers. Letang’s health has been a common question mark this season, but when he has been in the lineup he has produced at a high rate. Letang has 30 points (6G / 24A) in 35 games this season.
Domingue allowed two goals on 28 shots in the Coyotes 2-1 loss to Buffalo on Monday. Domingue has lost his last two starts and now sits at 4-1-2 with a 1.95 GAA and .934 SV% in January. Domingue has been extremely impressive since being called up from Springfield (AHL). Tonight he will face a Sharks team that has gone 5-0-1 while averaging 4.17 goals per game in their last six.
Kreider is questionable for Friday’s game after missing Thursday’s practice with neck spasms. Monitor his status during their morning skate.
Ferraro missed Tuesday’s game in Montreal, but there is a chance that he returns tonight vs. the Canucks. Ferraro has seven points (3G / 4A) in 25 games since being claimed off of waivers by the Bruins.
Krejci took part in the Bruins morning skate and is listed as a game-time decision for Thursday’s contest vs. the Canucks. Krejci has been out since December 27th, but it looks like there’s a good chance that he plays. He had 11 goals and 22 assists (33 points) in 35 games this season.
Fleury stopped all 22 shots that he faced in the Penguins’ shutout win over the Hurricanes on Sunday. Jeff Zatkoff started on Monday, so they’ll go back to Fleury tonight vs. the Flyers. Fleury has gone 3-1-3 with a 2.24 GAA and .923 SV% in his last seven starts and tonight he takes on a Flyers team that is 5-1-1 overt the same stretch.
Rask stopped 38 of 39 shots that he faced in the Bruins win in Montreal on Tuesday. It was an outstanding performance from Rask, who usually struggles against the Habs. He has now won two in a row while allowing just three goals on 68 shots (.956 SV%). He is a great option tonight vs. the Canucks—he stopped all 17 shots he faced in a 4-0 shutout win in their first meeting.
Hartnell was a healthy scratch on Tuesday, but will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Flames. Hartnell is expected to skate on a line with Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson—he has 15 goals and 16 assists (31 points) in 45 games this season.
Bobrovsky allowed five goals on 27 shots in the Blue Jackets loss to the Capitals on Tuesday. Not an ideal return for Bobrovsky, who will go again tonight vs. the Flames. Bobrovsky, who is just 4-7-1 with a 3.02 GAA and .897 SV% on home ice, draws a nice matchup with the Flames having lost four of their previous five games.
Garbutt had two goals and four assists in 43 games in his first season with the Blackhawks. He was acquired in the Patrick Sharp deal this summer but is now on his way to Montreal. He has 76 points (32G / 44A) in 241 career NHL games.
Sekac, 23, had just one goal and two assists in 22 games with the Ducks this season. In 91 career NHL games, Sekac has registered 10 goals and 16 assists. Sekac could make his Blackhawks debut on Friday.
Puempel, 22, has one goal in 11 games with the Senators this season, but has registered 24 points (13G / 11A) in 29 games with Binghamton. With Mike Hoffman and Kyle Turris questionable for Thursday’s game, Puempel is expected to be back in the lineup.
Drouin did not show up for Syracuse’s game on Wednesday and the Lightning have suspended the 20-year-old indefinitely. The Lightning will continue to try and trade Drouin for a fair price, so it looks like he has played his last game with Tampa or Syracuse.
Paille has one goal and three assists in 31 games with Rockford (AHL) this season. Paille has been signed to a two-way deal with the Rangers, but isn’t going to have any fantasy impact.
Reinhart left after playing just 11:43 TOI in Wednesday’s loss in Colorado. Head coach Dan Bylsma did not have an update on Reinhart’s status after the game, so there is no word on the nature or severity of his injury.
