Komarov missed Monday and Tueday’s practices with an undisclosed ailment, but he is expected to be in the lineup vs. the Blue Jackets. The Maple Leafs are already without James van Riemsdyk, so they’ll need their second leading scorer, Komarov in the lineup.
Reimer allowed two goals on 41 shots in the Maple Leafs loss in Los Angeles last Thursday. Reimer draws a strong matchup tonight vs. the Blue Jackets, who are on a back-to-back. Reimer has gone 3-2-3 with a 2.37 GAA and .927 SV% at Air Canada Centre this season—he allowed three goals on 27 shots in a 6-3 win vs. Columbus back in October.
Fleury allowed one goal on 34 shots in the Penguins win in Montreal on Saturday. Fleury has gone 2-1-1 with a 1.97 GAA and .943 SV% since returning to the Penguins crease on January 2nd. He draws a strong matchup vs. the 18-18-7 Hurricanes—Fleury is 7-6-1 with a 1.94 GAA and .939 SV% on the road this season.
Stastny took part in the Blues’ morning skate, but will be held out of the lineup tonight vs. the Blackhawks. Stastny is listed as day-to-day so his status for Thursday’s game remains up in the air.
Crawford gave up three goals on 37 shots in the Blackhawks win over the Avalanche on Sunday. Crawford comes in having won five straight while posting a 2.18 GAA and .933 SV%. Crawford won his first start against Nashville and comes into play tonight at 15-5-1 with a 1.62 GAA and .945 SV% on home ice this season.
Hellebuyck allowed three goals on 28 shots in the Jets loss to the Sabres on Sunday. He has lost two in a row, despite allowing just four goals on 52 shots (.923 SV%). Tonight he will make his second start vs. the Sharks—he is 6-2-0 with a 1.99 GAA and .935 SV% on home ice and made 27 saves in a 4-1 win in their first meeting.
Luongo allowed three goals on 30 shots in the Panthers overtime loss in Vancouver on Monday. The loss snapped a 12-game winning streak for the Panthers, but it was still a strong outing for Luongo, who is fourth in the NHL in wins (19), fifth in SV% (.930) and seventh in GAA (2.08). Tonight he faces a Flames team that has lost four of six.
Ward allowed three goals on 24 shots in the Hurricanes win in Columbus on Saturday. Ward has won two straight while stopping 56 of 60 shots (.933 SV%). Ward comes in at 8-4-3 with a 2.26 GAA and .911 SV% on home ice—he made 37 saves in a 2-1 win over the Penguins back in mid-December.
Forsberg allowed three goals on 28 shots in the Blue Jackets’ loss in Carolina on Friday. Since being recalled, Forsberg has stopped 60 of 65 shots (.923 SV%) while going 1-2-0. His second go-around in the NHL is going much better than the first and tonight he draws a solid matchup against an Islanders team that has lost three of four while being outscored 18-9.
Rask has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury, but will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Penguins. Rask has had a strong year, collecting 11 goals and 15 assists (26 points) in 41 games. He will skate on the Hurricanes third line with Jeff Skinner and Brock McGinn on his wings.
Dubnyk allowed one goal on 35 shots in the Wild’s 2-1 win in Dallas on Saturday. Dubnyk has won two of his last three starts while posting a 2.29 GAA and .931 SV%. On Tuesday, Dubnyk draws a strong matchup with the Sabres in town—Dubnyk has gone 11-5-1 with a 2.13 GAA and .924 SV% at Xcel Energy Center.
Price is not expected to return until after the All Star break, but he was on the ice for the last two days, which is a big step in him returning in early February. Price’s return would be huge for the Canadiens—he is one of the league’s top net minders and has gone 10-2-0 with a 2.06 GAA and .934 SV% this season.
Ward allowed three goals on 24 shots in the Hurricanes win in Columbus on Saturday. Ward has won two straight while stopping 56 of 60 shots (.933 SV%). Ward comes in at 8-4-3 with a 2.26 GAA and .911 SV% on home ice—he made 37 saves in a 2-1 win over the Penguins back in mid-December.
Johansson sat out the Capitals weekend back-to-back because of a suspension, but he is set to return on Thursday. Johansson, who had 26 points (10G / 16A) in 39 games this season, is expected to skate on the third line between Jason Chimera and Tom Wilson.
Carey was a minus-1 with a two shots in two games with the Capitals while Marcus Johansson was serving a two-game suspension. With Johansson set to return on Thursday, Carey heads back to the AHL.
Mayfield was a minus-2 in 14:55 TOI in his season debut on Saturday. Mayfield will sit with Marek Zidlicky replacing him vs. the Blue Jackets.
Zidlicky was a healthy scratch for Saturday’s game, but will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Blue Jackets. The veteran blueliner has three goals and 10 assists (13 points) in 35 games this season. With Zidlicky back in, Scott Mayfield will be the healthy scratch.
Greiss allowed five goals on 41 shots in the Islanders win over the Stars on January 3rd. Greiss has won three of his last four starts despite posting a 3.70 GAA and .909 SV%. Greiss is a strong 6-3-2 with a 2.32 GAA and .926 SV% on home ice and tonight he takes on a Blue Jackets who have lost three in a row while being outscored 12-6.
Hendricks has been suspended for the next three games because of his hit from behind on Panthers’ defenseman Aaron Ekblad. Ekblad missed Monday’s game because he was in the league’s concussion protocol. With Hendricks out on Tuesday, the Oilers will go with seven-defensemen as Brad Hunt gets back into the lineup.
Hamonic has missed the last two games and will miss at least the next five or six games with a lower-body injury. Look for Hamonic to return after the All Star break. With Hamonic out, Adam Pelech should remain with the team.
