Ullmark made 20 saves on 21 shots in the Sabres win over the Kings on Saturday. Chad Johnson started last night in Detroit, but it will be Ullmark tonight vs. the Devils. Ullmark is 3-5-0 with a 2.67 GAA and .904 SV% on home ice this season and he struggled in his first start vs. New Jersey—he allowed four goals on 28 shots in a 4-3 loss back on October 24th.
Smith failed to record a point in two games during his conditioning stint. He returns to the Sharks, but is not expected to be in the lineup on Tuesday. Smith has no points and a minus-1 rating in four games with the Sharks.
Goodrow, 22, spent the majority of last season with the Sharks, but has been in the AHL for most of this year. Goodrow had three assists in 12 games with the Sharks earlier in the year and eight goals and three assists (11 points) in 15 games with San Jose (AHL).
Neuvirth made 41 saves on 43 shots in the Flyers 3-1 loss in Dallas on Friday. Neuvirth was excellent once again and will be rewarded with his third straight start. Neuvirth has stopped 92 of the last 96 shots (.958 SV%) that he’s faced and draws a great matchup vs. the Hurricanes. He is 1-0 vs. Carolina this season, but they come in having won four of five.
Lundqvist was pulled after he allowed five goals on 32 shots in the Rangers loss in Edmonton on Friday. Antti Raanta started on Saturday, but it will be Lundqvist tonight as he looks for revenge vs. the Oilers. Lundqvist has just two wins in his last seven outings while posting an ugly 3.19 GAA and .901 SV%.
Halak allowed two goals on 30 shots in the Islanders win in Columbus on Saturday. Halak has won three of his last four, going 3-0-1 with a 2.11 GAA and .935 SV% in the month of December. The Islanders have been on a tear as of late, going 8-0-2 in their last 10 and Halak draws a great matchup tonight against a Panthers team that has lost three of their last four.
Couture underwent a procedure to close up an artery due to bleeding in his right thigh and will miss at least the next five games. It will be the Sharks final five games before the Christmas break, so monitor his status when the team gets back into action after the break.
Scuderi, 36, was three seasons into his second stint with the Penguins after previously winning a Stanley Cup in 2008-09 during his first run in Pittsburgh from 2003-2009. Scuderi, who has served as a healthy scratch recently, has just four assists in 25 games this season.
Daley, 32, had six assists but did not score a goal in 29 games with the Blackhawks this season, his first since being traded from the Stars. Daley will help the Penguins with their breakout as well as on their power-play. The Penguins will retain 33 percent of Scuderi’s $3 million salary.
Quick allowed two goals on 42 shots in the Kings win in Pittsburgh last Friday. Jhonas Enroth started on Saturday, but it looks like it will be Quick tonight in Ottawa. Quick has won six straight starts while posting a 1.77 GAA and .926 SV%. Quick is one of the hottest goalies in the NHL and draws a strong matchup against Senators team who has lost three of four.
Gustavsson allowed three goals on 33 shots in the Bruins loss vs. the Predators last Monday. Tuukka Rask started the last two games, but it looks like it will be Gustavsson tonight vs. the Oilers. He has allowed a combined six goals on the last 44 shots (.864 SV%) that he has faced. The Bruins don’t have a back-to-back, but it is a good matchup to get Rask a breather.
Lehtonen was pulled after he allowed five goals on 30 shots in the Stars loss to Carolina last Tuesday. Antti Niemi started the last two games, but it looks like it will be Lehtonen tonight vs. the Blue Jackets, who are on the tail-end of a back-to-back. It was the first time this season that Lehtonen allowed four-plus goals—he did that 18 times (28% of his starts) in 2014-15.
Kuemper stopped all 25 shots that he faced in the Wild’s shutout win over the Sharks on Saturday. Kuemper has stopped 71 of 75 (.947 SV%) shots that he has faced since Devan Dubnyk got injured. He has filled in well and tonight he will take on a Canucks team that has lost six of their last eight contests.
