Holtby allowed two goals on 34 shots in the Capitals win over the Lightning last night. Holtby will start both games of the back-to-back and draws a good matchup tonight in Toronto. In his first start against the Maple Leafs, Holtby stopped 23 of 25 in a 3-2 shootout win.
Reimer’s injury was suffered in practice earlier in the week, but it was not believed to be serious. Despite taking part in Friday’s practice, he was held off of the ice this morning and will not play tonight vs. the Capitals. Jonathan Bernier will start and Garret Sparks has been recalled to serve as the backup.
Bernier allowed four goals on 30 shots in the Maple Leafs loss in New York on November 15th. With James Reimer likely out with a lower-body injury, look for Bernier to start vs. the Capitals. It has been a struggle for Bernier, who sits at 0-7-1 with a 3.17 GAA and .895 SV%. Tonight’s matchup vs. the Capitals will make it difficult for him to register his first win.
Bourque left Friday’s game after suffering an upper-body injury. He played just 4:33 before retiring to the dressing room. He is questionable for Saturday’s game as the Predators forward depth continues to be tested by injuries. If he can’t play, look for the Predators to recall a forward.
Hickey has missed the last 15 games with a left injury, but was activated from IR and is expected to be back in the lineup on Saturday. Hickey has two goals in four games this season.
Johnson left after his first shift in his second game back on Friday. Johnson had previously missed three games with an injury and now it looks like he could be back out of the lineup on Saturday. If Johnson can’t play, look for Mike Angelidis to bin the lineup.
Stepan suffered two broken ribs on a hit by Bruins’ forward Matt Beleskey on Friday afternoon. With Stepan out, Kevin Hayes will centre the second line and Emerson Etem will move from the fourth to the second line right winger. There is no official timetable for Stepan’s return.
Bernier allowed four goals on 30 shots in the Maple Leafs loss in New York on November 15th. With James Reimer likely out with a lower-body injury, look for Bernier to start vs. the Capitals. It has been a struggle for Bernier, who sits at 0-7-1 with a 3.17 GAA and .895 SV%. Tonight’s matchup vs. the Capitals will make it difficult for him to register his first win.
Sparks has gone 8-2-1 with a 1.90 GAA and .938 SV% in 11 games with the Marlies this season. With James Reimer out with a lower-body injury, Sparks has been recalled to back-up Jonathan Bernier vs. the Capitals.
Harrington played just 7:48 on Monday and the Maple Leafs needed to make room to recall Garret Sparks, who will replace James Reimer. With Harrington out, Martin Marincin is expected to return to the lineup.
Olofsson didn’t record a point in his NHL debut, but has three assists in 21 games with Iowa this season. He swapped places with Christian Folin and is expected to play on Saturday.
Folin has just two assists in 14 games with the Wild this season. He will swap places with Gustav Olofsson, who is expected to be in the lineup on Saturday.
Kuemper hasn’t started since October 25th, when he was pulled after allowing four goals on 18 shots in a 5-4 loss to the Jets. In two starts this season, he is 0-0-1 with a 4.33 GAA and .891 SV%. His tough outings and limited playing time make him a terrifying start tonight vs. Dallas.
Gibson allowed three goals on 33 shots in the Ducks loss in Arizona on Wednesday. He has posted a .925 SV% in two games since being reacalled and will make his season consecutive start tonight vs. the Blackhawks. It is a tough matchup against a red hot Patrick Kane and company.
Vasilevskiy allowed one goal on 20 shots in the Lightning’s loss in Florida on November 16th. Vasilevskiy has won two of four while posting a 2.03 GAA and .929 SV% this season. He draws a terrible matchup in Washington.
Hellebuyck, 22, was a fifth round pick (130th overall) in 2012. Hellebuyck was 2-7-1 with Manitoba (AHL) despite posting a 2.41 GAA and .927 SV% this season. There is a lot of hype surrounding the former UMass-Lowell goaltender, who appears to be in line to make his NHL debut in Minnesota.
Parise, who missed the past eight games with a sprained knee ligament, was taken off injured reserve this morning. That should pave the way for his return this afternoon (3 p.m.) against the Winnipeg Jets. Parise, the team's leading goal scorer with seven when injured Nov. 5, took part in morning skates Saturday and Wednesday but practiced for the first time yesterday. He is expected to replace Christoph Bertschy in the lineup.
Holtby allowed three goals on 26 shots in the Capitals win over the Jets on Wednesday. Holtby has won five consecutive games while posting a 1.80 GAA, .932 SV% and one shutout. Holtby is red-hot and on Friday he faces a Lightning team at home, where he is 7-2-0 with a 1.99 GAA and .923 SV% this season.
