Hiller has been out since October 28th with a hip injury, but has been activated from IR and will serve as Karri Ramo’s backup on Friday. With Hiller back, the Flames have sent Joni Ortio back to Stockton (AHL) after he cleared waivers.
Hurdler missed the last two games with an illness, but will be back in the lineup on Friday. Hudler has struggled in the first quarter of the season, scoring just four goals with nine assists (13 points) and a minus-7 game in 20 games.
Ramo allowed four goals on 31 shots in the Flames loss in Anaheim on Tuesday. Despite the loss and Jonas Hiller being back, Ramo will start again on Friday. In his 11 previous starts, Ramo has six wins, a 2.83 GAA and .904 SV%. He has struggled on the road this season, going 2-6-0 with a 3.41 GAA and .896 SV%, so tread lightly.
Condon stopped all 11 shots that he faced after replacing the injured Carey Price in Wednesday’s win in New York. With Price out again, Condon takes over as the starter, again. After starting the year 6-1-0, Condon has gone 1-2-1 with a 3.45 GAA and .857 SV% in his last four starts. On Friday takes on a Devils team that has lost three of four while scoring just 1.75 goals per game.
Price aggravated the same lower-body injury that forced him to miss nine games earlier this month. Mike Condon played well while Price was out and the Canadiens will have to turn to him again it appears. There is no word how long Price will be out, but you have to believe the Canadiens will be extra careful with their star netminder this time around.
Quick stopped 33 of 34 shots in the Kings win in Florida on Monday. It was a nice bounce back after being yanked the day before. Quick has won three of his last four while posting a 2.67 GAA and .915 SV%. Tonight he will take on a Lightning team that has won two in a row, including a 5-0 win over Anaheim on Saturday. Quick has gone 4-2-0 with a 2.45 GAA and .919 SV% on the road this season.
Gustavsson allowed two goals on 26 shots in a win over the Wild last Thursday. He has been a great back up to Tuukka Rask this season, going 4-1-0 with a 2.20 GAA and .914 SV% in five games. Tonight it looks like he will face his former team in Detroit. Despite scoring woes at the start of the year, Detroit has won three of four while averaging 3.00 goals per game.
Hutton allowed four goals on 28 shots in the Predators’ 4-2 loss in Anaheim back on November 1st. Pekka Rinne has started all but two games this season, leaving little to do for Hutton, who is 1-1-0 with a 3.44 GAA and .899 SV%. He draws a good spot-start matchup tonight, but unless the Predators can score (they’ve been shutout in three straight), he isn’t going to find the win column.
Ward allowed three goals on 29 shots in the Hurricanes win over the Kings on Sunday. Eddie Lack started and lost on Monday, so look for Ward to go tonight vs. the Oilers. Ward has gone 3-2-3 with a 2.72 GAA and .888 SV% in eight starts at home this season. He will take on an Oilers team that has lost four of their last five.
Lehner is more than six weeks into a 6-10 week timetable. Many reports suggest that Lehner suffered a setback, but head coach Dan Bylsma disagreed. “I don’t think I would call it a setback," Bylsma said. "He got to the point where he started upping his rehab level and that’s where he had to back off of that a bit.” Lehner is reportedly still wearing a walking boot and will need more time before he returns to the crease.
Jones made 38 saves on 39 shots in the Sharks win in Pittsburgh on Saturday. Jones probably didn’t want to return to the San Jose after he went 5-0-0 with a 1.57 GAA, .950 SV% and one shutout on the Sharks’ road trip. For some reason, Jones has been better on the road than at home and he draws a tough home matchup tonight. He is 2-4-0 with a 2.65 GAA and .903 SV% on SAP Center ice.
Smith allowed two goals on 33 shots in the Coyotes win in Montreal last Thursday. Smith was forced to sit out on Saturday because of a lower-body injury, but he is set to go tonight vs. the Ducks. Smith has gone 4-2-0 with a 2.76 GAA and .907 SV% in the month of November. Smith will make his second start of the season vs. the Ducks—he posted an impressive 37-save shutout in the first meeting.
Mason allowed four goals on 31 shots in the Flyers loss in Ottawa on Saturday. Mason has loss three in a row while posting a 2.23 GAA and .924 SV%. Overall, Mason has just three wins in 12 starts this season, but a lot of that can be attributed to a lack of scoring by his teammates. Tonight he starts on the road where he is 2-3-1 with a 3.73 GAA and .874 SV%.
