Hammond surrendered four goals on 32 shots in the Senators loss to New Jersey last Thursday. It was an inauspicious start to the season for 2014-15’s surprise of the year. He will get another crack at proving last year was no fluke when he takes on a struggling Red Wings team tonight in Detroit.
Ullmark surrendered four goals on 28 shots in the Sabres loss to the Devils last Saturday. He will make his second start of the season tonight vs. Michal Neuvirth and the Flyers. It is a decent matchup with Philadelphia struggling to score early in the season—they rank 25th in the NHL, averaging just 2.11 goals per game.
Strome was a late scratch from Thursday’s game because of an illness and his absence from practice this morning puts his status for Saturday in doubt. The Islanders play at 1 p.m, so expect an update on his status a few hours before game-time.
Halak was scratched from Thursday’s game because of an illness but he was back at practice this afternoon, which suggests that Halak could be ready to start on Saturday vs. the Devils. If not, look for Thomas Greiss to go again.
Paquette has missed the last two games and missing practice this morning puts him in danger of making it three straight. Paquette has been officially listed as questionable.
Drouin was held out of Thursday’s game because of a lower-body injury and he missed practice this morning which suggests he won’t play on Saturday either. The Lightning have officially listed him as doubtful.
Hartman, 21, has scored three goals and two assists in Rockford this season. He failed to record a points in five games with the Blackhawks last season. The 2012 30th overall pick could make his season debut this weekend.
Shaw was a quality scorer in his final year in the QMJHL and had 25 points (13G / 12A) in 69 games with the Panthers’ AHL affiliate last year. Shaw had two goals in five games before being called-up.
Quincey will miss his third straight game on Friday, but should resume skating soon. He is expected to be reevaluated in a couple of days.
Rask stopped all 24 shots that he faced in the Bruins’ blowout win over the Coyotes on Tuesday. Rask has had a tough start to the year, but a 24-save shutout is sure to get him going. He enters Friday’s contest with an ugly .874 SV% and draws a Panthers team who will be without Jaromir Jagr or Aleksander Barkov.
Lundqvist made 46 saves on 48 shots in the Rangers loss in Philadelphia last Saturday. Strangely the Rangers only have one game this week, but Lundqvist draws a superb matchup with the Maple Leafs in town. Toronto has just one win in eight games, so make sure Lundqvist is active tonight.
Porter had one assist in eight games with the Penguins. He has been reassigned to WBS, which means that Sergei Plotnikov will likely get back into the lineup on Saturday.
Jagr practiced on Thursday and took part in the morning skate, but he was constantly visiting with the trainers and will ultimately be held out of tonight’s game vs. the Bruins. With Jagr out, Logan Shaw will make his NHL debut and Jussi Jokinen is expected to play on the top line.
Holtby gave up two goals on 24 shots in the Capitals loss to the Penguins on Wednesday. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Holtby. He has had a great start to the season, posting a 2.03 GAA and .917 SV% in his first seven starts. He is a must-start tonight vs. the Blue Jackets.
Luongo stopped 31 of 32 shots in the Panthers win in Colorado on Tuesday. Luongo snapped a three-game losing streak and earned his third win in seven starts. Through the first month of the season Luongo has posted a strong 2.01 GAA and .939 SV%. Tonight he will face a Bruins team who has averaged a league-high 4.13 goals per game.
Varlamov made 34 saves on 35 shots in the Avs’ win in Tampa Bay last night. After losing four of five and losing playing time to Reto Berra, Varlamov turned in a stellar performance last night and will go again tonight in Carolina. Starting him on back-to-back nights is risky, but it is nice to see Varlamov turn things around, at least for one game.
Strome was a late scratch for Thursday's game and is listed as day-to-day with an illness heading into the weekend. The Islanders have a back-to-back starting on Saturday, so monitor Strome's status leading up to tomorrow's contest with the Devils.
Drouin was a late scratch for Thursday's game vs. the Avalanche. Jonathan Marchessault dressed in his place. Monitor Drouin's status heading into this weekend's back-to-back.
Hiller left Wednesday's game with a lower-body injury following a collision with Bobby Ryan. The Flames recalled Karri Ramo on Thursday, which suggests that Hiller won't be ready to play on Friday. With three goalie options, there is no reason to rush Hiller back for tonight's game. Look for Joni Ortio to get the nod.
Jonas Hiller left Wednesday’s game with a lower-body injury, so Ramo’s recall suggests that Hiller likely won’t be ready to go on Friday vs. Montreal. Look for Joni Ortio to get the start with Ramo serving as his backup.
