DeKeyser missed the first four games of the season with a strained ligament in his foot, but he is set to return tonight in Montreal. DeKeyser will replace Brendan Smith, who is out with an undisclosed injury and he will skate on the second pair with Mike Green.
Smith suffered an undisclosed injury in the Red Wings’ loss to the Hurricanes last night. Thankfully for the Red Wings, Danny DeKeyser is ready to return from a foot injury. Consider Smith day-to-day.
Scuderi was a healthy scratch in the Penguins win over the Senators on Thursday. In his first three games of the season, the Penguins lost each of them while scoring no points and posting a minus-1 rating. He will replace Adam Clendening.
Hedman suffered an injury on Friday and it will keep him out of the Lightning lineup tonight vs. Buffalo. He went through concussion protocol following the hit that injured him, so he could be dealing with concussion symptoms, but he is not expected to miss an extended period of time. With Hedman out, Slater Koekkek has been recalled and will make his season debut.
Pekka Rinne started the first four games of the season, but the Predators will turn to Hutton tonight vs. the Senators. Hutton had a decent season in 2014-15, going 6-7-4 with a 2.61 GAA and .902 SV%. He will face an Ottawa team that has averaged 3.00 goals per game through their first five games.
Brickley has had a strong start to his NHL career, having scored one goal on three shots despite averaging just 8:56 TOI in his first four games. Shawn Thornton will play in his spot.
Fleury stopped all 22 shots that he faced in the Penguins’ shutout win over the Senators on Thursday. It was Fleury’s first win of the season and the 39th shutout of his career. For some reason the Penguins have struggled mightily to score this season, but that could change tonight vs. a Maple Leafs team that is giving up 3.50 goals per game.
Killorn sat out of Thursday’s game vs. Dallas because of an upper-body injury. There is no word as to who will come out of the lineup to make room for Killorn.
Holtby allowed one goal on 27 shots in the Capitals win over the Blackhawks on Thursday. It was Holtby’s best outing of the season and earned him a fourth consecutive start tonight vs. the Hurricanes. Carolina played last night, so it should be a good matchup for Holtby—he won his only start against the Canes last season.
Backstrom missed the first three games of the season while rehabbing his surgically repaired hip. He has been practicing for over a week and is ready to return to the lineup tonight vs. the Hurricanes. Backstrom is coming off of a season in which he recorded 18 goals and 60 assists (78 points) in 82 games.
Anderson allowed two goals on 36 shots in the Senators loss to the Penguins on Thursday. It was Anderson’s first loss of the season, but it won’t stop the Senators from going back to him tonight vs. Nashville. Anderson has a 2.47 GAA and .931 SV% through four games this season. He will face a Preds team averaging 2.50 goals per game.
Strait has no points and three shots on goal through five games this season. With Thomas Hickey coming back on Saturday, Strait will get bumped out of the lineup vs. the Sharks.
Hickey missed the first five games of the season with an upper-body injury, but is set to return to the lineup tonight vs. San Jose. Hickey, who has a career high of 22 points, will replace Brian Strait on the Islanders blueline.
Halak has missed the first five games of the season with an upper-body injury, but he is ready to return to the crease tonight vs. the Sharks. Halak is coming off of the best season of his career—he was 38-17-4 with a 2.43 GAA and .914 SV% in 2014-15. He draws a tough matchup right out of the gate as he faces the undefeated San Jose Sharks.
Bishop allowed five goals on 22 shots in the Lightning’s loss to the Stars on Thursday. Despite the rough outing, he will draw his sixth consecutive start tonight vs. the Sabres. Bishop is 3-2-0 with a 2.62 GAA and .896 SV% so far this season, but is a must-start vs. a Buffalo team he has gone 7-0-1 against in his career.
Koekkoek, 21, is expected to be in the lineup for the Lightning on Saturday vs. Buffalo. Tampa Bay lost two defensemen in Thursday’s loss to the Stars. Victor Hedman went down with an injury and Nikita Nesterov was suspended for two games. Koekkoek was the 10th overall pick in 2012, but has just three NHL games under his belt since. He had 26 points (5G / 21A) in 72 games with Syracuse last season.
Nesterov crunched Stars forward Curtis McKenzie from behind in Thursday’s game against Dallas. The play resulted in McKenzie flying head first into the boards and suffering a lower-body injury. Nesterov will miss Saturday’s game vs. Buffalo and next Tuesday’s game in Nashville. He is eligible to return next Friday in Winnipeg.
Nichushkin served as a healthy scratch in the last two games, but with injuries to Patrick Eaves, Curtis McKenzie and Travis Moen, the Stars will put Nichushkin back in the lineup on Saturday. The 20-year-old winger, who had five shots on goal in the first two games, will skate on the second line with Jason Spezza and Colton Sceviour vs. the Panthers.
Lehtonen allowed three goals on 33 shots in the Stars 5-3 win over the Lightning on Thursday. Despite allowing five goals in the last two games, Lehtonen has registered the win in each start. Back-to-back wins is likely why it looks like Lindy Ruff will go back to Lehtonen tonight in Florida. The Panthers are currently tied for fourth in the NHL in goals for.
Faksa, 21, was the 13th overall pick in the 2012 Draft and it looks like he will make his NHL debut on Saturday vs. the Panthers. Patrick Eaves and Curtis McKenzie went down with injuries in back-to-back games, opening the door for the 21-year-old to make his debut. He had just 10 points (4G / 6A) in 32 games with Texas last season, but scored twice in the 2015-16 season opener.
