Skapski stopped 24 of 25 shots in the Rangers 3-1 win over the Sabres back on February 20th. Tonight will be his second NHL start and he will get another go at the lowly Sabres. The 20-year-old was having a great year in the AHL before being called-up, so there is no reason to think he can’t duplicate that performance.
It was believed that it would be Bernier tonight, but it will be Reimer. He allowed three goals on 27 shots after replacing Jonathan Bernier in the Maple Leafs loss to the Blues last Saturday. He has not registered a win since February 7th. It has been a terrible season for Reimer, who is 7-14-0 with a 3.18 GAA and .905 SV% on the year.
Ellis stopped 18 of 20 shots in the Panthers win over the Jets on Thursday. He has filled in admirably in Roberto Luongo’s absence, going 2-0-1 with a 2.53 GAA and .900 SV%. Tonight he gets the call for fourth straight game, against a Hurricanes tea who have lost four of their last five.
With Tyler Myers getting injured on Thursday, the Jets have recalled Ellerby, who will likely be in the lineup on Saturday. The 26-year-old blue liner has 16 points (3G / 13A) in 41 games with St. John’s (AHL) this season.
Klingberg will miss his second straight game because of an upper-body injury. Monitor his status leading up to Sunday’s game against the Blues.
Gibson surrendered six goals on 23 shots in the Ducks, 6-3 loss to the Flames on Wednesday. Despite the terrible outing, the Ducks will go back to Gibson tonight in Minnesota. Gibson has gone 7-4-0 with a 2.76 GAA and .912 SV% in 11 starts since being recalled in early February. He has gone 5-3-0 with a 2.70 GAA and .917 SV% on the road.
Smid has been out since January 19th and will join Mark Giordano as Flames defensemen who are out for the remainder of the season.
Maroon has zero points and a minus-3 rating in his last 10 games and with Matt Beleskey likely returning tonight, it looks like Maroon will take a seat.
Beleskey missed nearly one month with a shoulder injury, but it looks like he will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Wild. Beleskey will start on the Ducks top-line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. He has 21 goals and nine assists (30 points) in 56 games.
Bernier did not take part in the Maple Leafs optional morning skate which usually indicates that he will start. Bernier stopped 30 of 33 shots in the Leafs 4-3 shootout win over the Sabres on Wednesday. Bernier is 2-2-1 with a 3.59 GAA and .904 SV% in his last five outings. He made 32 saves in a 4-1 win in his only start against the Flames this season.
Price allowed an uncharacteristic five goals on 28 shots in the Canadiens 5-2 loss to the Senators on Thursday. Despite the rough night, they will not hesitate to go back to him tonight vs. the Islanders. Price has gone 1-3-1 with a 2.41 GAA and .925 SV% in his last five outings. He will look to duplicate his first start vs. the Isles—he stopped 37 shots in a 3-1 win back in December.
Luongo will travel with the Panthers on their two-game road-trip, but is not expected to be in net on Saturday. He just be getting an extra day of rest and could start Sunday in New York. Monitor his status over the weekend.
Jurco left Friday’s practice early and will not be available on Saturday. There is no word on the nature or severity of the injury. Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock did not say whether Dan Cleary or Stephen Weiss will replace Jurco.
Helm ruled himself out for a sixth consecutive game on Saturday but did not say whether he expects to be in the lineup on Sunday vs. the Penguins. The Red Wings are 2-3-0 since Helm got hurt.
Howard allowed three goals on 26 shots in the Red Wings 3-1 loss to the Blue Jackets on Thursday. He will start the first game of the Wings’ Pennsylvania back-to-back. He has gone 2-2-0 with a 2.61 GAA and .918 SV% in four starts and one relief appearance in March. In Howie’s first meeting with the Flyers, he stopped 22 shots in a 5-2 win.
Murray, 35, has not played an NHL game this season, he has one assist in eight games with the Cologne Sharks in Germany. If he signs he won’t be eligible to play in the playoffs, but he will try to jumpstart his career for 2015-16.
Murray has been out for five weeks because of a high-ankle sprain, but the 2012 second overall pick will get back into the lineup tonight vs. the Oilers. Murray has just one assist in seven games this season.
Dubinsky miss last night’s game in Detroit, but he will be in the lineup tonight if he feeling better around game-time. Dubinsky has five points (2G / 3A) in his last five games.
Dubnyk allowed two goals on 32 shots in the Wild’s 6-2 win over the Devils on Tuesday. Tonight he will make an outstanding 27th consecutive start when he takes on the Ducks at home. He has won six of his last seven starts while posting a 1.71 GAA and .943 SV%. He has gone 9-3-0 with a 1.84 GAA and .925 SV% at Xcel Energy Center this season.
Bobrovsky made 41 saves on 42 shots in the Blue Jackets 3-1 win in Detroit last night. He made a lot of saves, but not a lot of tough saves. He has won two in a row while stopping 70 of his last 74 shots (.946 SV%). Tonight he will take on the basement dwelling Oilers at home—he is 0-4-0 with a 3.37 GAA and .906 SV% on no rest this season.
