Johnson allowed five goals on 41 shots in a loss to the Hurricanes in his last start as an Islander. Tonight he will make his Sabres season debut having gone 8-8-1 with a 3.08 GAA and .889 SV%. Those aren’t great numbers for someone on a pretty good team, so who knows what they’ll look like in Buffalo.
Zetterberg was expected to be in the lineup tonight, but had to be medically cleared. Now that he is officially cleared, Zetterberg will return after missing the last four games. He will skate with Justin Abdelkader and Erik Cole.
Jackman suffered a leg injury on Sunday, and he is expected to miss at least one month. With Jackman out, Emerson Etem will likely stay with the big-club for the duration of his injury.
Montoya suffered what is believed to be a groin injury, but had to try and play through it because Roberto Luongo was also out. He still has to be evaluated, but the original prognosis is no good. Expect a full update in the next 24 hours.
Elliott allowed one goal on six shots after replacing Jake Allen in the Blues loss in Vancouver on Sunday. Elliott has been average as of late, going 6-4-0 with a 2.73 GAA and .910 SV% in his last 10 outs. Tonight he will start in Philadelphia—he has gone 10-4-1 with a 2.16 GAA and .924 SV%.
Gibson made 39 saves on 40 shot in the Ducks 3-1 win over the Stars on Sunday. Gibson has won five of his last six starts while posting a 1.78 GAA and .944 SV%. He draws a rough matchup against a Habs team who is just two points behind the Ducks with two games in hand.
Crawford allowed two gaols on 29 shots in the Blackhawks win over the Hurricanes on Monday. He has won two in a row after losing his previous three straight. He draws a beautiful matchup with the Oilers in town—he made 24 saves in a 7-1 win in their last meeting.
Mason allowed three goals on 26 shots in the Flyers 3-2 OT loss to the Flames on Tuesday. He has posted a 2.34 GAA and .915 SV% since returning from injury. Tonight he will take on a Blues team who have lost four of their last seven—Mason has gone 11-4-4 with a 2.01 GAA and .933 SV%.
Zidlicky will make his debut on the third pair with Brendan Smith. He will also anchor the Red Wings second power-play unit. He had registered 23 points (4G / 19A) in 63 games with New Jersey.
Cole will make his Detroit debut on a line with Justin Abdelkader and Henrik Zetterberg. Cole comes in having scored three goals and three assists in his last six games. He brings some physicality along with some scoring touch.
Anderson was slated to make his first start since January 21st tonight. Head coach Dave Cameron reiterated this morning that Anderson would start tonight, but when he met with Anderson, Anderson said he still has some discomfort in his injured hand and did not feel he should start tonight in Winnipeg.
Craig Anderson was confirmed as the Senators starter this morning, but then Anderson told head coach Dave Cameron he didn’t feel ready to go, so Hammond will start on back-to-back nights. He allowed two goals on 38 shots in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Wild last night. The loss made him 5-0-1 with a 1.40 GAA and .955 SV% since being recalled.
Cowen missed last night’s game with an illness and could be held out of tonight’s game as well. Monitor his status during pre-game warmups at 7:00 pm ET.
Greening was a healthy scratch last night, but will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Jets. Greening has five shots and a minus-1 rating in two games since being recalled.
Luongo will not play on Thursday due to the injury that he suffered last night vs. the Maple Leafs. His injury is not believed serious, which is great news for the Panthers, who are battling for a playoff position. Dan Ellis will start tomorrow.
Ellis will make his first NHL start of the season. He has gone 22-11-3 with a 2.70 GAA and .906 SV% in 36 starts with San Antonio (AHL) this season. He is not a great option against the Stars—he went 0-5-0 with a 4.81 GAA and .836 SV% with the Panthers last season.
Hutchinson allowed two goals on 20 shots in the Jets 5-2 win over the Kings on Sunday. He has won five out of his last seven starts while registering a 2.69 GAA and .894 SV%. Tonight he will face a Senators team who have played very well in front of Andrew Hammond, going 5-0-1 in their last six.
Hutchinson allowed two goals on 20 shots in the Jets 5-2 win over the Kings on Sunday. He has won five out of his last seven starts while registering a 2.69 GAA and .894 SV%. Tonight he will face a Senators team who has played very well in-front of Andrew Hammond, but it will be Craig Anderson tonight for the first time since January 21st.
Zetterberg has missed the last four games with a head injury, but it looks like he will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Rangers. He need to be cleared by doctors this afternoon, buts far, all signs point towards him playing. Zetterberg will centre Justin Abdelkader and newcomer Erik Cole, if he plays. Z has 15 goals and 34 assists (49 points) in 57 games this season.
Brittain, 22, has never even started an AHL game, but this is his second recall of the season. He has gone 14-11-1 with a 2.71 GAA and .895 SV% with Cincinnati this season. With both Roberto Luongo and Al Montoya getting injured last night, Brittain would serve as Dan Ellis’ backup last if neither of them can go.
