Rinne allowed two goals on 20 shots in the Predators win over the Avalanche on Tuesday. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for Rinne. He ranks first in the NHL in wins (35), second in GAA (2.01) and SV% (.930). He has been excellent all season and will make his third start against the Wild—he is 2-0-0 with a 2.96 GAA and .906 SV% in the first two.
Lack made 40 saves on 41 shots in the Canucks 2-1 win over the Bruins on Tuesday. It was a nice start to life as the team’s number-1 with Ryan Miller out. He is a must-start tonight in Buffalo—so far Lack has gone 4-1-0 with a 1.95 GAA and .940 SV% in February.
Ellis practiced yesterday and skated with Seth Jones in today’s morning skate, so it looks like he could be back in the lineup tonight. There is no official word on his status, but expect coach Laviolette to update Ellis’ status shortly.
Carle has been out since January 15th after suffering a torn abductor muscle. Carle is five and a half weeks into a 6-8 week timeline. He has been practicing lately and his return to the Lightning’s blue line would be a huge boost. He won’t play tomorrow, but should be able to return next week.
McKenna has gone 18-14-2 with a 2.09 GAA and. 933 SV% in Portland, but struggled in his only start with the Coyotes this season. He will continue switch with Louis Domingue, while the Yotes lean heavenly on Mike Smith.
Sill who was acquired from the Penguins in the Daniel Winnik trade yesterday will make his Leafs debut tonight vs. the Flyers. Sill is expected to skate on a line with Peter Holland and David Booth.
Originally head coach Ted Nolan was worried that Girgensons would miss the remainder of the season. He will miss a lengthy period of time, but the Sabres are hopeful that he will return before the end of the season.
Ennis left Tuesday’s game with a lower-body injury, but the injury is not serious, but will force him to miss at least one game. Monitor his status prior to Saturday’s game against the Panthers.
Lack made 40 saves on 41 shots in the Canucks 2-1 win over the Bruins on Tuesday. It was a nice start to life as the team’s number-1 with Ryan Miller out. He is a must-start tonight in Buffalo—so far Lack has gone 4-1-0 with a 1.95 GAA and .940 SV% in February.
Weber missed the last two games with an upper-body injury, but he will be back in the lineup tonight vs. Vancouver. He will be paired with Rasmus Ristolainen on the Sabres second pairing.
Nash missed Tuesday’s game against the Flames, but will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Coyotes. Nash ranks second in the NHL with 37 goals and makes for a strong play tonight against the Coyotes.
Luongo allowed two goals on 38 shots in the Panthers 3-2 shootout loss to the Blackhawks on Tuesday. He will take on the Hawks again tonight in Florida. Luongo has gone 11-6-6 with a 2.27 GAA and .920 SV% at the BB&T Center, but draws a very difficult matchup.
Zadorov will be a healthy scratch for the fourth straight game because of some disciplinary reasons. He likely would be back in the lineup tonight if Mike Weber wasn’t able to go, but he is in.
Neuvirth was excellent on Tuesday, stopping 45 of 47 shots in the Sabres 4-2 win over the Blue Jackets. In February, he has posted a fantastic 1.94 GAA and .947 SV%, but that has only led to a 2-3-2 record. Tonight he will face a Canucks team, who come in having won six of their last eight.
Talbot stopped all 21 shots that he faced in the Rangers 1-0 shutout win over the Flames on Tuesday. It was Talbot’s 11th win and fourth shutout of the season. He comes in having won five of his last six games with a 2.59 GAA and .914 SV%. Talbot makes for an excellent start against the Coyotes.
Bernier gave up three goals on 34 shots in the Maple Leafs 4-3 OT win over the Jets on Saturday. With four days off between games, the Leafs will go back to Bernier tonight vs. Philadelphia. The first time he faced the Flyers, it was a debacle. Bernier allowed seven goals on 41 shots in a 7-4 loss.
The Lightning want Vasilevskiy playing as much as possible, so they sent him to Syracuse to start last night. He allowed four goals on 34 shots in a loss to Rochester. He is back, but there is no word whether or not he will start on Friday.
Dalpe, 25, has scored 16 goals with 12 assists (28 points) in 44 games with Rochester. He has just 17 points (9G / 8A) in 97 career NHL games.
Varone, 24, has been recalled because the Sabres are without Zemgus Girgensons and Tyler Ennis. He has registered two goals in seven games with the Sabres this season. While in Rochester, he has 43 points (14G / 29A) in 52 games.
Domingue, 22, has gone 10-6-2 with a 2.57 GAA and .912 SV% in 18 games with Portland this season. He has one win in one start with the Coyotes this season. There is no word whether he will start on Thursday.
