Karlsson played 9:01 with a minus-1 rating in last night’s loss to the Senators. He was sent down because it looks like Nate Thompson is ready to return to the lineup on Friday.
Quincey was on the ice for the Red Wings morning skate, but will be held out of his fourth straight game with an ankle injury. He is nearing a return, but it doesn’t look like he will be back until Saturday.
Khudobin allowed three goals on 19 shots in the Hurricanes loss in New Jersey last Saturday. Khudobin has been struggling mightily as of late—he has lost his last five starts while recording a 4.55 GAA and .829 SV%. Tonight will be his third start against the Capitals; he has gone 0-1-1 with a 2.96 GAA and .910 SV% in the first two.
Niemi allowed two goals on 29 shots in the Sharks loss to the Kings in their Stadium Series games last Saturday. He has gone 3-4-2 with a 2.98 GAA and .909 SV% in February. Tonight he will face a Red Wings team who have run into some inconsistency issues lately—Detroit has lost five of their last seven.
With Steve Mason returning in a back-up role on Thursday, the Flyers had to place Emery on IR in order to make room for Mason.
With Jiri Tlusty getting shipped out of town yesterday, the Hurricanes bumped Alex Semin to the top-line on Thursday. Semin has registered three assists and nine shots on goal in his last two games and Carolina is hoping that this is a sign of things to come.
Smith allowed five goals on 39 shots in Tuesday’s loss to the Islanders. He will start his fourth straight game, despite lost the last six straight games, while posting a 3.38 GAA and .892 SV%. Tonight he will face a Rangers team who have gone 8-1-2 while Henrik Lundqvist has been out.
Bergenheim was acquired from the Wild on Tuesday and he will make his Wild debut on a line with Mikko Koivu and Thomas Vanek. Bergenheim is a player that loves to shoot the puck, so if he gets a lot of time with a good palymaker, that could result in some fantasy success down the line.
Quick stopped all 20 shots that he faced in the Kings 1-0 shutout win over the Red Wings on Tuesday. Look at Quick go…He has now won eight consecutive games, while posting an outstanding 1.63 GAA and .940 SV%. He will take on the Senators at the STAPLES Center—he has gone 18-5-5 with a 2.11 GAA and .921 SV% at home.
Elliott allowed four goals on 29 shots in the Blues 4-2 loss to the Penguins on Saturday. He did not start on Tuesday, but after Jake Allen lost to the Habs, they will go back to Elliott tonight in Winnipeg. Elliott has gone 4-4-0 with a 3.29 GAA and .897 SV% in eight February starts and has gone 8-4-1 on the road this season.
Smith-Pelly will make his Montreal debut on Thursday after being acquired from Anaheim on Tuesday. He will replace Christian Thomas and likely skate on the third line with Jacob De La Rose and Brandon Prust.
Dubnyk allowed two goals on 19 shots in the Wild’s 2-1 loss to the Oilers on Tuesday. He failed to go 6-0-0 against Edmonton and it snapped a three-game winning streak. He has gone 13-3-1 with a 1.66 GAA and .935 SV% in 18 games with the Wild. Tonight he has a tough matchup vs. the Predators, a team that he played two games for last season.
Bryzgalov has refused to report to Norfolk so the Ducks have placed him on unconditional waivers, which is the first step in terminating his contract.
Hutchinson allowed two goals on 28 shots in the Jets win over Dallas on Tuesday. Hutchinson will start for the fifth time in six games, having gone 3-0-1 despite positing an ugly 3.01 GAA and .875 SV%. Tonight he will start against a Blues team who have surprisingly lost three of his last four.
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.
