Luongo allowed two goals on 39 shots in the Panthers 3-2 shootout win over the Canadiens on Thursday. He has won two in a row while stopping 64 of 68 shots (.941 SV%) that he has faced. Tonight it looks like he will face a Senators team who he made 22 saves against in 1-0 loss back in October.
Subban, 21, has gone 10-10-3 with a 2.47 GAA and .920 SV% with Providence (AHL) this season. He was expected to make his NHL debut on Wednesday, but I guess the Bruins really wanted to test him. Rather than start him vs. the 29th placed team, he starts his NHL career vs. the 4th ranked team.
Varlamov allowed three goals on 25 shots in the Avs 4-1 loss to the Kings on Wednesday. It has been an up and down month for Varlamov, who is 3-5-0 with a 2.53 GAA and .906 SV% in February. He has a tough matchup in Chicago, but the last time he faced the Hawks, he posted a 54-save shutout so who knows what to expect.
Elliott was pulled after he allowed three goals on six shots in the Blues 4-1 loss to the Stars on Tuesday. It was a terrible outing for Elliott, who will start the second game of the Blues back-to-back on Saturday. It is a rough matchup with the Penguins in town, but Elliott is 10-4-1 with a 2.11 GAA and .923 SV% at home.
Granlund, 21, has five goals and eight assists (13 points) in 33 games with the Flames this season. Tonight he will centre the Flames third line with Curtis Glencross and Mason Raymond on the wings.
Kindl had one goal in two games during his conditioning stint. The Red Wings likely would have liked to keep him there for a few more games, but with Kyle Quincey questionable for Saturday, Kindl has been recalled as insurance.
Ehrhoff took more contact in practice today and is progressing well, but he will not play on Saturday. His status for Sunday’s game is up in the air.
Hamilton has registered one goal and one assist in five games since being recalled. His performance at both levels this season has earned him another year in the Oilers organization.
Klinkhammer has two assists, a minus-4 rating and 13 PIMS in 18 games with the Oilers. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Hammond made 42 saves on 44 shots in a win over the Canadiens in his first career NHL start on Wednesday. It was a glorious debut for the 27-year-old, who starts Saturday vs. a Panthers team who have gone 5-3-2 while averaging 2.60 goals per game in February.
Petry left Wednesday’s game with an upper-body injury but is on the ice this morning, which suggests that he will be available tonight vs. the Wild. He is one player the Oilers are expected to trade before the deadline though, so they won’t rush him and risk him getting injured further.
Quincey missed practice on Friday, so his status for Saturday’s game is up in the air. The Red Wings recalled Jakub Kindl from his conditioning stint and he will play if Quincey can’t. Quincey’s injury is minor and he is not expected to miss much time.
Lander injured his shoulder in Wednesday’s win over the Bruins. It is a rough break for Lander, who had four goals and four assists (8 points) in his last 13 games. His immediate movement to IR means he will miss at least the next three games.
Allen stopped 15 of 16 shots after replacing Brian Elliott in the Blues loss to the Stars on Tuesday. It wasn’t all Elliott’s fault, but Allen played well in relief, earning him the start tonight vs. the Bruins. Allen has gone 9-2-1 with a 2.28 GAA and .901 SV% at home this season.
Reimer allowed five goals on 39 shots in the Maple Leafs loss to the Rangers on February 10th. Jonathan Bernier has started the last three games, but it will be Reimer tonight in Carolina. Reimer is 1-3-0 with a 2.71 GAA and .900 SV% since the All Star break and could be a decent spot-start tonight if you are feeling risky.
Folin, 24, has six points (1G / 5A) in 29 games with Minnesota. While in Iowa, he has registered four points (2G / 2A) in 12 games. He has been recalled because he is a right-handed shot, who will replace Jared Spurgeon tonight in Edmonton.
Spurgeon was hit in the face with a shot on Wednesday and he will miss tonight’s game as he is being evaluated for a concussion. Spurgeon is a native of Edmonton, so you know he wanted to be in this game tonight. He will be replaced by Christian Folin.
Dubnyk allowed two goals on 37 shots in the Wild’s win in Calgary on Wednesday. Things continue to go well for Dubnyk in Minnesota—he sits 11-2-1 with a 1.73 GAA and .936 SV% in 15 starts with the Wild. Tonight he will face his former team for the fifth time this season—he is 4-0-0 with a 0.98 GAA and .966 SV% in the first four meetings.
Lehtera was briefly demoted to the third line on Tuesday, but returned to the second line halfway through the contest. This morning he once again skated with Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz, so look for him to skate in the top-6 tonight vs. the Bruins.
van Riemsdyk, who has been sidelined with a left patella fracture since November 16th, had been limited to skating on his own, but joined his teammates for the first time this morning. The 23-year-old is just over three months into a 3-4 month timetable, so it appears as if he is progressing well.
