Niemi allowed three goals on 26 shots in the Sharks 4-1 loss to the Flames on Monday. Niemi has gone 1-2-1 with a 2.96 GAA and .907 SV% in his last four starts, but the Sharks look like they will roll with him again tonight vs. Washington. He was lit up for five goals by the Capitals back in October.
Elliott allowed three goals on 27 shots in the Blues loss 4-2 loss to the Blackhawks on Sunday. Elliott has lost two in a row while stopping 34 of 41 (.829 SV%) in his last two outings. He best the Lightning in hid first start against them as well as going 6-4-1 with a 1.88 GAA and .931 S% at home.
With the addition of Drew Stafford and Tyler Myers on Wednesday, Byfuglien will head back to defence on Thursday vs. the Predators. In 25 games on the blue line, Byfuglien has 22 points (7G / 15A), which is better than his 15 points (7G / 8A) in 31 games he has played at forward.
Talbot fave up four goals on 34 shots in the Rangers 5-4 win over the Maple Leafs on Tuesday. He has gone 2-1-1 with a 3.01 GAA and .882 SV% since Henrik Lundqvist went down. Tonight he faces an Avalanche team who have lost three in a row while scoring a combined three goals in those losses.
Armia will start his Winnipeg Jets career in the AHL with St. John’s. He ranked fifth in point with Rochester having recorded 10 goals and 15 assists (25 points) in 33 games.
Tokarski gave up three goals on 32 shots in the Habs 3-2 loss to the Coyotes on February 1st. Carey Price has started the last four games, but Tokarski will get the nod tonight vs. the lowly Oilers. This is as good of a spot-start as you will find, so jump on it!
Silfverberg missed Tuesday’s morning skate and game, so it was good news that he was back on the ice on Wednesday morning. Monitor Silfverberg’s status on Thursday morning.
Lindholm missed Tuesday’s game with a lower-body injury, but his availability this morning is a good sign that he should be available for Thursday’s game. The Ducks might not provide an update until they see how he gets through Thursday’s morning skate.
Lupul reportedly returned too early from his lower-body injury and it continues to linger. He will be held out of at least the next two games, but with the Leafs season pretty much over, look for them to hold him out until he is fully healed this time around.
Prout will not play on either Friday or Saturday because of an upper-body injury he suffered on Saturday. Prout is day-to-day.
Lehner stopped 35 shots on 36 attempts in the Senators 2-1 win over Buffalo on Tuesday. Lehner enters play having won two of his last six starts with a 2.35 GAA and .927 SV%. Despite the solid numbers, he draws a very difficult matchup with the Penguins in town.
Cormier played just 4:54 in the only game he played during his recall. With the big deal the Jets made this morning, they had to make room for the extra players they acquired.
Kessel has seen his ice-time dimish in the last few games. He played just 14:31 on Saturday and then only 12:57 last night, while positing a minus-4 rating. He is reportedly dealing with an undisclosed injury, yet he has not come out of the lineup. He has just three goals and three assists in his last 18 games.
Bernier allowed four goals on 28 shots in the Maple Leafs loss to the Predators last Tuesday. James Reimer has received the nod in the last two games, but it will be Bernier who takes on the Islanders on Thursday. Bernier was victorious in his only start against the Isles and is 4-6-4 with a 2.30 GAA and .924 SV% on the road.
McMillan has just one goal and two assists to go along with a minus-18 rating in 50 games this season. Claiming Mark Arcobello off of waivers meant the Coyotes needed to clear a roster spot.
Arcobello will head to his fourth team in five months. Lets hope he has not been unpacking his bags, because he has went from Edmonton to Nashville to Pittsburgh and now to Arizona. Overall he has 15 points (8G / 7A) in 50 games between those teams.
Forbert, 22, was the Kings first round pick (15th overall) in 2010. The 6-foot-4, 218 lbs. blue liner has 11 points (2G / 9A) and a plus-15 rating in 46 games with Manchester this season.
Comeau was on the ice for the Penguins morning skate and said after the session that he was “hopeful” that he will return to the lineup tonight. It sounds like he will play, but we will not know for sure until pre-game warmups. He skated with Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist this morning.
Bobrovsky returned to the ice on Monday and skated again today, showing continuing progress in his return from a groin injury. He is nearly three weeks into a 4-6 week timeline, so you could potentially see Bobrovsky return by next weekend.
Lemieux, 18, was a second-round pick (31st overall) of the Sabres in last summer’s draft. The son of former NHLer Claude Lemieux, Brendan is a gritty forward who can put the puck in the net. He has 35 goals and 15 assists (50 points) in 46 games with the Barrie Colts (OHL) this season.
