Downie left Tuesday’s game after being elbowed in the head by Wild defenseman Ryan Suter. He was able to practice the last few days and was on the ice for the morning skate, so he is good to go. He has two goals and one assist in hike last five games since returning from mumps.
Holtby stopped all 21 shots that he faced in the Capitals 1-0 shutout win over the Flyers on Wednesday. Holtby is red-hot right now, having won three straight and going 6-0-1 with a 1.71 GAA and .944 SV% in January. Tonight he will make his 21st consecutive start—he is 14-2-4 in the previous 20.
Hedman has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury, but he participation in practice this morning suggests that he could make a return to the lineup tomorrow vs. the Avalanche. Monitor his status leading up to 7 PM ET puck-drop.
Hamhuis missed the last 22 games with a knee injury that he suffered on November 20th. Hamhuis will replace either Frank Corrado or Yannick Weber in the lineup. He has six assists and a minus-5 rating in 20 games this season.
Hutton will take over for the injured Pekka Rinne for the next 3-5 weeks. He stopped all 10 shots that he faced after replacing Rinne on Tuesday. He is 0-3-2 with a 2.60 GAA and .905 SV% in five starts this season. Tonight he will take on a Capitals team who have won six of seven while outscoring their opponents 21-12.
Anderson has recorded 11 points (4G / 7A) in 37 games in his first season with Springfield (AHL). This morning he skated on a line with Mark Letestu and Sean Collins.
Calvert missed the Blue Jackets’ morning skate with an illness, but coach Todd Richards would not rule him out of tonight’s contest with the Rangers.
Khudobin stopped all four shots that he faced after replacing Cam Ward in the Hurricanes loss to the Canucks last night. He will start the second game of the back-to-back tonight in Ottawa. He has won three consecutive starts with a fantastic 1.23 GAA and .942 SV%.
Bobrovsky allowed three goals on 31 shots in Wednesday’s loss to Montreal. Bobrovsky’s success in December has not carried over to January—he is 1-4-0 with a 4.25 GAA and .874 SV% in five starts in 2015. Tonight he will make his second start of the year vs. the Rangers, he made 24 saves in a 5-2 win back in October.
Ward allowed four goals on 35 shots in the Hurricanes shootout loss to the Blues on Saturday. He didn’t start on Tuesday, but he will be in goal tonight vs. the Canucks. In his first start against Vancouver, he allowed three goals on 24 shots in a 4-1 loss.
Grabovski will miss his third straight game with a lower-body injury. He is listed as day-to-day, so monitor his status prior to Saturday’s game in Montreal.
Halak stopped all 27 shots that he faced in the Islanders 3-0 win over the Rangers on Tuesday. Halak has been great for more than a month, winning nine of his last 11 starts while posting a 1.88 GAA and .918 SV%. He will make his third starts vs. the Pens, having gone 1-1-0 with a 1.52 GAA and .954 SV% in the first two.
Ward allowed four goals on 35 shots in the Hurricanes shootout loss to the Blues on Saturday. He didn’t start on Tuesday, but it looks like he will be in goal tonight vs. the Canucks. In his first start against Vancouver, he allowed three goals on 24 shots in a 4-1 loss.
Harrington, 21, has played in six NHL games with Pittsburgh this season, including his NHL debut December 18 against Colorado. Harrington has appeared in 23 AHL games with WBS, collecting six assists and posting a plus-4.
Anderson, 20, was a fourth-round pick (95th overall) of the Blue Jackets in 2012. He has registered four goals, seven assists (11 points) and 56 penalty minutes in 37 games with Springfield in 2014-15, his first professional campaign.
Skille, 27, suffered a lower body injury on January 9 against Toronto and is expected to miss two weeks from the time of the injury. They placed him IR to make room to recall Josh Anderson from Springfield (AHL).
Pastrnak appeared in his ninth game last night, and the Bruins announced that he will be sticking with the team, burning the first year of his entry-level contract. He has recorded four goals, one assist and a plus-6 rating in nine games. He is the type of game-breaking offensive talent the Bruins needed.
Johnson skated in the morning with a no-contact jersey and coach Jon Cooper said he thinks Johnson would be back before the All Star break. He never formally ruled him out, but all signs pointed towards him not playing. To no one’s surprise, Johnson recorded two assists, giving him four goals and seven assists (11 points) in his last seven games.
Schneider allowed three goals on 26 shots in the Devils 5-3 win over the Kings on Wednesday. Schneider has played very well as of late, winning three of four with a 2.01 GAA and .927 SV%. He won his first start on the California trip, but it is difficult to expect a repeat performance from the Devils in Anaheim tonight.
Lundqvist allowed three goals on 32 shots in the Rangers’ 3-0 loss to the Islanders on Tuesday. He was given last night off, but will be back between the pipes tonight in Columbus. King Henrik has been much better on the road than at home, going 9-3-1 with a 1.98 GAA and .926 SV%.
