Fraser is expected to make his Devils season debut tonight because Eric Gelinas is out with an illness and Peter Harrold is out with a face injury. Fraser has three points (1G / 2A) and 45 PIMS in 18 games with Albany this season. It will be his first game with the Devils since the 2010-11 season. He has 98 career NHL games with New Jersey.
Harrold left Friday’s game after taking a stick to the face. The injury will hold him out of tonight’s game, so the Devils have recalled Mark Fraser, who is expected to suit up in his Devils debut.
Sestito, 27, appeared in three games with the Canucks this season registering one assist and has played three games with Utica. His return to the AHL made room for Zack Kassian to return to the lineup tonight.
Kassian missed the last 14 games with a finger injury, but will be back in tonight vs. Detroit. Kassian will skate on the third line with Shawn Matthias and Brad Richardson. He has five points (2G / 3A) with a minus-5 rating and 26 PIMS in 17 games this season.
Crawford allowed three goals on 35 shots in the Blackhawks 3-2 loss to the Capitals in the Winter Classic. Crawford was great but a late third period goal was the difference in this one. He has won two of five with a3.17 GAA and .894 SV% since returning from his foot injury in mid-December.
Thornton left Wednesday’s game in the first period after suffering a shoulder injury. He practiced on Friday, but will not play tonight vs. the Blues. Missing tonight’s game snaps Thornton’s ironman street of 319 consecutive games. Thornton had been hot as of late, registering two goals and nine assists (11 points) in his last nine games.
Niemi stopped all 28 shots that he faced in the Sharks 3-0 shutout win over the Ducks on Wednesday. The win snapped a mini two-game losing streak for Niemi, who will make his 28th appearance tonight vs. the Blues. Niemi has gone 7-3-2 with a 2.39 GAA and .904 SV% at home this year.
Lehtonen stopped all 32 shots that he faced in the Stars 6-0 shutout win over the Coyotes. The Stars dominated all night, earning Lehtonen his third shutout of the season and third straight win. Tonight he will face the Wild for the fourth time this season. He has gone 0-2-1 with a 3.67 GAA and .872 SV% in the first three meetings.
Versteeg suffered a hand injury while blocking an Eric Fehr shot in the Winter Classic. He will be out until late-January or early-February with the injury, which will give the Blackhawks a good chance to get their first look at Teuvo Teravainen this season.
Miller allowed three goals on 40 shots in the Canucks 3-2 loss to the Kings on New Years Day. He has stopped 161 of 170 shots (.947 SV%) in his last five starts, going 3-1-1 in the process. Tonight he will take on the Red Wings for the second time this season. In the first, he was shelled for four goals on 29 shots in a 5-3 loss.
The Blues recalled Fraser for Friday’s game so that he could play vs. his former team in Los Angeles. Fraser was with the Kings from 2011-2014. He did not record a point and was a minus-1 in the contest. He gets sent back to the AHL to make room for Jaden Schwartz to be activated from IR.
Schwartz has missed the last seven games with a right foot injury, but will return to the lineup tonight vs. the Sharks. To make room for Schwartz, the Blues have assigned Colin Fraser to Chicago (AHL). Schwartz has 11 goals and 16 assists (27 points) in 31 games this season.
Despite coach McClellan calling Thornton probable after practice on Friday, it does not look like Thornton will play because he is not on the ice for the game day skate. It does not guarantee he won’t play, but it is not a good sign. Expect an update after the skate.
Bobrovsky made 28 saves on 29 shots in the Blue Jackets 3-1 win over the Wild on Wednesday. The win polished off a fantastic December for Bob, who went 9-1-1 with a 2.14 GAA and .937 SV%. He draws a great matchup tonight vs. an Arizona team who 25th in scoring.
Quick stopped 14 of 16 shots in the Kings 3-2 win over the Canucks on New Years Day. It was a nice easy night for Quick, who has not been tested all that frequently as of late. He has only faced an average of 21.13 shots against of the last eight games. Despite the light workload, he is 4-2-2 with a 2.59 GAA and .876 SV% over that span.
McQuaid has been out since November 18th because of a broken thumb, but will be back in today vs. the Senators. He will be paired with Dennis Seidenberg; Matt Bartkowski will sit.
Smith was pulled after he allowed four goals on 11 shots in the Coyotes loss to the Canucks on December 22nd. He anxiously watched Devan Dubnyk start the last four games, but will be back between the pipes tonight vs. Columbus. Smith is 5-12-2 with a 3.48 GAA and .884 SV% this season.
Rask allowed three goals on 21 shots in the Bruins 4-3 shootout loss to the Maple Leafs on Wednesday. That loss capped off what was an ugly December for Rask—he went 4-4-3 with a 2.98 GAA and .896 SV%. He will look to get things back on the rails in the new calendar year and it starts today vs. the Senators.
Smith was pulled after he allowed four goals on 11 shots in the Coyotes loss to the Canucks on December 22nd. He anxiously watched Devan Dubnyk start the last four games, but will be back between the pipes tonight vs. Columbus. Smith is 5-12-2 with a 3.48 GAA and .884 SV% this season.
Schlemko has one goal and three assists in 20 games with the Coyotes this season. He has also registered one goal and three assists in two games with Portland (AHL). The 27-year-old blue liner has 50 career points (9G / 41A) in 207 NHL games.
