Ward allowed two goals on 30 shots in the Hurricanes’ win over the Rangers on Friday. It was Ward’s first win of the season and he now sits at 1-2-1 with a 3.52 GAA and .872 SV% in his first four starts of 2016-17. Tonight he will go up against a Flyers team that has lost three of their last four, despite averaging 3.00 goals per game.
Ramage, 25, has cleared waivers and been reassigned to Cleveland, where he had 27 points (8G / 19A) in 68 games last year.
Milano, 20, was called up, but never got into a game for the Blue Jackets. The 2014 No.16 overall pick will head back to Cleveland, where he has one goal in two games this season.
Hunwick will miss his second straight game with a lower-body injury. Hunwick has had a tough start to the season, so his injury gives the Maple Leafs a chance to look at some of their other defensemen.
Pulkkinen had one goal and averaged just 9:09 TOI in eight games with the Wild after being claimed from Detroit. Pulkkinen’s skating is what is lacking and could ultimately limit him to an elite AHL scorer.
Kucherov was injured after losing his footing and crashing into the boards on Thursday. He missed the Lightning’s morning skate and will not play in New Jersey tonight. Kucherov is listed as day-to-day.
Spurgeon missed the last four games, but will return to the lineup vs. the Stars on Saturday. Spurgeon has one goal and one assist in four games this season, but won’t start tonight with Ryan Suter. Instead he will play with Nate Prosser, as Mathew Dumba played with Suter in Spurgeon’s absence.
Matheson has four points (2G / 2A) and 19 shots on goal in seven games this season, but will be a healthy scratch on Saturday in Buffalo. This might just be a move to get the young defenseman some rest, especially with the Panthers back in action again tomorrow. He’ll be replaced by Steve Kampfer.
Vasilevskiy stopped 27 of 28 shots in the Lightning’s win in Ottawa last Saturday. Another Saturday, another start for Vasilevskiy, who has won a game on the first two Saturday’s of the season while stopping 59 of 62 shots (.952 SV%). Tonight he faces the Devils, who he beat in his season debut and that ranks second last in scoring (2.14 G/PG).
Luongo allowed three goals on 28 shots in the Panthers loss in Toronto on Thursday. Luongo has won three of his first five starts while posting a 2.20 GAA and .916 SV%. Luongo will face a Sabres team that he has dominated in his career—winning 17 of 27 starts with a 1.92 GAA and .936 SV%. He is a must-start this afternoon.
Mason gave up five goal on 25 shots in the Flyers loss to the Coyotes, but he is expected to start again tonight vs. the Penguins. Mason has an ugly 3.15 GAA and .886 SV% in his first five starts and two relief appearances in 2016-17. Mason makes for a risky start tonight—he was 1-3-0 with a 3.28 GAA and .904 SV% vs. Pittsburgh last year.
Rask missed the last three games with an undisclosed injury, but it looks like he will return to the crease tonight in Detroit. Rask has enjoyed a really good start to the season, winning each of his first three games with a 1.67 GAA and .947 SV%. He’ll be in tough against a Red Wings team that has won six consecutive games.
Andersen allowed two goals on 31 shots in the Maple Leafs’ win over the Panthers on Thursday. It was Andersen’s best start of the season and a much-needed win after losing three in a row and allowing a combined 16 goals in those games. Andersen draws a rough matchup tonight against a Canadiens team that is 7-0-1, who are tied for the NHL lead in goals (3.63 GF/PG).
Ullmark was with the Sabres because Robin Lehner was out with an illness. Lehner will return as Anders Nilsson’s backup this afternoon, so Ullmark goes back to Rochester, where he is 3-1-0 with a 2.75 GAA and .926 SV% this season.
Vanek missed the Red Wings’ win over the Blues on Thursday and will miss a second consecutive game tonight vs. the Bruins. Vanek’s injury is not considered serious, so he is listed as day-to-day.
Howard stopped all 30 shots that he faced in the Red Wings’ shutout win over the Sharks last Saturday. Mrazek started the last two games, but Howard will start the first game of their back-to-back tonight. Howard has won each of his first two starts while stopping 62 of 63 shots (.984 SV%). He makes for a solid spot-start option tonight.
Craig Anderson is dealing with a personal matter in Ottawa, Andrew Hammond was injured on Friday night, so O’Connor has been recalled to join Chris Driedger as the Senators’ goaltending tandem. The 24-year-old netminder has gone 1-2-0 with a 2.35 GAA and .919 SV% in three AHL games this season.
Nilsson allowed three goals on 21 shots in the Sabres’ loss to the Wild on Thursday. Robin Lehner is back from his illness, but Nilsson will still start his third straight game today vs. Florida. Nilsson has stopped 56 of 62 shots (.903 SV%) in his first two games. He takes on a Panthers team that has surprisingly lost four of their last five contests.
Howard stopped all 30 shots that he faced in the Red Wings’ shutout win over the Sharks last Saturday. Mrazek started the last two games, but it looks like Howard will start the first game of their back-to-back tonight. Howard has won each of his first two starts while stopping 62 of 63 shots (.984 SV%). He makes for a solid spot-start option tonight.
Price made 30 saves on 31 shots in the Canadiens’ win over the Lightning on Thursday. Price has won each of his four starts to kick-off the season while posting a 1.51 GAA ad .947 SV%. Price has been doing Price things and tonight he will get his first look at the youthful Leafs. Toronto is scoring a lot, but you aren’t taking Price out of your lineup.
