Hackett has not played this season because he is recovering from offseason knee surgery. He is obviously close to being healthy and the Sabres want to send him dow so he can start for Rochester since they have two capable goalies at the NHL level. The question now is will he clear waivers?
The move to place Paajarvi on waivers opens the door for the Blues to keep all three goalies (Elliott, Brodeur and Allen) on the roster together for the time-being. Paajarvi has one assist and a minus-2 rating in 10 games this season.
Ristolainen was left back in Buffalo so he will not be in the lineup tonight. He is listed as day-to-day.
Crawford allowed four goals on 40 shots in the Blackhawks 5-4 win over the Predators on Monday. He has gone 2-1-1 with a 3.22 GAA and .887 SV% in four starts since returning from a foot injury. There has been an average of 4.50 goals per game in the six Winter Classics, but with the Hawks and Caps going head-to-head, this has the makings of a high-scoring game.
Kane’s lower-body injury is believed to be related to his foot after he blocked a shot on Saturday in Minnesota. T.J Galiardi is expected to replace Kane in the lineup. Consider him day-t0-day.
Enroth stopped 33 of 36 shots in the Sabres victory over the Islanders on Saturday. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for Enroth, but it was the sixth consecutive game that he has allowed at least three goals against. Despite a 2.93 GAA and .909 SV%, he has won six of nine starts in December.
Holtby stopped all 31 shots that he faced in Saturday’s 3-0 shutout win over the Penguins. It was Holtby’s third shutout of the season and second in four games. He has won four of his last five starts and gone 8-2-2 with a 1.98 GAA and .933 SV% in 12 consecutive starts for the 18-11-6 Capitals.
Howard stopped 31 of 33 shots in the Red Wings overtime win over the Senators on Saturday. It was a great outing for Howard who had gone 0-3-1 in his previous four games. Tonight he will face a shorthanded Bruins squad for the third time this season—he is 1-0-1 with a 1.44 GAA and .946 SV% in the first two meetings.
Injury and poor play have limited Heatley to just six games with the Ducks this season. He has no points and a minus-3 rating. The former 50-goal scorer has a rather inexpensive contract and it will be interesting to see if another team takes a chance on him.
Bernier, who was scratched yesterday due to an illness, joined the team in Tampa Bay, but is not skating this morning which is not a good sign for his availability tonight. James Reimer, who started last night is also not participating in the optional, so look for him to get the call vs. the Lightning.
Fraser, 24, has registered three goals in 24 games with the Bruins this season. Fraser is a big-body at 6-foot-1, 204 lbs. and plays a physical brand of hockey. As a corresponding move, the Oilers placed Steve Pinnoztto on waivers, so expect Fraser to slide into his spot in the lineup.
Hutchinson allowed three goals on 25 shots in the Jets win over the Wild on Saturday. Tonight, he will get his third straight start as he takes on the Wild once again. He has solidified himself atop the depth chart and will look for his fourth straight win tonight. He carries a 1.77 GAA and .939 SV% into tonight’s game.
The Sabres twitter reported "it looks like Neuvirth is starting" but now Enroth was the first goalie off. We will post Enroth as probable and hopefully get confirmation shortly.
Tarasenko took a “maintenance day” on Sunday, but is taking part in the Blues optional skate this morning which means he should be in the lineup tonight. He has 21 goals and 17 assists (38 points) in 35 games this season so make sure you have him active.
Phillips has been a healthy scratch for the last two games, but will get back into the lineup tonight vs. the Sabres. Phillips will be paired with Eric Gryba opposed to his usual partner Erik Karlsson. He has two assists and a minus-1 rating in 26 games.
Lindbohm, 21, has one assist in nine games with the Blues. In 23 games with Chicago he has recorded 10 points (4G / 6A). His return to the AHL is a good sign that Carl Gunnarsson is ready to return.
Liles did not participate in the Hurricanes’ morning skate because of “flu-like” symptoms. If he is unable to go tonight, the Brett Bellemore will slide back in on the blue-line.
Another Devils’ forward is out with an illness. As of right now it doesn’t appear that Josefson’s illness is the mumps, but it will keep him out of the lineup anyways.
Kane was listed as questionable for tonight’s game with a lower-body injury and his absence from the morning skate is not a good sign that he will be available tonight vs. the Wild. We will get an update following the skate.
Lehtonen stopped 30 of 33 shots in the Stars win over the Blues on Saturday. Lehtonen has had his fair-share of struggles this season, but the Stars offence is clicking and he has won five of his last eight with a 2.92 GAA and .900 SV%. He will be in tough tonight against a New York team who has won eight straight.
