Ward stopped 32 of 34 shots in the Hurricanes lost to the Rangers last Saturday. He was given the next two games off, but he will start again tonight in Tampa Bay. He lost his first start vs. Tampa Bay and has gone 3-8-0 with a 2.95 GAA and .893 SV% on the road this season.
Howard stopped eight of nine shots before departing last Friday’s game with a groin injury. Despite posting a 1.12 GAA and .952 SV% in his last four games, he lost all four of those games. Tonight, he will face the Senators—he is 1-1-0 with 2.51 GAA and .912 SV% against Ottawa this year.
Zucker will miss tonight’s contest vs. the Jets because of the flu. Zucker is considered day-to-day.
Maatta, who is also battling mumps, is progressing well, but is still expected to miss another month. His original timeline was “a couple of weeks”, but don’t expect to see him until late January.
Bortuzzo has missed the last five games, but was on the ice for the Pens’ morning skate and could be back in the lineup tonight. He will take part in warmups and based on how his body reacts will determine if he plays tonight or not.
Sutter missed the last two games with the flu, but will be back in tonight vs. Washington. Sutter has 14 points (7G / 7A) in 32 games this season. He will centre the second line with Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist on his wings.
Poulin, 24, has gone 10-6-4 with a 2.41 GAA and .928 SV% in 20 games with Bridgeport this season. Johnson has had his fair share of struggles this season, so with Jaroslav Halak out, the Isles will give Poulin the nod tonight vs. Buffalo. He makes for a nice spot-start option.
Kuemper gave up four goals on 29 shots in the Wild’s loss to the Flyers on Tuesday. Kuemper has gone 0-3-1 with a 4.57 GAA and .846 SV% over his last four starts. It has been ugly for Kuemper, who will face a surprising Winnipeg team tonight.
Anderson gave up two goals on 23 shots in the Senators loss to the Capitals on Monday. He has played well as of late, going 3-4-1 with a 2.38 GAA and .922 SV% in December. Tonight he will face a Red Wings team he is 1-1-0 with a 2.52 GAA and .933 SV% against this season.
Forsberg, 22, has gone 14-3-0 with a 1.75 GAA and .938 SV% in 18 games with Springfield this season. He has been recalled to backup Curtis McElhinney tonight vs. Boston.
Hartnell missed the last five games with a broken finger, but will be back in the lineup tonight vs. Boston. Hartnell has registered six goals and 11 assists (17 points) in 28 games in his first season with Columbus.
Garrison was on the ice for the Lightning’s morning skate, but coach Jon Cooper doesn’t expect him to play tonight vs. Carolina. It would be the second straight game that Garrison will have missed, but his presence on the ice this morning suggests that he isn’t far from a return.
Moulson missed the last three games with an illness, but will be back in tonight vs. the Islanders. Moulson underwent tests for mumps, but was lucky to be dealing with just the flu. Moulson has three goals in his last four games and has 15 points (7G / 8A) in 32 games.
Fleury was pulled after allowing three goals on 10 shots in the Penguins’ loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday. After a four game winning streak, Fleury has dropped each of his last two while allowing three goals in each. He enters play at 6-0-2 with a 1.88 GAA and .940 SV% in December.
Schneider allowed one goal on 33 shots in the Devils 2-1 shootout loss to the Hurricanes on Tuesday. Despite posting a solid 2.55 GAA and .912 SV% over his last five starts, he has gone 0-4-1 over that stretch. Tonight he will face the Rangers and a red-hot Henrik Lundqvist.
Lundqvist allowed two goals on 32 shots in the Rangers win over the Capitals on Tuesday. King Henrik has won six straight with a1.63 GAA and .939 SV%. He is red-hot and has a great matchup tonight, making him a must-start this evening.
Bishop missed the last four games with a groin injury, but he will be back in tonight vs. the Hurricanes. He has lost each of his last four starts with an ugly 3.35 GAA and .872 SV%. Despite his recent struggles, he has a fantastic matchup tonight vs. the visiting Hurricanes.
Josefson has missed the last three games with a groin injury he suffered on December 17th vs. Ottawa. He will be back tonight having scored three points (1G / 2A) in 25 games this season.
Zubrus has missed the last eight games with a lacerated leg, but will be back in tonight vs. New York. He has just two goals and two assists in 28 games this season.
Mumps continues to run through the NHL and it has claimed a number of victims in the Devils locker room. Ryder will be isolated from the team until he is past the infectious stage of the virus. He will not play on Saturday.
