Downie will not play on Monday vs. the Panthers after being sent home to be tested for mumps. Brandon Sutter and Thomas Greiss were also sent home as the Penguins continue to battle the virus.
Bobrovsky allowed two goals on 41 shots in the Blue Jackets shootout victory over the Blackhawks on Saturday. Despite a plethora of injuries in Columbus, the one constant remains Bobrovksy. He is 8-0-1 with a 2.01 GAA and .940 SV% in nine December starts.
Garrison, who is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed, did not skate this morning which puts his status for Tuesday’s game in doubt.
Neal missed Saturday’s game with an illness, but he is skating this morning which suggests that he will return to the lineup tonight vs. the Blue Jackets. Neal has two goals and three assists in his last six games and 19 points (11G / 8A) in 30 games this season.
In Monday’s practice Connolly swapped places with Ryan Callahan and is skating on the top-line with Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Drouin. Connolly has six goals in 23 games this season and playing with Stammer and Drouin should give Connolly a ton of room on the ice.
Bishop has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury that he suffered last Monday. He was hoping to be back in the crease this weekend, but only practiced on Saturday. His availability again this morning suggests that Bishop could be back tomorrow vs. the Penguins.
Tokarski, who has not started for the Habs since November 29th, was sent down to Hamilton to get some game action. In two games he went 1-1-0 with a 2.52 GAA and .919 SV%. Now back with the big club, expect Tokarski to back-up Carey Price tomorrow vs. the Islanders.
Holtby stopped all 21 shots that he faced in the Capitals 4-0 shutout win over the Devils on Saturday. The shutout was Holtby’s second of the season and his sixth win in his last eight games. Over that eight game span he has posted a 1.84 GAA and .934 SV%.
Gionta was levelled by Matt Bartkowski in Sunday’s game and retired to the dressing room immediately after. Bartkowski was ejected from the game, but will not face any supplementary discipline. Gionta will be re-evaluated on Monday and likely sit out until after the Christmas break.
Varlamov skated and took shots on Sunday in Detroit and Patrick Roy said he is “95 percent and will likely start on Tuesday” but the team will decide for sure on Monday. Calvin Pickard continues to play extremely well, so there is no need to rush Varlamov back if he is not 100 percent.
Garrison, who missed the third period of Saturday’s game, is dealing with a minor undisclosed injury and shouldn’t miss an extended period of time. The Lightning are in action tomorrow vs. Pittsburgh, so monitor his status today and tomorrow.
Volpatti, 29, has not played yet this season after starting the year on the non-roster injury list following offseason neck surgery. He was with Hershey for a three-game conditioning stint—he didn’t record a point and had six PIMS.
Burakovsky, 19, did not record a point and was a minus-1 in two games with Hershey over the weekend. He was not playing with the Capitals, so they sent him back to get a few games in. Now that he is back, he could be in the lineup tonight vs. the Senators. He recorded 12 points (3G / 9A) in his first 15 games, but has just one goal in his last 11 games.
Gardiner served as a healthy scratch on Saturday, but will replace Stephane Robidas tonight vs. Chicago. Gardiner has not recorded a point in six games and is a minus-2 rating over that stretch. He has eight points (2G / 6A) in 30 games this season.
Robidas will be replaced by Jake Gardiner in the lineup tonight. Robidas had one assist in 22:18 TOI last night, but will take a seat in the second game of the back-to-back.
Reimer stopped the only shot that he faced after replacing Jonathan Bernier in the Maple Leafs blowout loss to the Flyers on Saturday night. Heading into tonight, Reimer has won each of his last two starts in shootouts, while posting a 1.85 GAA and .949 SV%. There are better spot-start option than him tonight, with the Leafs in Chicago to take on the Hawks.
Enroth allowed four goals on 22 shots in the Sabres loss to the Avalanche last night. Despite the loss, the light work-load will allow Enroth to go again tonight vs. the Bruins. He comes into play at 5-2-0 with a 2.82 GAA and .911 SV% in December. He draws a rough matchup on the road vs. the B’s.
Rask allowed two goals on 27 shots in the Bruins 2-1 loss to the Jets on Friday. It was Rask’s fourth straight loss and sixth in his last seven games. Over that seven games stretch (1-4-2), Rask has posted a 2.96 GAA and .903 SV%. However, he should have no trouble getting back on track and back in the win column tonight with the Sabres in town. He is a must-start.
Lehtonen stopped 21 of 22 shots in the Stars’ 2-1 victory over the Flames on Friday. This had to be coming sooner or later—Lehtonen has finally gotten hot for the Stars, winning four of his last five with a 1.80 GAA and .930 SV%. He started the year 9-6-5 and now sits at a nice 13-7-5 as we near the Christmas break. Look for things to continue tonight in Edmonton vs. a disastrous Oilers team.
Scrivens allowed four goals on 30 shots in the Oilers loss to the Sharks on Thursday. Despite losing his last four starts, Scrivens will get a fourth consecutive start tonight vs. Dallas. His 5-12-4 record, 3.08 GAA and .893 SV% should tell you all that you need to know if you are considering starting Scrivens tonight. There are a ton of spot-start options out there, so look elsewhere.
