Mitchell suffered an apparent leg injury during Friday’s practice and will not play on Saturday vs. the Hurricanes. The Avalanche are severely banged up right now and that will push Daniel Briere into the top-6.
Cory Schneider’s consecutive games started streak will stop at 20 as Clemmensen will get his first start of the season tonight in Calgary. Clemmensen was 1-2-1 with a 2.18 GAA and .920 SV% in his time with Albany. In two relief appearances with the Devils he has allowed four goals on 17 shots (.765 SV%) so it will be hard to trust the 37-year-old.
Nikitin has been struggling as of late and was benched on Friday vs. the Devils. Aulie served as a healthy scratch last night, but will be back in tonight. He has no points, a plus-4 rating and 19 PIMS in seven games this season.
Rask stopped all 33 shots he faced in a 2-0 win over the Blues on Tuesday. He was given last night off so he could get a crack at the Canadiens tonight. There’s something about Montreal that Rask can’t figure out—he is 3-11-3 lifetime against the Habs and 0-5-3 vs. Montreal at TD Garden.
Rinne allowed two goals on 31 shots in the Predators 9-2 destruction of the Maple Leafs on Tuesday. Rinne has been ridiculous in November—posting a 6-1-0 record, 1.86 GAA and .933 SV%. He was given Thursday off so its a near certainty that he will face the Panthers tonight. Rinne is a must-start.
Pouliot broke his foot while blocking a shot in the Oilers loss to the Devils on Friday. With Pouliot out, it appears as if Matt Hendricks will move up to the third line and Jesse Joensuu will draw into the lineup. A recall should come on Sunday.
Scrivens gave up five goals on 31 shots in a loss to the Canucks on Wednesday. He has lost each of his last six starts while posting a 3.71 GAA and .881 SV%. This recent stretch has not been pretty and a visit from the Blackhawks makes Scrivens a risky start once again.
Quick gave up two goals on 27 shots in the Kings’ 3-2 victory over the Hurricanes on Thursday. He has won three in a row with a 1.98 GAA and .932 SV%. He is a must-start in all formats whenever he gets the call, tonight he faces an under performing Stars team.
Knight, 24, has scored five goals and three assists in 16 games with Adirondack prior to his recall. He is expected to suit up on the Flames’ fourth line tonight vs. the Devils.
Reinhart, 22, failed to record a point in four games with the Flames. He heads back to Adirondack where he has one goal and four assists in 12 games. Corban Knight was recalled to swap places with Reinhart.
Lundqvist was scheduled to start on Friday, but the game was postponed, so he will make his first start since last Monday where he allowed five goals on 30 shots in a loss. He has lost four of his last five despite posting a 2.34 GAA and .926 SV%.
Allen was acquired for Rene Bourque on Thursday and will be in the lineup tonight vs. the Bruins. Allen does not provide much in the way of offence, but he is a reliable blue liner who brings physicality and size to the Habs’ back-end. Allen is in the final year of a three-year deal.
Brown, 23, registered one goal in five games with the Capitals. He heads to Hershey where he has two goals and one assist in six games.
After acquiring Jason Demers from the Sharks, the Stars have moved Klingberg up to the top-pair with Alex Goligoski. He will also man the point on the top PP unit. His NHL career has been off to a hot start, posting one goal and four assists in his first six games. He makes for a great add in standard leagues.
Koivu missed the Wild’s practice on Friday, but was back on the ice for the morning skate on Saturday and is expected to be in the lineup vs. Tampa Bay. He will centre the second line with Nino Niederreiter and Justin Fontaine.
Kuemper surrendered two goals on 39 shots in the 3-2 victory over the Flyers on Thursday. After a three-game losing skid, Kuemper was now won three game and two starts in a row. He appears to be back on track and sits at 9-5-0 with a 2.03 GAA and .918 SV% on the year.
Lehtonen stopped 26 of 27 shots in the Stars 3-1 win over the Coyotes on Thursday. The win snapped a three game losing streak for Lehtonen, who is 3-5-0 with a 3.05 GAA and .903 SV% in November. It has been an ugly first quarter of the season for Lehtonen, but the Stars are hoping Thursday is a sign of things to come.
Grabner did not skate on Saturday morning and is not expected to be back before American Thanksgiving. The Islanders return home for Monday and Wednesday games, monitor Grabner’s status next week.
Bishop surrendered four goals on 20 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Maple Leafs on Thursday. It was the first time this season that Bishop has allowed more than three goals, marking his worst outing of the season. Look for him to bounce-back at home where he is 7-1-1 with a 2.20 GAA and .923 SV% this season.
Holtby stopped 27 of 29 shots in the Capitals 3-2 win over the Avalanche on Thursday. Holtby has been sizzling as of late, winning four of five starts with a 1.59 GAA and .946 SV%. Things should continue in that direction tonight vs. the visiting Sabres.
