Connauton, 24, was Vancouver’s third pick, 83rd overall, in the 2009 NHL Draft. He has registered one goal and nine assists for 10 points with 22 penalty minutes in 44 career NHL games, all during the past two seasons with the Stars. He has collected 0-2-2 with six penalty minutes and is +4 in eight games this season.
Semin missed the last two games with an upper-body injury, but will be back in tonight vs. the Stars. It has been a rough start to the year for Semin who has just five assists and a minus-6 rating though 13 games.
Ward surrendered two goals on 25 shots in a loss in Boston on Saturday. After getting Sunday night off, Ward will be back in goal tonight in Dallas. He will look to snap a short two-game losing streak tonight, but he has gone 1-3-0 with a 3.04 GAA and .870 SV% on the road so far.
Grosenick stopped all 45 shots in a 2-0 shutout win in his NHL debut on Sunday. With a great debut, the Sharks will reward him with a second straight start tonight vs. the Sabres on the road. With a great matchup, he could be a great spot-start tonight.
Smith allowed five goals on 25 shots in a loss to the Flames last Thursday. He has lost three in a row and allowed nine goals in his last two starts. He is a risky start against a quality Washington offence.
Maatta missed the last six games after getting surgery to remove a tumour from his neck. Maatta will be skate with Christian Ehrhoff as his defense partner. He has one goal and five assists in 10 games this season.
Fleury gave up two goals on 31 shots in a win over the Rangers in the shootout on Saturday. He has been great all season long, winning 10 of 13 starts with a 2.13 GAA and .925 SV%. It looks like he gets the start in his him Province tonight, get him in your lineup when he is confirmed.
Harding was suspended in the offseason after breaking his foot following an altercation with his teammate. Harding likely was not claimed because of all the time he has missed with multiple sclerosis over the last few years.
Scheifele took part in the Jets’ morning skate after being injured in Sunday’s game vs. the Devils. He will skate with Adam Lowry and Michael Frolik if he is able to go tonight. It has been a slow start for Scheifele, who has seven points (2G / 5A) in 18 games.
Lehtonen allowed six goals on 47 shots in Sunday’s loss to the Blackhawks. He was peppered all game long and after his most recent performance, he sits with a 2.90 GAA and .908 SV% on the season. He should make for a quality start tonight vs. the Hurricanes.
Datsyuk will miss his third of the last five games with a groin injury. He returned for the Red Wings weekend games, but must have tweaked it once again. Daniel Cleary will slide into the lineup with Datsyuk out.
Grosenick stopped all 45 shots in a 2-0 shutout win in his NHL debut on Sunday. With a great debut, the Sharks will reward him with a second straight start tonight vs. the Sabres on the road. With a great matchup, he could be a great spot-start tonight.
Hutchinson stopped 15 of 16 shots after replacing Ondrej Paveled in the OT loss to the Wild on Sunday. He has allowed just two goals on 72 shots in his last three outings (.972 SV%.) He draws a good spot-start matchup with the Devils in town.
Rinne stopped 21 of 22 shots in the Predators win over the Jets on Saturday. He continutes to play excellent, having won five of his last six while allowing 11 goals on 163 shots (.933 SV%). He is a must-start in all formats.
Clutterbuck missed Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury, but will be back in for Cory Conacher tonight. He has just two points (1G / 1A) in 16 games.
Miller has been sidelined since October 18th, but will take warmups tonight and could get back into the lineup. The Bruins will have to make a roster move if Miller is ready to go.
Schlemko has recorded 0-1-1 in seven games with the Coyotes this season. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound native of Edmonton, Alberta has collected 8-39-47 and 72 PIM in 194 career NHL games.
Datsyuk was listed as questionable on Monday so his absence this morning suggests that Datsyuk will not play tonight vs. the Blue Jackets. He played in the last two games, but this nagging groin injury is clearly not healed yet. Expect Dan Cleary to enter the lineup.
Nabokov will get the start against his former team after Ben Bishop got the win over the Rangers on Monday. It will be Nabby’s first start since November 8th, when he allowed four goals on 32 shots in a win over the Blue Jacket.s
