Michalek served as the Wild’s backup on Thursday with Devan Dubnyk out with an illness. The Wild’s starter is expected to be back for Saturday’s game, so Michalek returns to Iowa, where he is 6-2-0 with a 2.13 GAA and .931 SV% this season.
Lehtonen allowed four goals on 28 shots in the Stars OT loss in Montreal on Tuesday. Tonight he makes his fourth consecutive start—he has gone 2-0-1 with a 2.29 GAA and .909 SV% in his last three. He won his first start vs. the Blackhawks, but is not considered a safe option tonight with the Hawks in town.
Agostino, 23, was a fifth round pick (140th overall) in the 2010 NHL Draft. Agostina has picked up 17 goals and 25 assists (42 points) to lead Stockton in 50 games this season. The 6-foot-1 winger is expected to make his season debut with Sam Bennett likely out on Friday. Agostino has one goal and one assist in eight career NHL games.
Valiev, 20, was a third round pick (68th overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft. The Russian defenseman has picked up 21 points (3G / 18A) in 54 games in his first full-season with the Marlies. He expected to make his NHL debut on Saturday.
Brennan has no points in 11:05 in his season debut with the Maple Leafs on Wednesday. The 26-year-old returns to the AHL, where he leads the Marlies with 55 points (22G / 33A) in 59 games this season.
Saad skated on Friday morning, but remains day-to-day and will miss his third consecutive game with an upper-body injury. With Saad out, David Clarkson will continue to play a larger role than normal.
Brodie was injured in Wednesday’s game with what the Flames called a “mid-body injury.” His status for Friday’s game remains up in the air, so monitor his status during the Flames’ morning skate.
Bennett left Wednesday’s game with what is being classified as a mid-body injury and is in danger of missing Friday’s game vs. the Coyotes, Monitor Bennett’s status during the Flames morning skate.
Bishop made 32 saves on 33 shots in the Lightning’s OT loss to the Bruins on Tuesday. The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for Bishop, but it was still a stellar performance from the 29-year-old. Bishop has gone 15-9-3 with a 2.06 GAA and .923 SV% on home ice this season. He faces a Flyers team that comes in having won five of their last six games.
Vatanen left Wednesday’s game with an upper-body injury and is listed as questionable for tonight’s contest in St. Louis. Monitor his status during the Ducks’ morning skate and if Vatanen can’t play, look for Korbinan Holzer to re-enter the lineup.
Subban had to be taken off of the ice on a stretcher after being hit in the head by teammate Alexei Emelin. Subban was admitted to a nearby hospital for evaluation, but was released later in the night. Not having to spend the night at the hospital is a good sign that Subban’s neck injury is not as serious as originally feared. He will likely miss Saturday’s game, but at least it doesn’t look like his season is over.
Ortio allowed two goals on 26 shots in the Flames win over the Predators on Wednesday. He has won two of his last three starts while posting a 1.99 GAA and .925 SV%. He has solidified the Flames net while Jonas Hiller has struggled, so he will make his fourth consecutive start tonight—he faces a Coyotes team that has lost nine of their last 10.
Talbot surrendered three goals on 22 shots in the Oilers loss to the Sharks on Tuesday. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Talbot, who has posted a 1.19 GAA, .964 SV% and one shutout in his last five games. Tonight he faces the Wild for the third time this season—he has gone 0-2-0 with a 4.13 GAA and .852 SV% in the first two meetings.
Rask allowed four goals on 51 shots in the Burins win in Florida on Monday. Jonas Gustavsson got the nod on Tuesday, so the Bruins will come back to Rask tonight vs. the Hurricanes. Rask has won five of his last seven starts while posting a 2.11 GAA and .939 SV%. One of those wins came against the Hurricanes, who he will face again tonight—he stopped 39 of 40 shots in a 4-1 victory.
Landeskog cross-checked Ducks’ defenseman Simon Despres in the head during Wednesday’s win and has been suspended for the next three games. With Landeskog suspended, Andreas Martinsen will return to the lineup. The Avalanche captain is eligible to return to the lineup next Sunday in Edmonton.
Pominville missed Wednesday’s practice and today’s morning skate, so he will be held out of the lineup tonight vs. the Oilers. With Pominville out, Justin Fontaine will get back into the lineup. Pominville is day-to-day and questionable for Saturday’s game vs. the Canadiens.
Talbot surrendered three goals on 22 shots in the Oilers loss to the Sharks on Tuesday. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Talbot, who has posted a 1.19 GAA, .964 SV% and one shutout in his last five games. Tonight he faces the Wild for the third time this season—he has gone 0-2-0 with a 4.13 GAA and .852 SV% in the first two meetings.
Jones stopped 47 of 48 shots in the Sharks win in Calgary on Monday. Jones has won four straight games while posting a 1.50 GAA and .952 SV%. Tonight he will take on the Devisl for the second time this season—he stopped 31 of 32 shots in a 2-1 shootout win in the first meeting, back in mid-October.
Stralman missed Tuesday’s game with an illness, but could be back in the lineup on Friday. He is listed as a game-time decision, so monitor his status when the Lightning hit the ice for warmups at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Coburn has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury, but could return on Friday. Coburn is listed as a game-time decision, so monitor his status when the Lightning hit the ice for warmups at 7:00 p.m. ET.
