Howard allowed two goals on 36 shots in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Canadiens on Tuesday. Howie looked unbeatable through 56 minutes, but Alex Galchyuk tied it up with 3:09 left. He is 2-1-2 with a 1.77 GAA and .937 SV% in his first five starts, but draws a tough matchup tonight vs. the Penguins.
Crawford, who was originally scheduled to start on Tuesday, missed his start due to an upper-body injury and is danger of missing Thursday and Friday's back-to-back because of the injury. Antti Raanta will draw a second straight start on Thursday if Crawford is unavailable.
Lehtera missed Sunday's game and Tuesday's practice because of the flu, but he was back on the ice this morning, which suggests that he will be in the lineup on Thursday.
Ebbett was sent down on Monday and played with WBS last night, recording no points but two shots on goal.
Harrington, 21, was sent down on Monday and played with WBS last night, recording no points but two shots on goal.
Bortuzzo, 25, has not played yet this season because of an upper-body injury. Bortuzzo has two goals and 12 assists (14 points) in 75 career NHL games. He will have to battle with Simon Despres for playing time on the Penguins blueline.
Grabovski skated on his own Tuesday, but has joined his teammates this morning. This is a positive sign that Grabo is not far from a return. He is doubtful for Thursday's game vs. the Bruins, but could be back on Saturday vs. Dallas.
Given the state of the city of Ottawa right now, there is a good chance that the game between the Maple Leafs and Senators will be postponed. However, the Senators are preparing as if the game will go on, if it does, Anderson will start.
Reimer allowed four goals on 35 shots in a 4-1 loss to the Red Wings last Thursday. Toronto did not have their best effort on Friday and it resulted in Reimer's worst outing of the year. Tonight he is expected to get the call against a Senators team he has been really good against in his career (9-2-1 with a .944 SV%)
Coburn took part in warmups and it appeared as if he was going to return to the lineup, but he ended up missing his fifth straight game with a lower-body injury. He could return Wednesday vs. the Penguins.
Lehtonen allowed six goals on 37 shots in a OT loss to the Flyers on Saturday. It snapped his modest two-game winning streak and was the first time he allowed more than two goals in a game this season. Tonight, he will face a Canucks team he was 3-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .971 SV% against last year.
Rinne was given Saturday night off after stopping all 31 shots that he faced in a 2-0 win over the Jets on Friday. Rinne is back in elite form to start 2014-15. After a rough 2013-14 due to injuries, he is 3-0-1 with a 1.23 GAA and .948 SV%. He is a must-start tonight with the Arizona Coyotes in town.
Optimism is fading that Horton, 29, will be able to play this season and there is growing concern that his career might be finished. Horton signed a seven-year, $37.1 million dollar contract last summer and has only suited up in 35 games with Columbus. Horton has been diagnosed with “degeneration” of the entire lumbar region of his spine. Surgery has not been scheduled or ruled out, but it is viewed as a last resort. It’s a delicate procedure, with no guarantee of relief.
Tonight will mark Rask's first start since last Thursday when he was yanked in the third vs. Montreal after allowed five goals on 23 shots. It has not been an ideal start to the season for Rask or the Bruins and things will not be easy on them tonight with the San Jose Sharks in town. That said, Rask is elite and does not belong on your bench.
Killorn fell into the boards at the morning skate on Monday and missed last night's game as a result. Originally the Lightning said he was fine and only got the wind knocked out of him, but it has clearly developed into a more serious issue.
Callahan was injured in the Lightning's loss to the Oilers and will be out for a bit. Head coach Jon Cooper said that things could change into a day-to-day issue if he progresses well. Expect Mike Blunden to play tonight after being recalled this morning. No word on who will move up to the top-line.
Nabokov allowed two goals on 25 shots in a loss to the Devils in his Lightning debut last Tuesday. With Tampa Bay playing in the second game of a back-to-back tonight, they will give Nabokov the nod vs. the Flames. Calgary is 4-3-0 while scoring 2.57 G/PG.
Visnovsky was originally listed as a game-time decision, but he did stay on late with the extras which suggested that he wouldn't return to the lineup tonight. This latest report confirms he won't be in the lineup.
Hamonic said he is not a player who likes to miss games and sounded like he would play this morning, so this report confirms that. He has one goal and a plus-3 rating in five games.
Miller stopped all 28 shots that he faced in a 2-0 win over the Oilers on Friday. Miller improved to 3-0-0 with a 1.95 GAA and .927 SV% on the season, but he has only faced the Oilers (x2) and the Flames so far. He will get a much stiffer test tonight in Dallas.
