Zajac will miss his seventh consecutive game with an upper-body injury, but there is a chance that he returns at some point this weekend. Monitor his status as we head into the weekend.
Ruutu has been sidelined since October 16th, but will return to the Devils lineup on Thursday vs. the Panthers. He had no points while averaging 11:27 TOI in three games this season. Ruutu will skate on the fourth line with Stephen Gionta and Jordin Tootoo.
Johnson stopped 32 of 33 shots in the Sabres win in Detroit on Monday. Johnson was spectacular after allowing a combined eight goals in his previous two starts. Tonight Johnson will make his eighth start on home ice—he has gone 4-3-1 with a 2.26 GAA and .907 SV% in his previous seven starts and three relief appearances at First Niagara Center.
Lindback allowed five goals on 33 shots in the Coyotes loss to Carolina on Saturday. With Mike Smith out for at least the next eight weeks, Lindback will continue to start tonight vs. the Blue Jackets. Lindback is 4-5-1 with a 2.92 GAA and .900 SV%—how he plays will determine how many starts he gets and if the Coyotes bring someone else in.
Schneider stopped all 25 shots that he faced in the Devils’ shutout win over the Sabres on Tuesday. It was Schneider’s second shutout of the season and moved him to 3-2-2 with a 2.25 GAA and .923 SV% in December. Tonight he will face the Panthers for the second time this season; he stopped 34 of 36 shots that he faced in a 4-2 win 11 days ago.
Mason was pulled after he allowed three goals on 10 shots in the Flyers loss to the Islanders on December 8th. Mason has allowed a combined seven goals on 44 shots (.841 SV%) in his last two starts, which led to Michal Neuvirth starting the last three games. Mason will face a Canucks team that has lost seven of their last nine games.
Condon stopped all six shots that he faced after replacing Dustin Tokarski in Tuesday’s loss to the Sharks. Condon has lost his last three starts while posting a 3.09 GAA and .873 SV%. The Canadiens are in a tailspin and tonight Condon faces a Kings team that has lost two in a row, but have won six of their last eight contests.
Schneider stopped all 25 shots that he faced in the Devils’ shutout win over the Sabres on Tuesday. It was Schneider’s second shutout of the season and moved him to 3-2-2 with a 2.25 GAA and .923 SV% in December. Tonight he will face the Panthers for the second time this season; he stopped 34 of 36 shots that he faced in a 4-2 win 11 days ago.
Blandisi failed to record a point and had three shots in three games during his call-up. His return to the AHL suggests that Tuomo Ruutu will be back in the lineup on Thursday.
Ness has been with the Capitals since November 6th, but did not get into a game. He returns to the AHL where he has nine assists in 21 games this season.
Carrick, 21, has 15 points (8G / 7A) in 26 games with Hershey this season but has been swapped with Aaron Ness, who has served as the seventh defenseman since December 6th. Carrick has six points (1G / 5A) in 34 career NHL games.
Vermin has underwent hand surgery after injuring it early in Monday’s game in Columbus. He is out indefinitely and will likely miss close to two months. When he is healthy look for him to be back in the AHL.
Ramo stopped 21 of 22 shots in the Flames win in Nashville on Tuesday. The win moved him to 4-0-0 with a 2.42 GAA and .918 SV% in the month of December. Ramo has been playing really well as of late and tonight he takes on a Stars team that he beat 16 days ago. However, Ramo is just 3-6-1 with a 3.00 GAA and .901 SV% on the road.
Varlamov stopped all 29 shots that he faced in Colorado’s shutout win over Chicago on Tuesday. Another fantastic outing for the 27-year-old, who looks like a totally different goalie than he did in the first two months of the season. December comes into play on Thursday with a 5-1-0 record, 1.16 GAA and .964 SV% in December.
Lundqvist allowed two goals on 20 shots in the Rangers win over the Oilers on Tuesday. It was a lot better than his previous outing against Edmonton, snapping a brief two-game losing skid. Lundqvist is 2-1-1 with a 2.30 GAA and .921 SV% in December and comes into Minnesota with a 5-4-2 record, 2.35 GAA and .930 SV% on the road.
The Flames are on a road trip, but Michael Frolik has been sent back to Calgary for further evaluation. There is no definite timetable for Frolik’s return, but expect an update to come over the next few days.
Rask gave up a single goal on 27 shots in the Bruins win over the Panthers on Saturday. Jonas Gustavsson started on Monday, so Rask will be between the pipes tonight vs. the Penguins. Pittsburgh will be without Kris Letang, Marc-Andre Fleury, Beau Bennett and maybe Nick Bonino. Rask has won three straight and should make for a good start tonight.
Klein will miss his eighth straight game on Thursday but it sounds like there’s a chance his plays on Friday. Monitor his status leading up to Friday’s game.
Stepan has been sidelined since November 27th and on Thursday he will miss his 11th consecutive game. However, it looks like there is a chance that he returns on Friday. Monitor his status prior to Friday’s contest.
Lowry was expected to blossom into a top-6 forward this season, but has struggled to just eight points (1G / 7A) in 31 games this season. He heads to Manitoba and the Jets are expected to recall a forward in the next 24 hours.
