Backes left Tuesday's game after he was hit by a shot on the foot. There is a good chance he only suffered a bruised foot and the Blues will let him sit and rest for the playoffs next week.
Schneider made 21 save on 22 shots in a 1-0 loss to the Flames on Monday. The loss crushed the Devils' playoff chances, but it was no fault of Schneider's. Tonight, he will make his 43rd start of the season, which is by far his career-high. He has gone 16-15-11 with a 2.00 GAA and .919 SV%. Not a bad season for a guy who is playing on the NHL's 24th worst scoring team. Had he started more games, who knows, maybe they would be in the playoffs.
McDonagh will miss his fourth straight game tomorrow. Thursday is there second last game of the year, so it looks like McDonagh won't play until the playoffs.
Fasth stopped 34 of 36 shots in a 4-2 win over the Ducks on Sunday. He went 1-1 with a 2.52 GAA and .919 SV% in two straight starts vs. his former team. Fasth has amassed a 3-2-1 record, with a 2.68 GAA and .907 SV% in six starts with the Oilers. Tonight, he will face a familiar foe from his time in Anaheim with the L.A Kings in town.
Lundqvist stopped 27 of 28 shots in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Hurricanes. The win was his 32nd of the season and snapped a small two-game skid. For the Rangers, it is all about home-ice advantage in the first-round. Right now they sit two points up on the Flyers, but the Flyers have a game in hand. Tonight, King Henrik is a must-start and should be able to chalk up a W with relative ease.
Stajan missed the last three games for personal reasons, but will be back in tonight vs. the Kings. He has seven goals and 13 assists in 45 games.
Stajan missed the last three games for personal reasons, but will be back in tonight vs. the Kings. He has 13 goals and 18 assists in 60 games.
Hackett allowed three goals on 36 shots in a loss to the Red Wings on Tuesday. It was his fifth straight loss and he now holds a 3.20 GAA .909 SV% in his first six starts with the Sabres. He will start the rest of the way for Buffalo, but is not a good fantasy option.
Khudobin allowed two goals on 22 shots in a loss to the Devils on Saturday. He was given Tuesday night off, but will make his 35th appearance of the season tonight. He has been great this year, posting a 2.14 GAA and .931 SV% on a team who ranked 22nd in shots against this season. His 18-13-1 record becomes all the more impressive when you see Carolina is also 22nd in goals for and that the other netminders have combined for a 16-21-10 record.
Gibson stopped all 18 shots in a 3-0 win over the Canucks in his NHL debut on Monday. Quite the debut for the NHL's top goalie prospect. He will get a second straight start tonight vs. the Sharks. San Jose is 4-4-2 in their last 10 and sit fourth in the West--three points behind Anaheim.
Ramo stopped all 31 shots he faced in a 1-0 win over the Devils on Sunday. Ramo was exceptional in net in a game New Jersey absolutely needed to win. Ramo has won five of eight with a 2.11 GAA and .933 SV% since coming back from a knee injury.
Gustavsson allowed five goals on 26 shots in a loss to the Canadiens on Saturday. The win snapped a three-game winning streak for The Monster. The Wings need one point to clinch a playoff spot, but it won't come easy tonight in Pittsburgh.
Fleury stopped 39 of 41 shots in Monday's shootout win over the Avalanche. He has won four of his last five and now sits tied for second in the NHL in wins with 38. Tonight, the Penguins get a big boost with Kris Letang returning to the lineup. Fleury allowed five goals in 5-4 OT loss in Detroit in their last meeting.
Deslauriers averaged 13:10 TOI and scored one goal with a minus-9 rating in 16 games with the Sabres. He heads back to the AHL where he had 39 points (18G / 21A) in 60 games with Manchester. He has not suited up for the Rochester Americans after being acquired at the deadline from L.A.
Ebbett, 31, has played in nine games with Pittsburgh this season, collecting one assist. He has 37 points (15G / 27A) in 40 AHL games with WBS. He has been sent back to clear a roster spot for Kris Letang (stroke) who returns tonight.
Parenteau missed his 14th consecutive game Tuesday night but is on schedule to play Friday at San Jose, the night after Colorado visits Vancouver. Parenteau hasn't played since suffering a medial collateral knee sprain March 10 against Winnipeg. He suffered the same injury to his other knee Dec. 29 against the same opponent, and missed 12 of the next 15 games.
Horton returned to the lineup on Tuesday after a four-game absence. He only made it one-shift into the second period before retiring to the dressing room. He will be the first player in NHL history to score a goal in a game that he will not play in. Tonight's game is the make-up game for the game which was postponed after Rich Peverley collapsed on the bench. Horton will be credited with the goal as they start 1-0, but they will play a full 60 minutes.
Bishop left the game late in the first period while attempting to snag a loose puck, Bishop appeared to get his legs tangled up, and wound up crashing to the ice, landing on his left wrist. With the playoffs right around the corner, the Lightning are hoping this injury is nothing more than a day-to-day thing.
Letang has not played since January 27th after suffering a stroke in early February. He has been skating with the team since the middle of March, but will finally return tonight after a 10-week absence. He has 18 points (10G / 8A) in 34 games this season, but it is tough to expect him to tear it up in the remaining three games. However, this is a huge boost for the Penguins for the playoffs.
Panthers' head coach Peter Horachek said it was general upper-body soreness and if the Panthers were involved in a game with their own playoff implications, he would've played. Consider Luongo day-to-day and monitor his status before tomorrow's game vs. the Maple Leafs.
