Lehtonen allowed two goals on 35 shots in a 4-2 win over the Blues on Saturday. It was a huge win for the Stars who are still alive and well in the Western Conference playoff race. Lehtonen has won four of his last five starts while allowing only 10 goals on 164 shots (.929 SV%). He will face another desperate team tonight in Washington.
Deslauriers has no points and a minus-7 rating in 12 games with the Sabres. He will be replaced by Ville Leino tonight vs. the Devils.
The Oilers are dropping like flies right now, but with their playoff hopes completely down the drain, it is not that big of a deal. Ference had one goal and five assists in his last nine games. Those six points make one-third of his scoring output this season -- 18 points in 71 games.
Kessel did not skate this morning or Monday, but head coach Randy Carlyle said that Kessel is good-to-go tonight vs. the Flames. Kessel suffered the injury after taking a hard pass from James van Riemsdyk off of the inside of his foot. Kessel has just two goals and two assists during the Leafs eight games skid, they will need him to be firing on all cylinders down the stretch.
Fleury stopped 25 of 26 shots in a 4-1 win over the Blackhawks on Sunday. After losing five in a row, Fleury has won back-to-back starts while holding his opponents to one goal in each game and stopped a combined 60 shots (.968 SV%). Tonight, he will take on the Hurricanes for the fourth time this year. In their previous three meetings, Fleury has gone 3-0-0 with a 1.99 GAA and .933 SV%.
Lieuwen will make his third NHL start tonight vs. the Devils. He has gone 0-2-0 with a 3.42 GAA and .889 SV% in his first two starts, plus one relief appearance. He had a strong AHL campaign going, but playing on the worst team in the NHL makes it difficult to post strong numbers. Look elsewhere for a most stable spot-start.
Clemmensen has not started an NHL game since March 1. He is 6-6-1 with a 3.02 GAA and .896 SV% so far this season. He draws a solid matchup against an Islanders team who is missing key players, but with a career 2.76 GAA and .906 SV%, he is not an ideal playoff spot-start.
Bishop allowed three goals on 30 shots in a 3-2 loss to the Red Wings on Sunday. Bishop turned-in a 8-3-3 record with a 2.73 GAA and .907 SV% in March. He is a must-start regardless of his matchup, but here is a little extra incentive to start him tonight vs. Montreal. Bishop is 2-0-1 with a 0.92 GAA and .962 SV% vs. the Canadiens this season.
Okposo will miss his third straight game on Tuesday with a lower-body injury. The Islanders are well out of the hunt for the playoffs, and frankly, they are playing OK hockey without Okposo and John Tavares. There is no need for them to get him in the lineup with the season virtually over for them. Consider him day-to-day still.
Bernier allowed four goals on 28 shots in a 4-2 loss to the Red Wings on Saturday. Since returning from a groin injury, Bernier has given up four goals in all three starts, stopping an average of 31 shots per night. The Leafs are in the tail-spin of all tail-spins, a matchup vs. the Flames is an absolute must-win for Bernier and his mates.
Halak gave up three goals on 29 shots in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Predators on Sunday. Halak has dropped three consecutive games in the shootout. Losing in the shootout picks up one point, but Washington needs Halak to lock down two points if they want to make the playoffs.
After missing the last eight periods of hockey, Bobrovsky will return to the crease tonight vs. the Avalanche. He finished March at 7-4-1 with a 2.15 GAA and .928 SV%. He is the Blue Jackets most consistent performer and they will need him to come up big over the next two weeks if they are going to make the playoffs.
Nabokov allowed two goals on 31 shots in a loss in Tampa Bay last Thursday. The Isles have alternated goalies in each of the past five games, so tonight vs. Florida is Nabby's turn. He wrapped March up at 2-2-2 with a 3.12 GAA, .894 SV% and one shutout. It is a battle of two bad teams tonight, so it is up to you if you want to take a risk on the 13-year veteran netminder.
Datsyuk has not play since February 27th, but says that his knee feels good-to-go tomorrow, but conditioning will be a concern. This will be a massive boost to the Red Wings offence who have been getting it done wihtout Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Monitor his status during Wednesday's morning skate.
Brown has one goal and one assist in five games with the Capitals since being traded from Phoenix. While in the AHL he has recorded two goals in three games. He has been recalled because Dustin Penner is day-to-day with an illness.
Gorges said there was a possibility he could practise with the team later this week, but the ever-cautious coach Therrien said he didn’t plan to rush the defenceman back into the lineup.
Varlamov gave up two goals, but made 47 saves in a 3-2 win over the Sharks on Saturday. The win was his 37th of the season, which leads the NHL as of now. After finishing 29th in the league last season, I don't think anyone saw this coming from Varlamov and the Avs. Tonight, they begin life without Matt Duchene (knee - 4 weeks) against a Blue Jackets team who are 5-4-1 in their last 10 as they push for a Wild Card spot in the East.
Martin has not played since February 7 after suffering a hand injury in the Olympics while playing for Team USA. While Martin is nearing a return, there is still no word when he will be back in the lineup. Martin is hoping that he plays this weekend, but continue to monitor his status as the Penguins take this day-to-day.
Ward was pulled after allowed three goals on nine shots in a loss to the Islanders on March 25th. He comes into play tonight with a 3-3-0 record, 3.43 GAA and .893 SV% in March. He won his first start against Ottawa.
