Mattie, 22, has tore up the AHL to start the season. The 2011 32nd overall pick has scored four goals with three assists (seven points) in three games with Chicago. He will make his season debut on Saturday with Robby Fabbri (concussion) and Jaden Schwartz (leg) sidelined. He has two assists in 13 NHL games.
Despite practicing throughout the week, Shattenkirk will miss his fifth consecutive game. With that said, he is definitely nearing a return and should be back in the lineup next week.
Despite practicing on Friday, Fabbri is not ready to go on Saturday. With Fabbri out and Jaden Schwartz suffering an injury in practice the Blues will recall Ty Rattie from the AHL and he will play on Saturday. Monitor Fabbri’s status heading into next week.
Quick made 22 saves on 23 shots in the Kings win over the Avalanche on Sunday. He opened the season with three straight losses, but has now won two in a row while stopping 47 of 49 shots (.959 SV%). He was given last night off, so it is no surprise to see him back in goal tonight vs. the Hurricanes.
Prosser has only appeared in one game this season and has been a healthy scratch for the last three contests. There is no word on who will be coming out of the lineup, but that should be revealed in Saturday’s morning skate.
Gardiner missed Wednesday’s game in Buffalo and will miss Saturday’s in Montreal because of an undisclosed injury. Moving him to IR allows the Maple Leafs to recall someone without having to send anyone down. He is considered day-to-day until the Leafs release the nature and severity of his injury.
Bozak has missed the last two games and being placed on IR rules him out of Saturday’s game in Montreal. However, he is eligible to come off of IR next week, but moving him to IR allows the Maple Leafs to recall a forward without sending anyone down.
Bishop allowed four goals on 33 shots in the Lightning’s loss in Nashville on Tuesday. Bishop has lost three of his last four starts while posting an .891 SV%. On Friday he takes on a Jets team who ranks sixth in the NHL in scoring—averaging 3.33 goals per game.
Nilsson made 33 saves on 34 shots in the Oilers win in Vancouver on Sunday. He will start for the third time this season tonight vs. the Capitals. Washington is the highest scoring team in the NHL, so expect Nilsson to continue to face a high volume of shots—he has seen 85 through two games and posted a .953 SV%.
Method has missed the last two games with a concussion, but he was on the ice for Friday’s practice and appears poised to return to the lineup on Saturday. Monitor his status during the morning skate.
Hoffman missed Friday’s practice because of a lower-body injury, which puts his status for Saturday’s game in doubt. Monitor Hoffman’s status during the morning skate, but if he can’t play look for Curtis Lazar to move up in the lineup.
Reinhart will miss his second straight game with an undisclosed injury. With Reinhart still sidelined, Andrew Ference will remain in the lineup.
Smid will play in his first game since last January. He has been sidelined with a neck injury, but will make his season debut tonight vs. the Red Wings. Smid is not a fantasy option, having recorded only 72 points in 561 career games.
Bernier allowed on goal on 35 shots but still came away on the losing end of a 2-1 shootout final on Wednesday in Buffalo. Bernier is still searching for his first win despite posting a 2.39 GAA and .924 SV% in his first four starts. He will be hard-pressed to pick up the W tonight as he goes head-to-head with Carey Price.
Price stopped all 38 shots that he faced in the Canadiens shutout win over the Blues on Tuesday. It was Price’s sixth straight win and second shutout of the season. If there were any questions whether or not he could duplicate last season’s performance, he has answered them in the first six games of the season—Price is a must-start in all formats.
Gustavsson allowed two goals on 24 shots in the Bruins win in Colorado on October 14th. Tuukka Rask has struggled in his last two outings, so it looks like Gustavsson will start toninght on Long Island. It is not the best matchup for a spot-start, the Islanders have averaged 3.50 goals per game so far in 2015-16.
Pavelec allowed four goals on 41 shots in the Jets loss to the Blues last Sunday. He has alternated wins and losses through his first four starts of the season and currently owns a 2.52 GAA and .926 SV%. Pavelec draws a difficult matchup this evening as he gets set to face a Lightning team who has averaged 3.29 goals per game.
Barkov was forced to leave Thursday’s game after blocking a shot with his hand. There was no update on Barkov’s status, but he was spotted leaving the arena with his hand wrapped in a bandage. The Panthers can’t afford to lose Barkov for an extended period of time, but if they do, expect Rocco Grimaldi to be recalled. Expect the Panthers to update Barkov’s status by Saturday morning.
Schwartz reportedly had to be helped off of the ice by his teammates after crashing legs-first into the net. We saw Logan Couture suffer a serious injury in practice last week and it looks like Schwartz might be the latest victim of practice injuries. Stay tuned, but it doesn’t look good for Schwartz.
Shattenkirk has been practicing this week and appears close to returning to the lineup, but his status for Saturday’s contest remains unknown.