Demers has missed the last three games with a groin injury that was bothering him even before he came out after the Sharks’ loss in Calgary on January 30. “All signs point to yes,” said Demers, when asked if he was good to go, following the morning skate. Matt Irwin looks to be the odd-man out on the blue line.
Hamonic has missed the last 12 games with a concussion but appears set to return to the Islanders lineup on Saturday. He will take part morning skate and a final decision will be made after that. He has one goal and eight assists with a minus-3 rating in 47 games this season.
Hamhuis has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury and his status for the Olympics started to become in question. However, should he dress on Saturday as expected, he will be in Sochi with Team Canada.
Elliott gave up three goals on 31 shots in a win over the Predators last Saturday. That win snapped a three-game losing streak for Elliott, who now sits 14-4-2 with a 2.10 GAA and .917 SV%. He will face the red-hot Jets, but with his 8-1-0 record at home, you should't worry too much.
Salminen, 25, was never drafted into the NHL. He is currently in his first year in the KHL and plays with Jarko Immonen (Koivu's replacement) with Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo. He has tallied 18 goals and 28 assists (46 points) in 50 games this season.
Immonen, 30, was a Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick (8th Round / 254th overall) in 2002. He last played in the NHL in 2006-07, he only registered eight points (3G / 5A) in 20 career NHL games. He is currently in his fifth season in the KHL but his first with Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo. In 50 games this season he has 13 goals and 23 assists (36 points).
Berra stopped 28 of 30 shots in a 4-2 win over the Islanders on Thursday. Since Karri Ramo went down with an injury, Berra has stopped 67 of 73 shots (.918 SV%) en route to going 2-1-0. On Saturday night he will get a second crack at a Flyers team who scored three goals on 20 shots in a 4-1 win over Berra and the Flames on December 31.
Niemi was pulled after he allowed four goals on 23 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Flyers on Monday. He was given Wednesday night off but will be back in net with the Blue Jackets in town. Niemi has yet to face Columbus this season, but has a fantastic 18-3-3 record with a 2.07 GAA and .922 SV% at the 'Shark Tank' this season.
Anderson allowed two goals on 32 shots in a win over the Sabres on Thursday. Anderson is 13-3-6 in his last 23 starts with a 2.79 GAA and a .919 SV%. He will make his last start before the Olympic break on Saturday in Boston. Against the Bruins this season he is 2-0-0 with a 2.50 GAA and .922 SV%.
Bonino will have to have a good morning skate in order to play tomorrow night in Nashville. He has missed the last three games, but is having a wonderful season having tallied 16 goals and 24 assists (40 points) in 56 games. However with the Olympic break starting on Sunday, they could play it safe and keep Bonino out.
This is a great sign for the Predators and Rinne, but he remains without a timeline for now.
Varone had one goal and one assist in nine games with the Sabres. He returns to Rochester where he has totalled eight goals and 25 assists (33 points) in 38 games.
Crawford stopped all 29 shots that he faced in a 2-0 win over the Ducks on Wednesday. Crawford has had an excellent road trip. He is 3-0-2 with a 1.74 GAA and .952 SV% vs. some quality West Coast teams. Tonight he will go head-to-head with Mike Smith as they're in Phoneix to take on the Coyotes.
The Wild captain, who was expected to captain Finland underwent surgery on a broken ankle Jan. 6 after being hit by a dump-in off the stick of Washington's Nicklas Backstrom two days before. The normal course of recovery for this type of injury is six to eight weeks. Koivu underwent surgery in an attempt to accelerate his return to the Wild lineup. Monday will be five weeks from surgery. Team Finland also lost Valteri Filppula today, so they will announce two replacements shortly.
Ruhwedel was a plus-3 with 15 shots in seven games during his most recent call-up. He will play with Rochester during the Olympic break.
Holtby gave up two goals on 36 shots after unexpectedly getting the start for the Michal Neuvirth on Thursday. Holtby has won three of his last four starts while posting a 2.75 GAA, .903 SV% and one shutout. On Saturday he will get a crack at the Devils who have lost four of five.
Postman was with St. John's on a conditioning assignment after missing three months with a blood clot in his leg. While in St. John's he recorded one goal and five assists in four games. He has yet to register a point in eight contests with the Jets.
Beck has appeared in seven games for the Predators this season without recording a point.
Bryzgalov allowed two goals on 44 shots in a win over the Sabres on Monday. It was his second straight win as he has stopped 67 of the last 71 shots (.944 SV%) that he has faced. With Ben Scrivens getting the W last night, Bryz will look to chalk up the Oilers sixth win in their last seven games.
The condition is treatable with blood thinners and at this point is not believed to be career threatening. Further testing also revealed that Letang, 26, has had a very small hole in the wall of his heart since birth. This small defect in the wall is present in all individuals before birth but seals shut in most people. It is possible that the hole in the heart led to the stroke. “The most important thing right now, of course, is Kris’ health,” GM Ray Shero said. “We’re not thinking about hockey right now. We want to make sure he gets the best possible care and gets better. After six weeks of treatment, doctors will re-evaluate Kris.”
