Smith allowed three goals on 26 shots in Wednesday's loss to the Flames. He has lost back-to-back starts vs. Canadian opponents while allowing seven goals on 55 shots (.873 SV%). Tonight he will likely face the Oilers who have lost five in a row while being outscored 19-10.
Methot declared himself ready for Thursday's game but he was held out of the contest. He missed a total of two games, but will play vs. the Hurricanes tomorrow.
Khudobin stopped 26 of 29 shots in a 5-3 win over the Sabres on Thursday. Khudobin has become the clear number-1 in Carolina, since returning from his ankle injury the 27-year-old is 7-3-0 with a 2.16 GAA and .930 SV%.
Lehner will get his first start since January 14, he posted a 27-save shutout over the WIld that night. Lehner makes his first start since January 27, a night he allowed no goals on 27 shots in a shutout victory over the Wild. Craig Anderson's improved play has forced Lehner into a back-up role, but he still makes for one of the league's better spot-start options. This afternoon he faces a Hurricanes team who have won two in a row and three of their last four.
Hanzal missed the last two games with a lower-body injury, but his participation in the morning skate suggests he will return tonight vs. the Oilers. Hanzal has 34 points (14G / 20A) in 45 games this season.
Prospal wraps up a 16-year NHL career. He recorded 255 goals and 510 assists (765 points) in 1108 career NHL regular season games with the Flyers (x2), Senators, Panthers, Lightning (x3), Ducks, Rangers and Blue Jackets. He also had 10 goals and 25 assists (35 points) in 65 playoff games.
Dubnyk allowed five goals on 29 shots in his Predators debut on December 18. He will look to make a better impression in his second start when he faces the Flames tonight. Calgary is a familiar foe from his days in Edmonton. He is 2-0-1 with a 1.32 GAA and .955 SV% against the Flames this season.
It all depends how Stamkos responds to an increased workload. Stamkos is expected to begin 'light' contact on Saturday. So far things are trending in the right direction for Stammer to be ready for Sochi 2014.
Yakupov missed three games with a concussion that he suffered on January 16. He has 17 points (9G / 8A) in 47 games in his sophomore season.
After a four-game absence, Hamilton will return to the Bruins blueline on Saturday. He has 10 points (4G / 6A) in 33 games.
Bobrovsky stopped 26 of 28 shots for his seventh straight win in January. Since being activated off of IR he is 7-0 with a 1.95 GAA and .936 SV%. Tonight he has a great chance to make it eight in a row with the Sabres in town. Start him with confidence.
Halak stopped 34 of 35 shots in a win over the Rangers on Thursday. It was his fourth win in his last five starts with a 1.20 GAA, .958 SV% and one shutout. This afternoon he meets an Islanders team who is pretty dangerous offensively.
Murphy has been a healthy scratch in the last five games. He registered 11 points (2G / 9A) in 39 games with the Hurricanes this season.
Thornton currently leads the NHL with 47 assists to go along with six goals (53 points) in 51 games. Thornton is in his seventh season with the Sharks, he has totalled 1171 points (337G / 834A) in 1175 career NHL games with the Sharks and the Bruins.
Marleau has 21 goals and 26 assists (47 points) in 51 games this season with the Sharks. Marleau is currently in his 16th season with the Sharks, he has 908 points (425G / 483A) in 1215 career NHL games (all with SJ).
Ovechkin will miss his second straight game tonight. The Capitals are having a hard time scoring goals in 2014 and missing the NHL's leading scorer will certainly hurt their lineup.
Neuvirth allowed four goals on 37 shots in a loss to the Penguins on January 15. He will get his eighth start of the season tonight when he takes on the Devils. He enters play with a 0-2-1 record with a 3.13 GAA and .909 SV% on the road this season.
Alfredsson missed the last six games with back spasms, but will return tonight. He will skate on the third line with Darren Helm and Daniel Cleary. He has recorded 30 points (11G / 19A) in 38 games.
Thomas surrendered three goals on 35 shots in a win over the Sabres on Tuesday. He has allowed nine goals in his last three starts, going 1-2-0 over those three games. Tonight he takes on the Avalanche for the second time this season, in the first meeting he stopped 32 of 33 shots in a 4-1 win.
Steen went down in the corner and was slow to stand up. He appeared to jam his right foot into the crease of the boards, and getting up slowly, he rested on the bench briefly. Steen attempted to skate it off, putting limited pressure on his right leg. He stayed in the game briefly, but with 2:57 left in the second period, he headed for the locker room and didn’t return. “He’s day-to-day” Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. “We’ll see where he is in a day or so. He’ll be back.” Monitor Steen's status during Saturday's morning skate.
