Backes missed the last two games after suffering an upper-body injury mid-way through Monday's contest in Ottawa. His return will be a huge lift for the Blues when they take on the Oilers tonight. He will return back to his spot on the top-line with T.J Oshie and Alex Steen.
Smith stopped 26 of 27 shots in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Coyotes on Thursday. Despite posting a 1.64 GAA and .943 SV% in his last three starts, he has not won any of them. He will face the Senators for the second time this season, he allowed four goals on 32 shots in a 4-3 OT loss the first time.
Stalock allowed four goals on 34 shots in a loss to the Hurricanes on December 6. It has been two weeks since his last start so the Sharks have elected to give him his first home start tonight vs. Dallas. Stalock is 3-1-0 with a 2.06 GAA and .930 SV%.
Howard noted that he is ahead of schedule in his recovery from an MCL sprain. He continues to progress towards a return, but will not be rushed just to play in the outdoor game.
Bryzgalov stopped 37 of 39 shots, but it was not enough to beat the Kings on Tuesday. Since coming to the Oilers, Bryzgalov has posted a 2.30 GAA and ,936 SV% but hasn't had the results going 1-3-0. He draws a tough test in his first home start.
Jones stopped 31 of 32 shots in a 4-1 win over the Sharks on Thursday. It does not matter who the opposition is, this kid is flat out standing on his head. He is expected to start again this afternoon after starting his NHL career 7-0-0 with a 0.85 GAA and .971 SV%.
Varlamov allowed two goals on 29 shots in a win over the Oilers on Thursday. Varly got his revenge for allowing eight goals the last time he faced the Oilers. He will need to be at his best today when he takes on a Kings team who have won eight of their last nine contests.
“I don’t think you’ll see him getting 25 minutes in the game, but we certainly look forward to having him in our lineup,” GM Don Maloney said. Korpikoski has four goals and three assists in 18 games.
Briere served as healthy scratch on Thursday, but will play with Rene Bourque and Lars Eller tonight.
Pyatt has been out since October 8, it was the only game that he has played in this season. He has a career-high of 19 points (2011-12) so he is not a serviceable fantasy asset in any formats. Expect B.J Crombeen to come out of the lineup and Pyatt dress on the fourth line.
Price gave up five goals on 29 shots in a loss to the Blues on Thursday. It was a rough night for the entire Habs team as the Blues downed them 5-1. He will be back in goal looking for a better result tonight in Nashville. Price stopped 35 of 37 shots in a 2-1 loss to the Predators on October 19.
Zibanejad suffered an upper-body injury in the first period on Thursday and is considered day-to-day. Cory Conacher will slide back into the lineup and skate with Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek.
With Danny DeKeyser (shoulder) drawing back in, Kindl will take a seat. Kindl has not recorded a point and is a minus-8 in his last nine games. DeKeyser will take his spot on the left point on the second power-play unit.
"He’s still our leading goal scorer and we’ve scored only three goals in the last three games," General Manager Don Maloney said. "So, there you go. With Shane, he can play the inside heavy game, and what I’ve found lately is that the majority of chances we’re getting are from the outside. To me that’s where we miss him more than anything on the ice."
Reimer stopped 34 of 35 shots and two of three shootout attempts in a 2-1 victory vs. Phoenix on Thursday. After an ugly start against the Panthers two days earlier, Reimer bounced back in a strong way vs. the Coyotes. With Bernier banged up, Reimer should take on the Red Wings at home tonight. He is 5-3-0 with a 2.59 GAA and .927 SV% at the ACC.
Brodeur gave up two goals on 26 shots in a win over the Senators on Wednesday. The win marked his 10th of the season as he moved to 10-8-2 with a 2.30 GAA and .906 SV%. He will face the Capitals on the road tonight where he is 5-5-1 with a 2.90 GAA and .887 SV%.
Elliott stopped 29 of 32 shots in Monday's 3-2 OT loss vs. the Senators. Despite being the Blues' backup, Elliott is posting starters numbers. He is 2-0-1 in December and 6-1-2 with a 2.21 GAA and .913 SV% overall. He has a decent matchup in Edmonton tonight.
Mazanec made 19 saves after coming in for Carter Hutton halfway through Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Lightning. He gets the call tonight as the Predators welcome the Canadiens. Mazanec is 2-4-1 with a 2.56 GAA and .916 SV% at home.
Emery was yanked after allowing six goals on 18 shots in a blowout loss to the Blackhawks on December 11. Emery has lost his last three starts and has not recorded a win since November 21 vs. Buffalo. He enters tonight contest in Columbus with a 2-5-0 with a 3.04 GAA and .889 SV% on the road.
Fleury allowed three goals on 32 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 shootout win against the Rangers. He has won four straight and seven of his last eight as the Penguins continue to get the job done despite a depleted lineup. He draws a strong matchup against the Flames this afternoon.
