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.
The injury was suffered in the second period of Thursday's game and is believed to be ankle related. Polak has been placed on IR and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. The club is not recalling a defenseman at this point.
Brunner was injured after playing just 4:17 in Friday's game vs. the Ducks. He had eight goals and five assists in 32 games prior to the injury.
Bishop stopped 32 of 34 shots in a 3-2 shootout win over the Islanders on Tuesday. He has won three in a row while allowing just three goals. He will get the call tonight against a Hurricanes team he shut-out on November 1.
Head coach Barry Trotz the team would allow him to play in the tournament, provided he’s cleared to return to action. “Only injury can stop him now,” Peter Forsberg, the team’s Vice President, told the Swedish media. The Ostervala, Sweden native has participated in the last two World Junior tournaments and served as his team’s captain last year.
Weiss is out indefinitely.
Zatkoff, 26, stopped 24 shots against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night to become the first Penguins rookie goaltender to win six straight decisions since Johan Hedberg did so in 2001. The 6-foot-2, 179-pound Zatkoff has posted a 6-2 record, 2.46 GAA and .912 SV% in eight games this season.
Nabokov allowed three goals on 24 shots in the Islanders 5-3 win over the Rangers last night. The win was his first since November 1 and moved him to 1-0-2 with a 1.93 GAA and .929 SV% since returning from his groin injury.
Markstrom makes his first start since November 5 when he allowed four goals on 27 shots in a 4-3 OT loss to the Oilers. He is 1-5-3 with a 3.36 GAA and .877 SV% this season. His matchup with the Jets is a solid one, but he is a risky spot-start regardless of his opponent.
"However, as we have realized and learned throughout this process, the recovery and rehabilitation from a bacterial infection does not involve a specific timetable," according to the team's statement. "It does come with a degree of uncertainty." The Predators say every precaution is being taken to manage the bacterial infection with the goal of getting Rinne back to full strength. Rinne is being monitored daily by the team's medical staff.
Lack stopped all seven shots that he faced in relief of Roberto Luongo on Thursday. He enters tonight's contest with a 4-20 record and a 2.00 GAA and .928 SV%. He draws a tough matchup in Chicago tonight.
Lack stopped all seven shots that he faced after coming in to relieve Roberto Luongo for the final 17:37 of Thursday's contest vs. the Stars. Luongo getting pulled could lead to him getting back in between the pipes tonight, but the way Lack has played this season (2.00 GAA / /928 SV%) there is no reason not to trust the 25-year-old against the Blackhawks tonight.
Varlamov, 25, charged with third-degree assault November 22. The case was dismissed because prosecutors say they could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. It appears Varlamov's legal troubles are now behind him and he can focus on hockey once again.
Garbutt suffered an undisclosed injury that he suffered on Thursday against the Canucks. He is not a legitimate fantasy option having recorded just nine points (5G/4A) in 28 games. If he isn't available expect Vernon Fiddler to be activated and dress in Garbutt's spot.
Nieto has skated in 23 games with the Sharks this season, he has two goals and four assists. With Tomas Hertl out for at least one month, Nieto's stay is expected to be a lengthy one this time around.
Ramo stopped 35 of 38 shots in a 3-2 OT loss to the Red Wings on Thursday. After giving up a goal in the first 20 seconds, Ramo settled in and almost stole one for the Flames. He has a tough matchup in Pittsburgh on Saturday, he is 3-1-2 with a 1.95 GAA and .934 SV% in December.
Hertl left Thursday's game in the first period an did not return after a knee-on-knee collision with Kings forward Dustin Brown. Brown was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the incident. The play did not appear to have any intent, simply two players that were trying to avoid each other but were unable to do so. This is a tough break for the rookie who was enjoying a tremendous start to his NHL career potting 15 goals and adding 10 assists in his first 35 games. Hertl is having an MRI today, so a more accurate timetable should be available later.
