Hedman has missed the last six games after being injured on December 5. Hedman appears to be finally coming into his own in the NHL. The 2009 second overall pick has six goals and nine assists (15 points) with a minus-3 rating in 28 games.
Methot missed the last four games with the flu but will check back into the lineup tonight vs. Florida. He has two goals, five assists and a minus-7 rating through 31 games.
Sobotka is rotating in and out of the line-rushes this morning which suggests that there is a chance that he retunes to the Blues' lineup this evening. He has missed the last two games.
Schwartz missed the last two games but is skating on the Blues' top line with Alex Steen and T.J Oshie this morning. His participation in line-rushes during the morning skate suggests that he is back in. Schwartz has eight goals and 14 assists (22 points) in 31 games. With David Backes out Schwartz has a great shot on the top-line tonight vs. Montreal.
Anderson allowed two goals on four shots and was pulled before the five minute mark of the first period in last Saturday's loss to the Kings. Anderson's struggles continue, he now sits at 9-8-3 with a 3.37 GAA and .898 SV% this season. He will see the Panthers for the second time this season, in the first meeting he allowed two goals on 32 shots in a 4-2 win.
Schenn suffered a neck injury when he was nailed from behind by Capitals' forward Tom Wilson on Tuesday. Schenn skated this morning and will be in the lineup tonight. He has four assists in his last six games and has a total of seven goals and 12 assists (19 points) in 34 games.
Abdelkader will not be in the lineup tonight against the Flames, but it is a good sign that he is progressing well. He could play on Saturday in Toronto.
Zetterberg will miss his ninth consecutive game tonight, but appears to be progressing well towards a return. Zetty has skated on his own a couple of times, but joining his teammates is a great sign. The Red Wings are 1-5-2 without Zetterberg in the lineup, so his return is vital to their success.
Jonathan Bernier stayed on for extra work so it appears that Reimer will get the start. We will leave it as likely and wait for warmups to Confirm. Reimer stopped 20 of 23 shots in a loss to the Panthers on Tuesday. He has allowed three goals in five straight contests and is 1-4-1 in his last six starts. He draws a pretty difficult matchup tonight with the Coyotes and their fifth ranked offence in town.
Lindback gave up three goals on 19 shots in a loss to the Devils on Saturday. He is now 2-6-1 with a 3.12 GAA and .883 SV% entering tonight's contest against a Predators team who drafted him in 2008. The Predators are a good spot-start matchup, but Lindback's below-average play make him a risky option.
Gustavsson was yanked after allowing three goals on the first 11 shots in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Ducks. The Wings are drastically shorthanded right now and were out-manned by a great Anaheim squad. The Monster draws a better matchup tonight against the Calgary Flames. He is 3-3-0 with a 2.81 GAA and .902 SV% at home.
Miller allowed two goals on 27 shots in a 4-2 win over the Jets on Tuesday. The win moved Miller to 7-17-0 on the season and he is likely to chalk up loss number-18 tonight with the Bruins in town. In his first start against the B's he allowed five goals on 34 shots in a 5-2 loss. Miller is 2-2-0 with a 1.98 GAA and .937 SV% in December.
After losing to Washington on Sunday, Mason got revenge on Tuesday allowing two goals on 26 shots in a 5-2 win. He will be in goal tonight to face his former team for the first time. Mason spent his first five seasons with the Blue Jackets and will see them tonight in Philadelphia where he is 8-6-0 with a 2.15 GAA and .928 SV%.
Bozak is not eligible to return from long-term injured reserve until after Christmas, but it is a positive sign that he is back on the ice this morning.
Anderson allowed two goals on four shots and was pulled before the five minute mark of the first period in last Saturday's loss to the Kings. Anderson's struggles continue, he now sits at 9-8-3 with a 3.37 GAA and .898 SV% this season. He will see the Panthers for the second time this season, in the first meeting he allowed two goals on 32 shots in a 4-2 win.
Klesla has recorded a goal and an assist with a plus-1 rating in six games with the Pirates this season. He has also appeared in 15 games with the Coyotes, totalling one goal and two assists with 10 PIMs.
After missing Tuesday's contest, Backes is currently listed as day-to-day and likely won't play tonight vs. the Canadiens.
Backstrom will re-gain his former role as the Wild's starter with Josh Harding on IR. In his last start he allowed three goals on 39 shots in a 3-1 loss to the Sharks. He will take on a depleted Penguins lineup that is still playing really good hockey despite all the injuries.
With Josh Harding going on injured reserve, Gustafsson has been recalled to serve as Niklas Backstrom's backup while Harding is out. Gustafsson has never played a game in the NHL and is in his first season with Iowa. He is 4-4-0 with a 2.95 GAA and .898 SV% in nine games.
“This is not a major situation at all,” GM Chuck Fletcher said. “This didn’t come out of the blue. I’ve been talking to Josh for a while about this. He needs to make an adjustment in his protocols, and now is a good time to do it [with the Dec. 24-26 holiday break on the horizon]. The Wild’s longtime No. 2 goalie never relinquished the No. 1 reins after Niklas Backstrom, the team’s all-time leader with 186 wins, strained a knee October 8 in Nashville. Harding leads the NHL with a 1.51 goals-against average and is second with a .939 save percentage. Johan Gustafsson was recalled from Iowa of the American Hockey League to back up Backstrom, who presumably will start at least two of the next three games.
