Ellis was in the Predators morning skate, but the Predators will evaluate him this afternoon before making a decision on his status for tonight’s game. Ellis has missed the last three games while the Predators take things slow with his return.
Halak surrendered three goals on 35 shots in the Islanders 3-2 overtime loss to the Stars on Tuesday. Tonight he will face the Predators in Nashville. He made 30 saves in a 5-2 win vs. the Preds in February—Halak has gone 13-6-1 with a 2.39 GAA and .910 SV% on the road this season.
Scandella will likely miss the next four games with an undisclosed injury that he suffered over the weekend. Scandella will continue to be replaced by newcomer Jordan Leopold.
Seguin returned to the ice last Saturday and returned to practice this morning, which was a big step in his recovery from that knee injury. He won’t play tonight and likely won’t play on Saturday, but coach Lindy Ruff said he could be back within the week.
Daley was injured in a knee-on-knee collision with Matt Martin on Tuesday. The NHL slapped a one-game suspension on Martin, but it will cost Daley 2-4 weeks. He will miss at least the next six games.
Bobrovsky allowed four goals on 32 shots in the Blue Jackets loss to the Capitals on Tuesday. It was a rough matchup to return to, but things should be a little easier tonight in New Jersey. Bobrovsky has gone 8-7-0 with a 2.88 GAA and .913 SV% on the road this season.
Spurgeon will miss his seventh consecutive game with a head injury. There was a chance that he returned tonight, but now he will be targeting tomorrow or Sunday to get back into the lineup.
Dubinsky missed the last three games, but will be back in the lineup on Friday vs. the Devils. He has registered 10 points (5G / 5A) in his last 11 games.
Schneider turned aside 33 of 34 shots in the Devils 3-1 win over the Predators on Tuesday. He has stopped 66 of 67 shots (.985 SV%) to earn back-to-back wins. Tonight he will take on a Blue Jackets team he is 2-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .970 SV% against this season.
Rinne allowed three goals on 39 shots in the Predators 4-1 loss to the Rangers on Monday. He was given Tuesday night off, but will be back in goal tonight vs. the Islanders—Rinne has lost five of his last six games, while posting a 3.20 GAA and .898 SV%.
Smith gave up three goals on 34 shots in the Coyotes 4-1 loss to the Ducks on Tuesday. That marks nine straight losses for Smith, who sits 10-31-5 with a 3.34 GAA and .894 SV% on the season. The first time he faced the Canucks, he was pulled after allowing four goals on 11 shots.
Lehtonen stopped 35 of 37 shots in the Stars win over the Islanders on Tuesday. It was a big win for Lehtonen, who had allowed a combing 14 goals in his previous three games. Tonight he will look to repeat what he did the first time he faced the Panthers—in February he posted a 37 save shutout in a 2-0 win.
Dubnyk turned aside 31 of 33 shots in the Wild’s 3-2 shootout win over Ottawa on Tuesday. He has been victorious in six of his last seven, posting a 1.55 GAA and .941 SV% in the process.He has been flat-out ridiculous since arriving in Minnesota and has turned himself into a bonafide fantasy #1, worthy of must-start status until further notice.
Bernier allowed two goals on 42 shots in the Maple Leafs 3-2 win over the Panthers on Tuesday. He has won three of his last four while posting a 2.48 GAA and .932 SV%. Tonight he faces a dangerous Tampa Bay team—the Lightning rank first in goals (3.25 G/PG), but 14th in goals against (2.57 GA/PG).
Seguin has been out since February 13th, but today showed that he is progressing way ahead of scheduled and could be back much sooner than expected. The Stars should release an updated timetable soon.
Mitchell has been out with an upper-body injury since February 3rd, but is expected to return tonight vs. the Stars. Mitchell has averaged 22:12 TOI and registered five points, 17 PIMS and 49 SOG in 49 games with the Panthers this season.
Schlemko will suit up for his third team this season when the Flames take on the Bruins tonight. Schlemko has registered one goal and three assists in 25 games between the Coyotes and Stars this season. He will be paired with Raphael Diaz tonight.
Ovechkin missed Thursday’s morning skate, so he will be a game-time decision tonight. He is expected to take part in warmups and then the Capitals will make a decision on whether or not Ovi will be in the lineup vs. the Wild.
Grigorenko was recalled on Tuesday, sent down on Wednesday and then recalled again on Thursday. Grigorenko did not play on Tuesday because of a knee injury, but he is expected to play Friday in Ottawa.
Montoya was injured on Tuesday and will miss at least two weeks with a groin injury. Roberto Luongo is also out, so the Panthers will have to go with Dan Ellis until Luongo is back. Montoya won’t be back until mid-March at the earliest.
