Despres was acquired from the Penguins yesterday and will be in the lineup tonight vs. the Coyotes. He could line up on the second pair alongside Cam Fowler in his first game as a Duck.
Wagner was sent down yesterday to make himself eligible for the AHL playoffs if need be. He has been recalled but is expected to serve as a healthy scratch in tonight’s contest.
Lazar missed Saturday’s game in San Jose with an illness, but will be back in for Colin Greening tonight in Minnesota. Lazar has just one goal in his last 10 games.
Howard allowed two goals on 22 shots in the in the Red Wings 3-2 win over the Sharks last Thursday. He missed a lot of time in February, but went 2-1-2 with a 2.81 GAA and .902 SV% in the six starts he was able to make. Tonight he takes on the Rangers at Joe Louis Arena, where he is 11-4-6 with a 2.16 GAA and .916 SV% this season.
Hishon, 23, was a first round pick (17th overall) in 2010. He is expected to make his NHL debut tonight after scoring 14 goals and 18 assists (32 points) in 50 games with Lake Erie this season.
Corrado was sent down yesterday, but with Chris Tanev and Alex Edler both still sidelined, he had to be recalled to be in the lineup tonight. He has not played since February 1st because of an upper-body injury, but will play tonight vs. the Sharks. He has one goal in seven games with the Canucks tis season.
Cowen served his three-game suspension, but will miss tonight’s game because of the flu. The Senators will use the same six D-men that they have been while he was suspended.
Smith was pulled after heH allowed four goals on 20 shots in the Coyotes loss in Boston on Saturday. He has gone 0-8-0 with a 3.77 GAA and .885 SV% in his last eight starts. It has been so ugly for Smith all season and they just dismantled the team at the deadline, so it is only going to get worse.
Kennedy was acquired from the Sharks at yesterday’s trade deadline. He will make his debut tonight in Dallas on the Islanders second line with Frans Nielsen and Michael Grabner. Kennedy has four goals and five assists (9 points) in 25 games this year.
Visnovsky was a healthy scratch on Saturday but will be back in tonight in Dallas. He has shuffled in and out of the lineup recently, points 13 points (4G / 9A) in 40 games on the season.
Halak allowed one goal on 27 shots in the Islanders win over the Flames last Friday. Halak went 7-3-0 with a 2.60 GAA and .910 SV% in 10 starts in February. Tonight he faces a Stars who have dropped six games in a row while being outscored 30-17.
Nemeth has been out with an arm injury since October 18th, but could be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Islanders. There is no word on who will come out of the lineup for Nemeth. The 23-year-old has one assist in five games with Texas, and no points in five games with Dallas.
Scrivens allowed two goals on 27 shots in the Oilers loss to the Blues on Saturday. Scrivens is 2-3-0 with a 2.38 GAA and .921 SV% in his last five starts. Tonight he will face a Kings team who have lost three in a row while scoring just five goals.
Pekka Rinne skated in an optional morning skate this morning, which suggests that Hutton will start the second game of the back-to-back. Hutton allowed one goal on 17 shots in the Predators win in Buffalo on February 22nd. He has gone 6-4-4 with a 2.51 GAA and .906 SV% this season. He has a strong matchup against the Devils.
The Predators said they want to be cautious with Ellis, which is why he was held out of Saturday’s game and why he will not play tonight vs. the Devils. He remains day-to-day until the Predators believe he is 100%.
Lindback has not played since February 7th, when he was still with Dallas. With Michal Neuvirth now on Long Island, Lindback will get the first shot at winning the Sabres starting job tonight vs. Tampa Bay. He was 2-8-0 with a 3.71 GAA and .875 SV% with the Stars and is an extremely risky start tonight vs. the high-powered Lightning.
Dubnyk turned aside 33 of 34 shots in the Wild’s 3-1 win in Colorado on Saturday. He was the player of the month in February for good reason—he was 11-2-1 with a 1.64 GAA, .939 SV% and three shutouts in 14 starts last month. Tonight he starts vs. the Sens at home, where he is 7-2-0.
Ramo allowed one goal on 38 shots in the Flames 2-1 loss to the Islanders on Friday. He has gone 1-2-0 despite posting a 1.02 GAA and .968 SV% in his last three starts. Tonight he will start in Philadelphia, having gone 5-4-0 with a 1.86 GAA and .937 SV% on the road this season.
Lehtonen surrendered four goals on 23 shots in the Stars loss to the Avalanche last Friday. Jhonas Enroth has started three of the last four games, but it will be Lehtonen tonight vs. the Islanders. He will face an Islanders team who have averaged 3.50 goals per game in their last 10 games and 3.09 on the season.
Bernier gave up three goals on 22 shots in the Maple Leafs 3-0 loss to the Canadiens on Saturday. James Reimer started on Sunday, but it will be Bernier tonight in Florida. Bernier went 2-4-1 with a 2.74 GAA and .915 SV% in February. The Leafs haven’t scored a goal in two games, so it is tough to bank on a Bernier victory tonight.
