Lehner stopped 12 of 13 shots in relief of Craig Anderson on Thursday. Anderson continues to have his struggles in net so Lehner is looking more and more like the Senators starter with each passing game. He will face the Red Wings tonight who beat last week in a 34-save performance.
Brule has been with Portland on a professional tryout, but signed a two-way deal yesterday which required him to go through waivers. He went unclaimed and will remain with the Pirates where he has six goals and two assists in eight games.
Kane was injured in Friday's loss to the Flyers and has not skated since. His absence puts his availability for Monday's contest vs. the Rangers in question. For now consider him questionable and day-to-day.
Vokoun was given a three-to-six-month timetable for a possible return. And while the 37-year-old acknowledged that retirement is possible — this is the second time Vokoun has dealt with blood-clot issues, the other time occurring when he played with Nashville in 2006 — he hasn't given up hope of rejoining the Penguins. “It's hard to look that far ahead,” he said. “But definitely, if I get cleared, I want to try. We'll see. I don't have definite yes or no.
Oleksiak, 20, was the 14th overall pick in 2011 and appeared in 16 games with the Stars last season. He posted two assists and a minus-5 rating in his first NHL go-around. He is a monster at 6-foot-7, 241 lbs. but is a tremendous athlete and brings size and physicality to the Stars blueline.
Connauton, 23, made his NHL debut with the Stars this season, he played 16:05 with a plus-2 rating. If he draws in tonight it would be just his second NHL game after playing 221 games in the AHL since 2010. In that span he had 33 goals and 55 assists (88 points).
Gordon left Friday's game early and did not return, so the injury sustained that evening will keep him out tonight. Will Acton will draw into the lineup with Gordon out. Consider him day-to-day for now.
In his first start as an Oiler he was great, but the second outing did not go so well. He gave up four goals on 23 shots and was pulled in a loss to the Blue Jackets. Tonight he faces a tough Stars team, but on Sunday you either need goalie numbers or you don't, so act accordingly.
Ward allowed five goals on 31 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Devils on Friday. It was the third time in five starts since returning from injury that Ward has had a save percentage under .900. He sits at 4-4-4 with a 2.89 GAA and .909 SV% through October and November.
Kassian took a bad penalty that led to a Rangers power-play goal in yesterday's 5-2 loss. He has just one goal and a minus-5 rating in his last eight games, obviously coach Tortorella wants to see more discipline and production out of this edgy forward. Zac Dalpe will dress in his place.
Lack allowed two goals on 14 shots in a relief effort of Roberto Luongo last night. He has been average in his six outings this season posting a 2.49 GAA and .906 SV%. He has a decent matchup against a Hurricanes team who have loss five of their last seven. Lack should be considered a decent Sunday spot-start option.
Seguin's "muscle issue" limited him in practice this week but he was able to play through it on Friday. He has gone cold since scoring four goals vs. Calgary on November 14, recording just one assist in his last five games and nothing in his last four. Don't expect this dry spell to last long, but monitor his status at 5:30 pm EST when the Stars hit the ice for warm-ups.
Harding gave up two goals on 20 shots but still walked away the loser last night. He will get another crack at the Avalanche tonight, but in Colorado this time around. Harding is an amazing 8-2-1 with a 1.88 GAA and .927 SV% on the road this season.
Franson will not play tonight so Jake Gardiner moves up with Mark Fraser and Morgan Rielly slides into the lineup paired with Paul Ranger.
Johnson surrendered two goals on 24 shots in a win over the Hurricanes last Saturday. The W moved him to 3-1-0 with a 2.21 GAA and .917 SV%. He has already beat Columbus this season, so he is worth spot-start consideration.
Bernier was tagged for five goals on 47 shots in a 6-5 shootout loss to the Penguins on Wednesday. It was a rough night for Bernier who was unable to preserve a 4-1 second period lead after the Maple Leafs got into penalty trouble. It will be his first start of the season vs. the Canadiens.
In his first NHL start Raanta turned aside 20 of 22 shots in a 3-2 third period comeback win. He will go tonight against Mike Smith and the Coyotes. Phoenix currently ranks 4th in the NHL in scoring so he is not as inviting of a spot-start tonight as he was on Wednesday against Calgary.
Despite a Marc-Andre Fleury shutout on Friday, the Penguins will turn to Zatkoff tonight. He will face the Panthers for the second time this season and the first one was not pretty. He gave up six goals on 30 shots in a 6-3 loss. Zatkoff will be hoping for a better result this time around.
Enroth allowed four goals on 22 shots in a loss to the Leafs on November 16 which was his last outing. Tonight he would face a low-scoring Devils team, but still does not have much spot-start appeal.
Broduer allowed four goals on 22 shots in a loss to the Hurricanes on Wednesday. After a streak of consecutive wins, Marty has now lost three straight. He will look to start December off with a win over the Canadiens in Montreal.
