Varlamov allowed two goals on six shots in a brief relief effort of J.S Giguere on Thursday. The Avalanche have been humbled in their last two games - losing 2-1 to CAR and 7-3 to STL. Varlamov will look to get the Avs back on track tonight vs. the Panthers.
Anderson surrendered two goals on 32 shots in a win over the Bruins on Friday. It was his first win since October 23 vs. Detroit. After leading the NHL in GAA (1.69) and SV% (.941) last season, Anderson has been a bit of a disappointment to start the 2013-14 season. He is 5-5-2 with a 3.20 GAA and .908 SV% so far, but has a strong matchup tomorrow vs. Columbus.
Benoit will sit out tonight but the Avalanche say that his wrist injury is not serious. Matt Hunwick will slide onto the Avalanche blueline and skate alongside Cory Sarich. Consider Benoit day-to-day and questionable for Tuesday vs. Chicago.
Murphy was the 20th overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft. The 20-year-old played two seasons in the OHL with the Sarnia Sting posting 44 points (14 G / 30 A) in 68 games. This season he has five assists in 10 games with Portland. He will enter the lineup with Derek Morris and Zbynek Michalek unlikely to play.
Michalek was injured on Thursday vs. the Blackhawks, he played just 4:31 before retiring to the dressing room. With Derek Morris questionable as well, the Coyotes have recalled Connor Murphy from the AHL.
Morris will miss his fifth straight game after being injured on November 5 vs. Vancouver. Phoenix also appear to be without Zbynek Michalek tonight so they have recalled Connor Murphy. The Coyotes don't play again until Thursday, so Morris should be good to go vs. Colorado.
Smith allowed four goals on 52 shots against the Blackhawks on Thursday. He has seen a ton of rubber this season, 607 shots in 18 starts (33.7 per game) which is 39 more than the next highest (Ryan Miller - 568). Tonight he faces his former team and a scorching hot Ben Bishop, winner of six-straight.
Bishop allowed a single goal on 25 shots in a win over the Ducks on Thursday. It was Bishop's sixth straight win and the eighth straight game he has allowed two or less goals. Bishop is taking the NHL by storm right now and he will look to extend his winning streak to seven tonight vs. Phoenix.
in nine days the Maple Leafs play the Blue Jackets and two days later they take on the Penguins, he will likely return in one of those contests. Toronto is really thin up the middle right now, so Bozak's return is highly anticipated.
Nystrom left Friday's contest and did not return. He left after playing just 8:39 in the 4-1 loss. Matt Hendricks will likely slide into the lineup with Nystrom out.
Del Zotto has seen his minutes shrink in the recent contests. He usually plays close to 20 minutes but has averaged just 15:52 TOI in his last four games. The 23-year-old has struggled with only one goal and three assists in 16 games. Justin Falk enters the lineup in his place.
Bogosian played just 12:32 before departing for the dressing room for the night. The Jets have not announced what Bogosian is dealing with, but recalled Julian Melchiori in case Bogosian can not play tomorrow. Consider him day-to-day and questionable for Sunday.
Bodie recorded two assists in nine games, he will likely be the first player recalled when the Leafs need forward depth.
If his leg responds well an aggressive re-hab will lead to a quick recovery. However, still no timetable set for his return.
Melchiori has played in 14 games with the IceCaps so far this season. In that time, he has recorded four assists and 14 penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has played in 67 career AHL games, all with St. John’s, for 12 career points (1G / 11A) and 53 career penalty minutes.
Ryan left Friday's contest late in the third period after taking an elbow to the head from Dennis Seidenberg and did not return. Being on the ice this morning is a positive sign that Ryan did not sustain a concussion or any other serious injury that would require him to miss an extended period of time. Ryan will likely be in the lineup on Sunday vs. Columbus.
Nash has now skated for eight straight days as he works back from a concussion he suffered in the third game of the season. Nash said yesterday that he feels good and that his hands are there, he just needs to get his legs back up to speed. It is highly unlikely that he plays tonight or tomorrow, but Tuesday vs. Boston seems possible at this point.
Alfredsson was a late scratch on Friday, he was likely injured in warmups. Monitor his status closer to puck-drop, if he can't go, Luke Glendening will suit up after being recalled this morning.
Vanek will miss his fourth straight game tonight. The Islanders as 1-2-0 without him in the lineup. His next chance to get into the lineup will be Tuesday vs. Toronto.
It was the first time Clowe has skated since suffering a concussion on October 12. There is still no timetable for his return, but returning to the ice is a big step in what has been slow progress so far. The Devils could use Clowe in the lineup after scoring just 38 goals in the first 19 games.
