Andrew Hammond will make his first NHL start on Wednesday, so Robin Lehner will not play after a rough collision with Clarke MacArthur last night. There is still no update on the nature or severity of his injury.
MacArthur, who was injured in a collision with Robin Lehner last night, was not on the ice for practice this morning and will be held out of tomorrow’s game. It was a scary looking collision, so there is no surprise that MacArthur won’t play tomorrow.
Braun has been out since January 19th, but it looks like he will be back in the lineup tonight in Nashville. Braun skated with Brenden Dillon this morning, which is a good sign that he will replace Scott Hannan this evening.
Santorelli is unlikely to play because of VISA/immigration issues after being traded from the Maple Leafs. If he doesn’t end up play tonight, expect him to play on Thursday.
Franson is unlikely to play because of VISA/immigration issues. With Franson not available, the Predators hope to have Anton Volchenkov back in the lineup. If he doesn’t make his season debut with the Predators tonight, look for him to play on Thursday on Long Island.
Rinne made 21 saves on 22 shots in the Predators 3-1 win over the Devils on Saturday. Rinne has won four consecutive starts while posting a 1.48 GAA and .950 SV%. Tonight he will face a Sharks team who have lost six of their last eight games.
Lehtonen stopped all 37 shots that he faced in the Stars 2-0 shutout win over the Panthers on Friday. He was given Saturday off, but it looks like he will go tonight in St. Louis. He has won three straight, but has struggled against the Blues this season. Lehtonen is 1-0-1 with a 3.46 GAA and .883 SV% vs. STL.
Hammond allowed two goals on five shots after replacing Robin Lehner on Monday. Tonight the 27-year-old will make his first career start with Lehner and Craig Anderson out. Hammond has gone 7-13-2 with a 3.51 GAA and .898 SV% with Binghamton (AHL) this season.
Stalock surrendered three goals on 23 shots in the Sharks loss in Calgary on February 4th. Stalock has gone 5-6-1 with a 2.68 GAA and .903 SV% on the season. He draws a rough matchup tonight in Nashville, where the Predators are 24-3-1 on the season.
Holtby allowed three goals on 30 shots in the Capitals loss in Los Angeles on Saturday. He was given Sunday off, so it is no surprise to see him get the nod tonight in Pittsburgh. He has won three of five with a 2.01 GAA and .927 SV%. He has shutout the Pens in their first two meetings; stopping all 58 shots.
Luongo allowed a single goal on 33 shots in the Panthers shootout loss to the Blues on Sunday. Luongo has gone 2-1-2 with a 1.75 GAA and .938 SV% in his last five outings. Tonight he will face the Leafs for the second time this season—he allowed four goals on 22 shots in a 6-4 win in the first meeting.
Foligno's injury is not believed to be serious, but he will be held out of tonight's game vs. the Flyers. With Foligno out, Corey Tropp is expected to skate on the Blue Jackets top-line.
Stastny played very well on the Blues second line with Jori Lehtera was out, he was bumped back to the third line when Lehtera returned, but will get that promotion again, just three games later. Stastny has two goals and four assists in his last eight games.
Timonen still has not played this season, but it sounds like he will be back in the middle of next week or next weekend after returning to Flyers practice on Monday.
Ehrhoff was on the ice for the team’s morning skate, but will not play tonight. He needs to get into some contact practices before he can return to the Penguins lineup. However, it is a good sign that he is nearing a return.
Phaneuf is still skating alone, but was not in the morning skate today so he will sit yet again. Phaneuf has been sidelined since January 21st.
Lupul will miss his third straight game with a knee injury and remains without a timetable for his return. Consider him day-to-day.
McElhinney allowed three goals on 25 shots in the Blue Jackets 4-3 OT win over the Flyers last Friday. He was given Saturday off, but will be back in goal tonight, once again against the Flyers. He has won three of his last four with a 2.25 GAA and .934 SV%.
Fleury made 31 saves on 32 shots in the Penguins 2-1 shootout loss to the Blackhawks on Sunday. Despite the loss, Fleury was great again, giving him a ridiculous 0.49 GAA and .980 SV% in his last four starts. Tonight he will face the Capitals, who he is 0-2-0 with a 3.56 GAA and .900 SV% against this season.
Jaroslav Halak started last night and allowed six goals on 42 shots, so there is a good chance that it will be Johnson tonight in Carolina.
