Lupul missed Friday's contest and is in jeopardy of missing tonight's game with the Penguins. The Maple Leafs struggled against the Blue Jackets so they would like to get Lupul back for a tougher test with Pittsburgh in town. He has six goals and four assists.
Smith was pulled on Thursday after giving up four goals on 15 shots in a loss to the Kings. It was Smith's first bad outing in his last four starts, he will look to jump back into the win column today vs. an up-and-down Oilers team.
Saturday will be Poulin's second start of the season, he hasn't played since October 11th. With the Islanders in the second game of a back-to-back Poulin will likely face a struggling Flyers squad who rank 29th in the NHL in scoring - He is a solid spot start candidate.
Mason turned aside 30 of 31 shots in a 2-1 win over the Rangers on Thursday. It was just his second win of the season, despite having a 2.17 GAA and .930 SV%. He will face the Islanders who are on the tail-end of a back-to-back and are expected to start their backup, Kevin Poulin. Mason should be a fine start tonight.
Giroux has just three assists and a minus-5 rating in nine games so far. The Islanders might give him reason to have hope that it could come Saturday. He has seven goals and 21 assists in 25 career games against them, his best point-per-game average against any NHL team.
Miller gave up five goals on 34 shots in a loss to the Bruins on Wednesday. After a strong start, Miller has lost his last three starts while giving up 12 goals. His GAA has inflated to 3.01 and SV% sits at .918. The Lightning rank third in the NHL in scoring (3.44 G/G) so Miller isn't an ideal start tonight.
Penner is missing his third straight game tonight after suffering a concussion on Sunday. He could be in the lineup on Sunday vs. the Blue Jackets. The 31-year-old has two goals and two assists in six games.
Andersen gets an extension before he even makes his first career start - which comes tonight.
As expected Selanne is out for the tail-end of a back-to-back. The Ducks announced at the start of the season that the veteran will likely sit in one of two games of the back-to-back in order to keep him fresh.
Anderson stopped all 24 shots he faced in a relief effete on Sunday. Tonight he will make his first NHL start when the Ducks take on the Senators. It is a decent matchup, but it would be a risky spot start.
McLaren will be reunited on the fourth line with fellow tough-guy Colton Orr. He has no fantasy value.
Bernier allowed two goals on 25 shots in a 4-2 win over the Ducks on Tuesday. He is 5-3-0 with a 2.12 GAA and .936 SV%. Bernier has a solid matchup vs. a Blue Jackets team that ranks 21st in the NHL in scoring.
Josh Leivo will make his seventh appearance this season in Lupul's spot.
Vancouver is in the second game of a back-to-back and Roberto Luongo played on Thursday vs. the Devils. Lack is not Cory Schneider but he has been a serviceable backup through two starts so far. He lost his last outing, giving up two goals on 28 shots vs. Columbus. Lack will face a tough Blues team who is well rested having played their last game one week ago.
It will be LaBarbera's first start since October 15th when he allowed three goals on 28 shots in a loss to the Penguins. He is 1-2-0 and has a 3.21 GAA and .871 SV%. LaBarbera is probably someone you want to avoid against a Coyotes team who has just one regulation loss in their last eight contests.
Talbot allowed two goals on 27 shots in his NHL debut vs. the Flyers on Thursday. It was a solid effort by the 26-year-old but he was still on the hook for the loss. He will have an even tougher matchup on Saturday when he faces a veteran Red Wings team. On a busy NHL day, there are probably going to be better options for you.
Lundqvist who practiced with the Rangers over the last two days, will make the trip to Detroit but may sit once again while Cam Talbot makes his second straight start. The Rangers are having a tough go right now so coach Alain Vigneault likely wants Lundqvist at 100%, rather than risk re-injuring himself. Monitor his status tomorrow prior to the 7 PM EST puck drop.
Backstrom isn't 100 percent yet, but he says he has to "find a way" Saturday night. He stopped all seven shots he faced after relieving Josh Harding on Thursday. In four appearances this season, he has no wins with a 2.98 GAA and .867 SV%. It is hard to start a goalie who is healthy against the Blackhawks, so it might be wise to stay away from this matchup for Backstrom owners.
The Wild has recalled Johan Gustafsson to make the trip and back up Niklas Backstrom Saturday.
Vancouver is in the second game of a back-to-back and Roberto Luongo played on Thursday vs. the Devils. Lack is not Cory Schneider but he has been a serviceable backup through two starts so far. He lost his last outing, giving up two goals on 28 shots vs. Columbus. Lack would face a tough Blues team who is well rested having played their last game one week ago.
