Drouin scored the game-winning goal in his AHL debut and has recorded one goal and two assists in his first two AHL games. He can only stay in the AHL for a maximum of two weeks, but he could be recalled sooner than expected if he continues to play at a high level.
Elliott stopped all 18 shots in the Blues 1-0 shootout loss to the Kings on Thursday. Elliott matched Jonathan Quick save for save, but was outduelled in the shootout. He has been sensational in the early part of the season, posting a 1.31 GAA and .940 SV% in three starts. He draws a tough matchup tonight, but he worth a start.
Hiller was excellent, stopping 49 of 50 shots in a OT win over the Blackhawks on Wednesday. He was given Friday night off (for good reason) but will be back in goal tonight in Winnipeg. He has posted a 2.62 GAA and .934 SV% in his first three starts with the Flames.
Sunday will mark Backstrom's first start since January 11th. Darcy Kuemper has had an excellent start to the season, but the Wild want to get Backstrom some action early in the season. He was 5-11-2 with a 3.02 GAA and .899 SV% in a terrible 2013-14 season. He is a solid option when he gets the call, but he draws a brutal matchup today.
Hutton will make his season debut on Saturday vs. the Blackhawks. The former Blachawk went 20-11-4 with a 2.62 GAA and .910 SV% last season. In his only career start vs. Chicago he allowed three goals on 27 shots in a losing effort.
Weiss was a healthy scratch for the first five games, but he will get into the lineup tonight vs. the Maple Leafs because Johan Franzen is out with a knee injury. Weiss had a terrible debut season in Detroit in 2013-14, he had just four points (2G / 2A) in 26 games. He will look to earn himself a permanent roster spot with a good performance tonight.
Franzen will not play because of leg spasms. He will be replaced by Justin Abdelkader on the Red WIngs top line and Stephen Weiss will draw into the lineup for his season debut.
Robidas was a healthy scratch on Friday, but he will slide into the lineup tonight vs. Detroit. He has one assist with a minus-2 rating while playing 17:19 per game in four games this season. He will be paired with Jake Gardiner.
Havlat was on the ice for the warmups, but did not take part in line rushes so he will be a scratch tonight. Damien Brunner will slide into the lineup for Havlat.
Smith allowed four goals on 27 shots in a 6-4 win over the Oilers on Wednesday. It was his first win of the season, but it was not a great outing for him. He has allowed 10 goals in his first two contests while posting an ugly .815 SV%. He should be avoided tonight with the Blues in town.
Franzen had leg spasms last night that forced him from the game vs. Toronto and it looks like it will keep him out of the lineup tonight. Justin Abdelkader will skate with Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist while Stephen Weiss will make his season debut.
After being stretchered off of the ice on Thursday it is a great sign that Dupuis did not suffer a serious injury after being hit by a Kris Letang snapshot. Taking warmups is a good sign that he will play tonight. He has not recorded a point in his last two games after scoring a goal with three assists in the opener.
Bernier has not started since last Saturday and he gave up five goals on 41 shots in a loss to the Penguins last night. Bernier's .882 SV% is not going to lock-down the number-1 job, so he needs a big night tonight. Bernier went 1-1-1 with a 2.50 GAA and .928 SV% vs. Detroit last season.
Pirri, 23, will replace Dave Bolland tonight after Bolland suffered a lower-body injury on Friday. Pirri had seven goals and seven assists (14 points) in 21 games after being traded to the Panthers midway through last season.
Bolland left Friday's game with a lower-body injury and did not return. There is no word on how serious Bolland's injury is, but he will be replaced by Brandon Pirri tonight in Washington.Consider Bolland day-to-day until more details are released.
Frattin played in the season opener, but was a healthy scratch in the last five games. He gets back in the lineup on Saturday after Brandon Kozun injured his ankle on Friday. Frattin will play on the fourth line with Peter Holland and Richard Panik.
Kozun injured his ankle when he crashed into the end-boards on Friday vs. the Red Wings. He had an MRI on the ankle on Saturday, but there is no word on the extent of the injury. The Maple Leafs are fearing that it might be a high-ankle sprain. Matt Frattin will play in Kozun's spot.
Grabovski was crunched by a much bigger John Scott on Thursday night, but the Isles said he didn't suffer a concussion after he passed the tests on Thursday night. He is out indefinitely and will not be evaluated until early next week.
Gudas missed Tuesday's game, and will not play tonight against the Canucks, due to a lower-body injury that he said has nagged him since training camp. It got "really worse" Monday, but has gotten better throughout the week. Gudas said he hopes to practice with the Lightning Sunday in Edmonton and, if all goes well, play Monday.
Fleury allowed three goals on 28 shots in a loss to the Stars on Thursday. Fleury was beat be a late second goal to seal the win for Dallas and crack his modest two-game winning streak. On Saturday he will face an upstart Islanders team who are looking to move to 5-0 on the season.
