Pavelec has won three of his last four with a 2.52 GAA and .919 SV%. This is exactly what Pavelec needed after losing four straight games. It will be tough for him to record a win tonight against Lundqvist and the Rangers.
Backstrom has won two of his last four while posting excellent numbers (1.69 GAA and .936 SV%). He is the unquestioned #1 for Minnesota with Josh Harding on IR and he should see the vast majority of the starts going forward. He has a good matchup tonight vs. the Flames and Joey MacDonald.
Wellman has three goals and eight assists in 11 games with the Hershey Bears this season.
Burns has an undisclosed injury and won't be in the Sharks lineup for the next couple of games. Irwin will likely step into the lineup for Burns.
Clutterbuck was injured on a knee-on-knee hit by Oilers forward Taylor Hall. Hall was suspended two games for the incident. Clutterbuck is not fantasy relevant.
Brodeur missed his last start because of a shoulder so this call-up is likely just a precaution. Kinkaid is not expected to play for the Devils.
Either Bachman or Nilstorp to be between the pipes tonight for the Stars. Monitor Lehotnen's status prior to Thursday's contest.
Weiss' grandmother passed away and he will not play tonight. He has one goal, three assists and is a minus-11 in 14 games this season.
Byfuglien left the Jets last game with a leg injury and did not return. However he participated in an optional skate yesterday and will be in the lineup tonight. Make sure you get him in your lineup, he has three goals and six assists in 13 games this season.
All that was said about how long Wisniewski will be out was "long-term". This is another tough break for the Blue Jackets who continue to lose key players to injury. He joins Dubinsky, Anisimov and Jack Johnson on the IR. Wisniewski's fantasy season is likely over.
Malkin was placed on IR yesterday and there is no timetable for his return.
Anisimov suffered a head injury last Thursday vs. Detroit and was rushed to the hospital. It sounds like Anisimov is recovering well from what looked like a serious injury and he won't be out as long as originally expected.
It doesn't look like McDonagh will be in the lineup for the Rangers tonight after injuring his face and head in Saturday's game. There is word that McDonagh may have suffered a concussion on the hit by Max Pacioretty, but the injury still remains undisclosed.
Johnson (shoulder) was placed on IR after he was injured vs. St. Louis on Saturday. He is only a week away from returning to the lineup according to coach Todd Richards. This is great news for Columbus because Johnson is their top defenceman and he eats up a ton of minutes every night.
Backstrom stayed home and missed practice yesterday because of an illness but should be good to go tonight.
Johansson (upper-body) has been in-and-out of the Capitals lineup all season. He only has one goal and a minus--7 in nine games.
Rask has won his last three starts while posting a 1.66 GAA and .941 SV%. The Bruins have played the least games of any team this season and still sit sixth in the NHL at 11-2-2. Rask is an elite fantasy option and is a must-start in all formats, especially against the Islanders.
You have to feel bad for Ryan Miller who has played well this season but sits at 6-10-1 and the Sabres are 29th in the NHL. Millers GAA (2.94) is rather high but that is largely due to the lack of defence Buffalo plays. His SV% (.913) is good for 21st in the NHL and is better than goalies like Schneider, Brodeur, Halak, Smith and Quick to name a few. And it doesn't get any easier for him tonight because he faces Tampa Bay who is the highest scoring team in the NHL.
MacDonald will try and extend his winning streak to three games tonight when the Flames take on Minnesota. MacDonald has been good in his time in Calgary and could be worth a spot start with a good matchup. However it is hard to recommend him against the WIld.
Ward has been inconsistent this season, but really the entire Carolina Hurricanes team has been inconsistent. They have plenty of talent and a more than capable goaltender, if they get on a roll they could be dangerous. Ward will face Braden Holtby and the Capitals tonight who are in the same boat as Carolina, this one could go either way.
