Lundqvist stopped 34 of 35 shots in a 3-1 win over the Canucks on Tuesday. King Henrik has been exceptional as of late, winning nine of his last 12 starts while holding his opponents to 1.83 goals per game. Tonight, features two of the NHL's top goalies right now with Lundqvist going head-to-head with Semyon Varlamov.
A Vancouver-area resident, is seeking unspecified financial damages in a statement of claim filed last week in the Supreme Court of British Columbia. He alleges he was jumped by Kane one evening last August as he was walking home from a bar where he was working in promotions. He claims he suffered a concussion and numerous injuries to his head, neck, back, shoulders, chest, ribs and leg that are causing ongoing headaches, dizziness, nausea, fatigue and insomnia as a result.
Fleury allowed four goals on 28 shots in a 4-1 loss to the Hurricanes on Tuesday. Fleury closed out March on a tear, but turned in a joke of an outing on April Fools Day. Tonight, he will meet the Jets on the road. Away from Pittsburgh this season, Fleury has gone 14-12-2 with a 2.62 GAA and .903 SV%.
Alex Semin and Drayson Bowman are both question marks for Thursday, so if neither of them is able to go, Boychuk will slide into the lineup. Boychuk has four points (1G / 3A) in nine games with the Hurricanes this season. He leads Charlotte with a 67 points (32G / 35A) in 62 games.
Handzus has served as the Blackhawks second line centre this season, so tonight vs. the Wild they will be without their top-2 centremen. Handzus is listed as day-to-day. He is much more helpful to the Hawks than he is to your fantasy squad. He has just 15 points (4G / 11A) in 56 games this season.
Stewart was originally expected to miss the rest of the season, but now the Sabres are saying he will play again before season's end. He will not suit up tonight vs. his former team, but could be back on Sunday vs. the Flyers.
Huberdeau has missed the last nine games and will make it 10 on Friday, but he could suit up vs. the Stars on Sunday. He has taken a step back after a great rookie season last year. In his Calder Trophy winning season, Huberdeau averaged 0.646 points per game and has seen that drop to 0.409 in 2013-14.
Niemi gave up four goals on 29 shots in Tuesday's win over the Oilers. He has alternated wins and losses in his last seven games, which does not bode well for him tonight vs. the Kings. Niemi has gone 1-1-1 with a 3.21 GAA and .895 SV% against L.A this season.
This was expected after the Rangers announced that McDonagh is out indefinitely on Wednesday. John Moore will get back into the lineup and pair-up with Dan Girardi. There is still no timetable on McDonagh's return .
Hackett surrendered four goals on 33 shots in a loss to the Lightning last Saturday. Since being recalled by the Sabres, he has one win in his last four starts with a 3.29 GAA and .908 SV%. Tonight, he will look to spoil the Red Wings three-game winning streak. But should not be counted upon against the red-hot Gustav Nyquist and the returning Pavel Datsyuk.
This is not a huge loss for the Canadiens, because Murray frequently serves as a healthy scratch. Murray is eligible to return next Thursday vs. the Islanders.
Anderson allowed two goals on 27 shots in a 2-1 loss to the Islanders on Wednesday. Anderson has been rock-solid in goal since returning from an undisclosed injury. He has won two of three while posting an impressive 1.96 GAA and .944 SV%. Anderson will face the Sens who he is 1-0-1 against this season.
Heatley was a healthy scratch in the last two games, but will be back tonight with Nino Niederreiter out with an upper-body injury. Heatley is far from his #50in07 performance having recorded just 12 goals and 15 assists (27 points) in 74 games this season. Expect him to skate on the Wild's fourth line.
Niederreiter left Sunday's game in the first period and did not return. He was able to practice, but the Wild will play it safe with him and rest him tonight with veteran Dany Heatley sitting in the press box the last few games. Niederreiter is day-to-day.
Howard stood on his head stopping 33 of 35 shots in a 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday. The Red WIngs really had no business winning this game, but Howard kept them afloat throughout. He makes for an excellent start tonight vs. the Sabres, especially with Pavel Datsyuk returning to the Wings lineup.
Pavelec stopped 28 of 29 shots in a 2-1 win over the Coyotes on Tuesday. It was a nice bounce-back game for Pavelec who had lost his last two games while giving up eight goals. With Al Montoya still sidelined, Pav is their only legit option tonight vs. the Penguins. Pavelec has struggled at the MTS Centre, going 11-13-5 with a 3.28 GAA and .889 SV% this season.
Budaj stopped 28 of 29 shots in a 2-1 shootout win over the Bruins on March 24th. He sat and watched the four games, but will be back in goal tonight in Ottawa. He has yet to face the Senators, but they have lost a couple of key players to injury making Budaj a reasonable spot-start on Friday.
Lieuwen stopped 33 of 35 shots in a 3-2 shootout win over the Devils on Tuesday. The win was Lieuwen's first as he moved to 1-2-0 with a 2.69 GAA and .913 SV% in five appearances. Despite the nice outing vs. the Devils, the facts are that he is a Sabres netminder taking on a great St. Louis team tonight.
Martin was a full participant in the Penguins' morning skate where he played on the top power-play unit. Martin has missed the last 18 games, but has two goals and 10 assists in 33 games this season.
"Looking forward to a game on Friday! I am in..." Datsyuk announced on Twitter. After missing 16 games, Datsyuk will return on a line with Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader tomorrow vs. the Sabres. Head coach Mike Babcock will likely ease Dats back into the lineup, but expect to see him on the top power-play unit for sure.
