Rask allowed a single goal on 22 shots in Monday's 2-1 shootout loss to the Canadiens. The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for Rask, but it was still a strong outing for fantasy's number-1 goalie. Tonight, he faces Chicago having gone 7-1-1 with a 1.75 GAA and .938 SV% in March.
After leaving Tuesday's game with an upper-body injury, Backstrom did not practice on Wednesday, but has rejoined his teammates this morning. The Capitals are back in action on Saturday, so barring a setback it looks like Backstrom should be good-to-go. Monitor his status as Saturday's clash with the Bruins approaches.
“Bobby has been dealing with the discomfort of this injury since it was sustained in November,” said Senators general manager Bryan Murray. “Both Bobby and our medical staff were hopeful that we could hold off from having surgery until the completion of the season, but he aggravated the condition last Saturday in Dallas to the point that surgery is now the only option.” Ryan recorded 48 points, including a team-high 23 goals, 45 penalty minutes and a plus-7 rating over 70 games in his first season with the Senators.
In the meantime, Thomas Greiss will continue to start.
Greiss stopped 23 of 25 shots he faced in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Penguins. It was a big win for Greiss because the starter's job appears to be his for the foreseeable future with Smith's status still uncertain. Tonight, he faces a New Jersey team who have lost four of six while only scoring 2.16 goals per game over that span.
Varlamov surrendered four goals on 33 shots in a 5-4 win in Nashville on Tuesday. Varlamov now ranks second in the NHL in Wins (35), eighth in SV% (.924) and 22nd in GAA (2.51). He has yet to face Vancouver, but comes into play tonight having gone 21-9-3 in his previous 33 starts at Pepsi Center.
Hackett took the loss on Tuesday despite stopped 33 of 35 shots in Montreal. In his first two starts with the Sabres, Hackett has impressed many by posting a 1.51 GAA and .958 SV%. On Thursday, he faces a Predators team who are 25th in the league in scoring (2.41 G/G).
Miller stopped 22 of 25 shots in Tuesday's win over the Maple Leafs. Miller has now given up 10 goals in his last three starts and strangely enough has a lower SV% with the Blues (.913) than he did with the Sabres (.923). However, that can largely be attributed to the volume of shots he faced in Buffalo. On Thursday, he takes on a Wild team who are 3-3-4 in their last 10 games.
With eight healthy defensemen on the Ducks' roster, head coach Bruce Boudreau will rest one of their regular D-men each game down the stretch as the Ducks prepare for a run at the Stanley Cup. Sami Vatanen is expected to slide into the lineup for Beauchemin.
Hiller allowed two goals on 30 shots in a 6-2 win over the Panthers on Sunday. Hiller will get a chance for revenge after being yanked in his last start vs. the Flames. He allowed three goals on five shots before being put on the bench. He comes into play tonight at 2-2-2 with a 3.19 GAA and .887 SV%.
Zetterberg said he can not practice with contact for eight weeks, which would be April 21st. Zetty is still hoping to be back for the playoffs should the Red Wings get there.
Agostino has no points in his first two NHL games despite the Flames totalling nine goals as a team.
Brodeur made 25 saves on 26 shots in a 2-0 loss to the Rangers on Saturday. He has lost three straight games while posting a 2.67 GAA and .910 SV%. He will take on the Coyotes, who have won six of their last nine games.
Abdelkader will miss his sixth straight game on Thursday, but skated this afternoon and is certainly nearing a return. He has eight goals and 16 assists (24 points) in 62 games.
Datsyuk must have been skating very well for Babcock to say it looks like he can play. The Red Wings will monitor Datsyuk on a day-to-day basis.
Jurco has missed seven games with broken ribs that he suffered on March 11th. His return forced the Red Wings to send Mitch Callahan back to Grand Rapids. Jurco has registered 10 points (5G / 5A) in 26 games this season.
Datsyuk was not a full participant, but was skating for the first time since being shut down in early March. Datsyuk has missed the last 12 games, and will not be back this week, but this is a huge step for the Red Wings.
Callahan played 9:01 in his NHL debut on Tuesday night vs. Columbus. Callahan has been sent back to the Griffins because Tomas Jurco will be back in the lineup on Thursday.
Mason made 32 saves on 33 shots in a win over the Blues on Saturday. He has been great lately. Mason has won his last four starts while only allowing six goals on 116 shots (.948 SV%). Tonight, he starts vs. the Rangers he is 2-0-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .955 SV% against this season.
Lundqvist gave up three goals on 21 shots, but came away with the W over the Coyotes on Monday. He has won his last four starts while allowed eight goals on 107 shots (.925 SV%). He makes the crucial start tonight vs. the Flyers. Hank is 1-1-0 with a 2.56 GAA and .928 SV% vs. Philly this season.
