Robin Lehner will get his fourth straight start with Anderson sidelined. He will likely accompany the team to Tampa Bay and Florida and start one of those back-to-back games on Monday and Tuesday.
Andersson said that he felt good after his first full practice since breaking his foot. He would not commit to how soon he would return, but said it will matter with how much pain he can deal with. He will not play tomorrow but monitor Andersson's status before Sunday's game vs. the WIld.
Helm confirmed that he would be in the lineup tomorrow afternoon, but Mike Babcock was less committal about Helm playing. Coach Babcock said that Helm will take pre-game warmups and then they will see how Helm feels before deciding if he plays. He would centre the fourth line with Cory Emmerton and Landon Ferraro on his wings with Teemu Pulkkinen taking a seat.
Khudobin stopped 46 of 47 shots in a 3-1 win over the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. After a three-game losing streak, Khudobin turned in a fabulous performance. He will need to be top-form again tonight as he gets set to take on the Blackhawks. One positive for Khudobin, is the Hawks will be without Patrick Kane, Brandon Saad and Bryan Bickell tonight.
Lehner allowed five goals on 28 shots in a loss to the Lightning on Thursday. He has lost all four starts while posting an ugly 4.66 GAA and .863 SV% since Craig Anderson got hurt. With Andy still sidelined he will get the call this afternoon in Dallas. The Stars have lost their last four games, but Lehner is struggling too much to be trusted right now.
Miller allowed four goals on 27 shots in a loss to the Blackhawks on Wednesday. It was the first time with St. Louis that he had allowed more than three goals as well as losing in regulation. The Hawks are likely the Blues biggest competition in the West so don't get used to seeing the 'L' next to Miller's stat line. On Saturday, he will face a Flyers team who have won four in a row.
Mitchell, who suffered a back injury on Tuesday will likely miss his second straight game tonight when the Avs take on the Bruins. Colorado was expecting to have him back tonight, but it looks like Tuesday in Nashville is more likely.
After playing all 82 games in both seasons with the Rangers prior to coming to Montreal, Prust has missed 40 of the 130 (31%) of regular season games with the Habs in the last two seasons. He finished this season the 13 points (6G / 7A) in 52 games. The Canadiens have him signed through the next two seasons at $2.5 million per year, so they would like to start seeing some durability out of the big forward.
Bogosian was a late scratch prior to Wednesday's game, but is expected to play on Saturday. If he is on the ice tomorrow for the game-day skate, he should be in the lineup vs. the Hurricanes.
The Jets fully expected Byfuglien to be back for Saturday's contest vs. the Hurricanes, but his absence this morning suggests he might not be available. Monitor his status during tomorrow's morning skate. If he is on the ice, there is a good chance that he will play.
Pavelec was only supposed to miss 2-3 games, but after missing the last three games and not skating this morning, his status for Saturday's game is in question. Expect Al Montoya to make his fourth consecutive start.
Crawford stopped all 23 shots he faced in a 4-0 statement win over the Blues on Wednesday. It was Crawford's 27th win and second shutout of the season. He has won four of his last five while posting a spectacular 1.21 GAA and .948 SV%. He should make for a strong start vs. and up-and-down Hurricanes team.
Brodeur gave up four goals on 31 shots in a 4-2 loss to the Bruins on Tuesday. After winning four in a row, Brodeur has dropped each of his last two starts with a 3.59 GAA and .889 SV%. Brodeur is 2-1-0 with a 4.09 GAA and .863 SV% in three starts vs. the Rangers this season.
Varlamov was given Tuesday and Wednesday off in favour of J.S Giguere starting in his hometown and Reto Berra making his Avalanche debut. Tonight, he will be back between the pipes vs. Boston. He is coming off of a 38-save performance, where he saw his shutout snapped in the dying second of Wednesday's win over the Sens.
Updating an earlier report. Today was the first time that Bernier has taken part in a full practice since suffering a groin strain. It was not believed that he would be able to play in this weekend's back-to-back set, but now he is looking more questionable that doubtful. His status will be determined on Saturday morning.
Ranger has a stiff neck, but no concussion concerns according to head coach Carlyle. That is great news for Ranger after a scary collision on Wednesday. He likely won't be in the lineup during this weekend's back-to-back set, but should not be out of the lineup for long.
Saad will miss his third straight game with an upper-body injury that he suffered on Sunday. With Patrick Kane out, Saad will likely see an expanded role when he returns to the lineup, but that will not be tonight. He remains day-to-day.
Coach Quenneville said that Bickell's injury is not serious and he should not miss an extended period of time. Consider him day-to-day. The Blackhawks will dress seven defensemen with Bickell, Brandon Saad and Patrick Kane all out.
There was no word as to when Visnovsky suffered the upper-body injury, but monitor his status prior to Sunday's game. He has three goals and eight assists (11 points) in 24 games.
Okposo left practice this morning after about 20 minutes and did not return. He is listed as day-to-day, which puts his status for Sunday's meeting with the Blue Jackets in jeopardy.
