Zatkoff stopped 19 of 20 shots after replacing Marc-Andre Fleury in a loss to the Flyers on Sunday. The Pens were brutal in front of Fleury once again, but played better when the goaltending change was made and Zatkoff almost led them back to victory. Tonight, he will take on the Stars at home where he is 3-2-0 with a 2.68 GAA and .899 SV%.
It was originally announced that Ward was expected to get the nod, but the morning skate is suggesting otherwise. We will wait to see who leaves the ice first to give an official answer.
With Abdelkader out, the Red Wings are hoping to get Todd Bertuzzi back tonight, but they will for sure be moving defenseman Brendan Smith to left wing. Abdelkader will miss roughly eight games.
Neal missed the last two games with a concussion, but could return tonight. He was skating on his regular line and participated in power-play drills this morning. Both are signs that he will return, but he has to cleared first. "I still need to be cleared to play, that's the next step," said Neal. "I felt good today and all day yesterday. Moving in right direction" Monitor his status around 5 p.m ET when the Penguins are scheduled to arrive at the rink prior to their 7 p.m game vs. Dallas.
"Things are progressing," Kunitz said after the morning skate. "Hopefully [it will] react well later today. Still have to talk with the trainers and doctors and see what they think." He was skating on his regular line and participated in power-play drills this morning. Both are signs that he will return, but he has to cleared first. Kunitz missed both games over the weekend, and is hoping to be back in the lineup tonight, but we likely won't hear about his status until around 5 p.m ET when the Penguins arrive at the rink.
Kzuczman, 23, just wrapped up his season at Lake Superior State University and will line up on the Islanders blueline alongside Travis Hamonic tonight. He had 10 goals and 11 assists (21 points) in 36 games with LSSU this season.
Zatkoff stopped 19 of 20 shots after replacing Marc-Andre Fleury in a loss to the Flyers on Sunday. The Pens were brutal in front of Fleury once again, but played better when the goaltending change was made and Zatkoff almost led them back to victory. Tonight, he will take on the Stars at home where he is 3-2-0 with a 2.68 GAA and .899 SV%.
Lehner surrendered three goals on 22 shots in a 3-1 loss to the Avalanche on Sunday. He has now lost each of his two starts since Craig Anderson was hurt, while posting a 4.01 GAA and .886 SV% in the process. With Anderson still sidelined, Lehner gets the nod vs. the Rangers tonight.
Nilsson stopped 33 of 34 shots in a 4-1 win over the Sabres on Saturday. It was Nilsson's best outing of the season, and something he will look to build off of tonight vs. Minnesota. He has never faced the Wild before, but has gone 2-1-2 with a 2.92 GAA and .910 SV% at Nassau Coliseum this season.
With the Flyers playing their third game in four days, they will give Steve Mason a breather and get Emery in the crease for the first time since February 27. He was battling a groin injury last week, but is healthy enough to start tonight vs. his former team. His first start vs. the Blackhawks was an ugly one. He allowed six goals and 18 shots before being pulled early in the third… Look elsewhere tonight.
Howard allowed four goals on 30 shots as the Red Wings dropped Sunday's contest vs. the Blackhawks 4-1. Howard played very well until a late second period goal seemed to unravel the Red Wings. Chicago added two more in the third and the rest is history. He will get the nod vs. the Maple Leafs tonight, the first time he faced them he stopped 24 shots in a 3-2 shootout loss at the Winter Classic.
Ward allowed five goals on 41 shots in a 5-1 loss to the Bruins on Saturday. Ward played very well and kept Carolina in this game in the first 40 minutes, but three late third period goals busted it wide open and left Ward owners wanting more. Tonight, he will take on Columbus who have won six of their last eight.
Bobrovsky surrendered a single tally on 33 shots in a 2-1 shootout win over the Wild on Saturday. Fresh off of first star of the week honours (2-0-1 / 1.58 / .950) Bob will be back in the crease tonight vs. Carolina. Bobrovsky has gone 1-1-0 with a 1.51 GAA and .958 SV% against the Hurricanes this season.
Lehner surrendered three goals on 22 shots in a 3-1 loss to the Avalanche on Sunday. He has now lost each of his two starts since Craig Anderson was hurt, while posting a 4.01 GAA and .886 SV% in the process. With Anderson still sidelined, it looks like Lehner gets the nod vs. the Rangers.
Giguere stopped eight of nine shots after replacing Semyon Varlamov in Friday's 6-4 loss to the Ducks. With his career closing winding down, the 36-year-old netminder will likely be making the final start of his career in his hometown. He made 29 saves in a 4-1 win over the Habs back in November.
This is great news for the Coyotes who will get a big body back in their lineup vs. a tough Kings team. He has missed the last seven games with a lower-body ailment. He has 15 goals and 22 assists (37 points) in 55 games this season. He will skate on a line with Rob Klinkhammer and Radim Vrbata.
Smith allowed two goals on 31 shots in a win over the Flames on Saturday. Smith did not take part in the morning skate this morning because he was reportedly feeling a little off, but he will still be between the pipes vs L.A tonight. Smith has gone 5-3-0 with a 2.12 GAA and .925 SV% in March.
Bishop stopped all 23 shots that he faced in a 3-0 win over the Devils on Saturday. Bishop had been struggling heading into Saturday, he had allowed 17 goals in his previous five starts, so it was good to see him get back on track. He will face a Canucks team who have scored 14 goals in their last four games.
Oshie will only miss tonight's game and be back in the lineup on Wednesday.
Rask stopped 21 of 22 shots in a 2-1 win over the Coyotes on Thursday. He has won five games in a row while posting a 1.57 GAA and .941 SV%. Rask is red-hot right now while the Wild have lost four of their last five. He is a must-start as usual.
