Holland likely won't play tonight because of a stomach flu. That means David Clarkson moves to the second line and NIkolai Kulemin shifts to the third line centre. Monitor Holland's status in warmups, but he is questionable after missing the skate.
van Riemsdyk was run over by teammate Dion Phaneuf in Tuesday's loss to the Sharks. He left briefly but did return, so there is no surprise that he is on the ice this afternoon and is expected to play tonight vs. L.A. Despite the blowout loss to the Sharks, JVR still picked up an assist and now has 54 points (26G/28A) in 65 games.
Bernier was excellent stopped 43 of 44 shots in a 3-1 win over the Ducks on Monday. To nobodies surprise, Bernier will get the call tonight vs. the Kings, it will be his first time back in Staples Center since being traded to the Leafs. He is 3-0-1 with a 2.42 GAA and .930 SV% in March. However, LA is one of the NHL's hottest teams right now, so be cautious.
Kunitz status for this weekend is still unknown. He crashed hard into the net on Tuesday but stayed in the game. Coach Dan Bylsma said that he is dealing with some bumps and bruises, so he will likely be in the lineup during the home-and-home vs. the Flyers.
Eakin did not participate in Stars' practice this morning and likely will not be in the lineup vs. the Flames tomorrow. No word on if the Stars plan to recall anyone from Texas (AHL) at this time.
Lehtonen skated before the Stars practice this morning and it obviously went very well because he is waiting to be cleared by doctors to practice with the team tomorrow night and potentially even suit up. This is great news for Lehtonen owners and Stars fans because the hit that he took was nasty, but it may only end up costing him the one game.
Tuukka Rask stopped 35 shots last night, so after a busy night it would make sense for the B's to turn to Johnson tonight. He has won four of his last five starts with a 2.00 GAA and .918 SV%. He will need to be great again tonight as he likely goes head-to-head with Mike Smith, who is one of the hottest goalies in the NHL right now.
Quick gave up two tallies on 27 shots in Sunday's 4-2 victory in Edmonton. Quick has been ridiculous as of late. He has won six straight starts while only allowing six goals on 138 shots (.957 SV%). He is as hot as they come right now and is a must-start when he's between the pipes. He will likely see his former backup Jonathan Bernier across the rink tonight.
Jurco knows that he could potentially miss one month, but he is aiming to be back in 10-14 days.
Hanzal will miss his sixth straight contest tonight in Boston. He was on the ice this morning but his limited participation foreshadowed that he would not play tonight.
Stalock allowed three goals on 35 shots in a loss to the Hurricanes on March 4. He hast watched Antti Niemi win three games in a row, but will give him a breather tonight in the first game of a back-to-back set. Stalock has gone 7-3-0 with a 2.15 GAA and .919 SV% on the road this season.
Lundqvist allowed three goals on 35 shots in a loss to the Hurricanes on Tuesday. Despite the loss Henrik was great once again. In his last three outings he has stopped 84 of 89 shots (.944 SV%). He gets the nod on Friday in Winnipeg. 'King Henrik' is 12-9-0 with a 2.87 GAA and .907 SV% on the road this season.
Scrivens allowed four goals on 50 shots in a loss to his former team on Sunday. The Kings are on fire right now, so it was not a surprise to see them unload on Scrivens, but he stood tall. He will get back in goal and Sunday was likely a good warmup for a very difficult test tonight in St. Louis. On a busy Thursday night take a look at your other options.
Schneider allowed seven goals on 33 shots in a 7-4 loss to the Red Wings last Friday. It was a brutal outing for Schneider, who has allowed 11 goals in his last two starts. He will look for retribution on Friday when he goes head-to-head with former crease-mate Roberto Luongo. In their first two meetings, Bobby Lu has got the better of Schneids, one in a shootout and one in OT.
Sobotka has missed the last 12 games with a lower-body injury that is believed to have been related to his knee. He will be back tonight vs. the Oilers and centre the second line with Vlad Tarasenko and TJ Oshie on his wings. His 25 points (7G/11A) ranks 11th on the Blues and his plus-17 is good for fifth on the squad.
Neuvirth stopped 42 of 44 shots in a 2-0 loss to the Panthers in his Sabres debut last week. It is something he will need to get used to, the Sabres rank dead last in the NHL with only 1.89 goals per game this season. He will take on the Hurricanes in Carolina tonight. Neuvirth is 0-4-2 on the road this season.
The Panthers have a back-to-back on Thursday and Friday, so Ellis will start tonight which leaves Luongo for the Devils (Schneider) tomorrow. Ellis was 5-6-0 with a 3.04 GAA and .900 SV% with the Stars before being traded. The move to Florida is not going to help him and a matchup vs. the Lightning, even though they are struggling, is not a spot-start worthy setup.
Stalock allowed three goals on 35 shots in a loss to the Hurricanes on March 4. He hast watched Antti Niemi win three games in a row, but will give him a breather tonight in the first game of a back-to-back set. Stalock has gone 7-3-0 with a 2.15 GAA and .919 SV% on the road this season.
Anisimov was not at the Blue Jackets morning skate because he is at the hospital with his wife waiting for the birth of their child. There is no official word on whether or not he will play tonight, but he is likely a game-time decision.
Hanzal did not take lines rushes and only participated in a couple of drills. This limited participation suggests that he will sit out for a sixth consecutive game.