After starting 54 games between 2007-13 with the Kings, Bernier will face his former team on Wednesday. He held and 29-20-6 record during his time in Los Angeles, but it is his 9-8-2 record with the Maple Leafs that he cares about now. It is a tough matchup, but the extra fire from facing his old team makes him a strong play.
Kostka has been out since since October 19 where he scored his first NHL goal. He is not expected to have a large offensive impact so he is not fantasy relevant as of right now.
Wey did not record a point in the only game he played with the Capitals. He returns to Hershey where he has one goal and two assists in seven games.
Varlamov allowed eight goals on 28 shots in a blowout loss to the Oilers last Thursday. He was skipped over when he was scheduled to start on Sunday, but will be back in the crease tonight vs. Phoenix. He stopped 41 of 44 shots in a 4-3 OT win vs. the Coyotes on November 21.
Lupul missed the last seven games but is expected to return tomorrow and skate on the third line with Peter Holland and Nikolai Kulemin. Lupul will also replace Mason Raymond on the second power-play unit. Lupes has eight goals and seven assists in 22 games.
Antti Raanta will serve as the Blackhawks starter while Crawford is on the shelf and he will be backed-up by Kent Simpson. Two-to-three weeks will force Crawford to miss anywhere between 7-10 games.
Bachman missed over a month with a lower-body injury and likely won't be recalled unless Ilya Bryzgalov stays sidelined for longer than expected.
Raanta allowed two goals on 31 shots in a win over the Panthers after relieving an injured Corey Crawford on Sunday. He gets the call tonight in Dallas to face a Stars team coming off of a convincing win over the Flyers. Raanta will serve as the Blackhawks number-1 until Crawford returns, making him a solid pick-up and short-term goalie help.
Lehner allowed three goals on 22 shots in Thursday's loss to the Lightning. It was his fourth straight loss as his record moved to 4-6-2 in 11 starts. While he has posted a 2.94 GAA and .906 SV% in his last five, the matchup with the Sabres is enough to make him worthy of a start tonight.
Zidlicky was scratched on Saturday vs. New York, but will be in the lineup tonight in Columbus. Peter Harrold did not make the trip to Ohio so Zidlicky will draw in for him and pair with Anton Volchenkov. He has three goals and 11 assists in 30 games.
Bouchard will likely be sent to Bridgeport and Ryan Strome will be recalled.
Lupul skated with Peter Holland and Nikolai Kulemin in practice this morning, so there is a good chance he returns against the Kings. He missed the last seven games with a grade 2 groin strain. Monitor his status during Thursday's morning skate.
Brule was with the Portland Pirates on a professional tryout but signed a one-year, two-way deal on November 30. In 11 games with Portland he netted seven goals and added five assists. He has not played in the NHL since the 2011-12 season when he had 14 points in 33 games with Phoenix.
Staal suffered the concussion in Saturday's loss to the Devils and could be sidelined for a lengthy period of time. Despite the concussion not being as serious as the last, it is a concussion nonetheless. Staal will likely land on IR as Michael Del Zotto and Justin Falk now appear to have permanent spots on the Rangers' blueline for the next couple of weeks.
It makes sense to have Jones go tonight after he posted his first career shutout on Saturday and it allows Ben Scrivens to face his former team in Toronto tomorrow. Jones is 2-0-0 with a 0.97 GAA and .955 SV% in his first two NHL starts. The Kings continue to get great goaltending in the absence of Jonathan Quick, we will see if it continues tonight in Montreal. The Habs are 9-0-1 in their last 10, so there are definitely better matchups tonight.
With Marek Mazaec struggling in his last five starts, the Predators will turn to Hutton for the first time since November 10. He has made two relief appearances since then, stopped all 17 shots that he faced. He heads to Madison Square Garden with a 3-2-1, 3.28 GAA and .892 SV% on the road.
Pavelec allowed five tallies on 26 shots in a loss to the Panthers last Thursday. It is never a good sign to see your goalie get lit up by Florida, especially when he takes on the Blues in his next start. Pavelec is 1-1-0 with a 2.89 GAA and .908 SV% in two starts against St. Louis this season.
Phaneuf is ineligible to play tomorrow vs. Los Angeles or Thursday in St. Louis. He will draw back into the lineup on Saturday when the Blackhawks come to Toronto.
Lehner allowed three goals on 22 shots in Thursday's loss to the Lightning. It was his fourth straight loss as his record moved to 4-6-2 in 11 starts. While he has posted a 2.94 GAA and .906 SV% in his last five, the matchup with the Sabres is enough to make him worthy of a start tonight.
Miller surrendered three goals on 31 shots in a loss to the Rangers last Thursday. He has just one win since November 16 (1-5-0) and has seen his GAA inflate to 3.05. Tonight he will face the Senators for the second time this season. In the first meeting he stopped 45 of 46 shots in 1-0 loss on October 4.
