McAvoy will miss his second straight game on Thursday and the Bruins are unsure how long their young defenseman will be sidelined. With McAvoy, Torey Krug, Kevan Miller and Urho Vaakanainen all out, Jeremy Lauzon has been called up and will make his NHL debut tonight.
Korpisalo gave up four goals on 41 shots in the Blue Jackets win in Florida on October 11th. Korpisalo has won each of his two starts this season, allowing six goals on the 61 shots (.902 SV%) that he has faced. Tonight he faces his third start against a Blues team that is currently tied for 16th in the NHL in scoring (3.13 GF/PG).
McAvoy took a hit against Edmonton last week and has not been feeling right according to head coach Bruce Cassidy. McAvoy will undergo testing in Boston, so he won’t be available for Saturday’s game in Vancouver. Kevan Miller is also out, so Urho Vaakaninen has been recalled and will play.
Jokiharju missed Wednesday’s practice because of the flu, but traveled to Minnesota and is expected to play tonight. Jokiharju has five assists in his first three games of the season and was bumped to the top power-play unit recently—adding to his growing fantasy value.
Korpisalo stopped 18 of 20 shots in the Blue Jackets win in Detroit last Thursday. Bobrovsky recorded a win over the Avalanche on Tuesday, but the Blue Jackets will go with Korpisalo in Florida tonight. The 24-year-old was 2-6-1 with a 4.11 GAA and .872 SV% on the road last season.
Jokiharju’s rookie season is off to a great start and he was moved to the top power-play unit on Tuesday, but he’s questionable for Thursday’s game vs. the Wild. Keep an eye on his status during Thursday’s morning skate.
The Blue Jackets open their season with a back-to-back in Detroit and Carolina, so they will save Sergei Bobrovsky for the home opener and the tougher matchup. Korpisalo didn’t see a lot of work in 2018 and his numbers didn’t warrant many more starts—he finished the year with a 3.32 GAA and .897 SV% in just 18 starts.
Kuraly had 14 points (6G / 8A) in 75 games with the Bruins last season. Boston has one of the deepest forward depth charts in the NHL, so Kuraly will be locked into a fourth line role again in 2019.
The Hurricanes were reportedly far apart in their contract negotiations with Lindholm, who is an RFA. With no contract in sight, the Hurricanes elected to move on from the former No.5 overall pick (2013), who has averaged just 14 goals and 28 assists (42 points) over the last four seasons. Matt Cane of HockeyGraphs predicts a five-year extension worth $24.98M ($4.978M AAV) for Lindholm.
Jokiharju, 19, was a first-round pick of the Blackhawks (No.29 overall) in 2017 and is coming off of a 71-point (12G / 59A) campaign with the Portland Winterhawks (WHL). His 71 points ranked tied for third among defensemen in the WHL and represented a 0.45 point-per-game increase from his rookie season. Jokiharju will likely battle for a spot on the Blackhawks’ blueline this fall, but will likely end up back in Portland.
McAvoy has been sidelined since March 3rd, but will play tonight in Tampa Bay. McAvoy has had an outstanding season on the Bruins’ blueline, picking up seven goals and 25 assists (32 points) in 59 games.
Korpisalo allowed four goals on 38 shots in the Blue Jackets win in Boston on March 19th. Korpisalo is rising a three-game winning streak into this afternoon’s game, where he will be squaring off with Thatcher Demko—who is making his first career NHL start.
Mittelstadt, 19, was the Sabres’ first-round pick (No.8 overall) in 2017 and will turn pro after just one year at the University of Minnesota. Mittelstadt finished his freshman campaign with 11 goals and 19 assists (30 points) in 34 games. He is expected to report to the Sabres and should make his NHL debut down the stretch.
Zacha has missed the last six games but will return tonight vs. the Penguins. There’s no word as of now, who Zacha will replace in the lineup. He has just six goals and 13 assists (19 points) in 60 games this season.
Korpisalo allowed four goals on 27 shots in the Blue Jackets win over the Avalanche on March 8th. Sergei Bobrovsky hast started the last four games but Korpisalo will start the front-end of the back-to-back tonight in Boston. Korpisalo is an ugly 1-5-0 with a 4.21 GAA and .872 SV% in six starts on the road this season.
Zacha missed the last two games with an upper-body injury and will miss at least a few more games. Zacha won’t travel during the start of the road-trip, but could join the team at some point during the trip. Brian Gibbons will likely remain at centre while Zacha is sidelined.
