Blackwood gave up four goals on 16 shots in the Devils loss to the Coyotes last Friday. Cory Schneider started on Wednesday and was lit up for seven goals, so the Devils will come back to Blackwood on Friday. The 22-year-old has gone 2-1-2 with a 2.47 GAA, 893 SV% and one shutout in five starts a the Prudential Center this season.
The Avalanche are already without Mikko Rantanen on a week-to-week basis and now Landeskog could miss an extended period of time with a lower-body issue. This is a massive blow for the Avalanche and leaves Nathan MacKinnon on an island on their top-line. The Avalanche should release a more detailed timetable in the coming days.
Roy scored his first career goal on Sunday but gets sent back to the AHL on Monday. The Golden Knights are off until Thursday, so this could simply be a paper move but Alex Tuch is also nearing a return to the lineup so Roy could be clearing a roster spot for him to be activated.
Kulak has appeared in six straight games but will be replaced by Mike Reilly on Saturday. Kulak was a minus-2 in 16:38 TOI in Thursday's loss to the Sharks.
Manson had to be helped off of the ice after crashing into the boards in Dallas on Thursday and will miss the Ducks two-game weekend road-trip. Korbinian Holzer moved up to help replace Manson vs. the Stars and Erik Gudbranson was acquired from the Penguins and could make his Ducks debut on Saturday.
Blackwood stopped all 25 shots that he faced in the Devils shutout win over the Canucks last Saturday. Blackwood lost his first three starts of the season but has since won two in a row while stopping 54 of the 56 shots (.964 SV%) that he has faced. Tonight he faces a Coyotes team that has won four of their last five, but come in on the tail-end of a back-to-back.
Francouz made 34 saves on 36 shots in Colorado’s win over the Coyotes last Saturday. It was an impressive season debut for Francouz, who is now 1-2-0 with a 1.94 GAA and .944 SV% in his first three NHL appearances. The 29-year-old looks like a serviceable NHL backup and will make a good spot-start option some nights, but not tonight in Tampa Bay.
Blackwood allowed two goals on 31 shots in the Devils win over the Rangers on Thursday. Blackwood secured the Devils’ first win of the season and earned himself a second-straight start this afternoon. Today he faces a Vancouver team that is 4-2-0 and is averaging the 11th most goals per game (3.33 GF/pg).
MacKinnon is dealing with a lower-body injury and is questionable for Friday's game in Florida. If MacKinnon is unable to play, head coach Jared Bednar said that Nazem Kadri will move up and centre the first line and J.T. Compher will centre the second line.
Blackwood allowed three goals on 22 shots in the Devils’ 4-3 shootout loss to the Oilers last Thursday. Cory Schneider started the last two games but Blackwood will start tonight vs. the Rangers. Somehow the Rangers have only played in three games but their offence has been hot to start the season. This could be a high-scoring affair, making Blackwood a low-end starter on a nine-game slate.
It will be the first start of Francouz's career, although he did make a pair of relief appearances last season, stopping 33 of the 35 shots he faced in those two games. He registered a 27-20-1 record with the AHL's Colorado Eagles last season, posting a 2.68 GAA and a .918 SV%. He's worth considering for a spot start against Arizona if you're desperate for goalie stats.
Kadri took a shot off of his foot on Saturday and is sore, but head coach Jared Bednar expects him to play vs. the Bruins on Tuesday. Kadri is still searching for his first point with the Avalanche, but has four shots and has averaged 15:55 TOI/gm through two games.
Blackwood allowed two goals on nine shots in the Devils shootout loss to the Jets last night. Blackwood entered the game with a 4-2 lead after Cory Schneider got hurt and he continued to blow the Devils four-goal lead. Blackwood was solid last season, posting a .918 SV% 21 starts, so there’s no reason to panic after half of a game. He was 4-7-0 with a 3.02 GAA and .914 SV% on the road last year, so you have a right to be nervous tonight.
