Blackwood has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury but may start on Saturday afternoon. Blackwood has played well in eight appearances this season, posting a 1.83 GAA, .947 SV% and two shutouts.
Wolanin was a healthy scratch in Anaheim last night but will replace Ben Harpur who is day-to-day with an upper-body injury on Thursday. Wolanin has one goal on four shots with two assists in six games with Ottawa this season.
Moving Blackwood to IR was done to open up a roster spot to recall Kevin Rooney from Binghamton (AHL). Blackwood is eligible to come off of IR for Saturday’s game. Cam Johnson will remain with the Devils to backup Keith Kinkaid while Blackwood is out.
The Avalanche don’t play again until Tuesday so this could be a money saving move or an indication that Semyon Varlamov is healthy again.
Blackwood allowed five goals on 40 shots in the Devils loss in Dallas on Wednesday. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Blackwood, who will make his fifth straight start tonight in Arizona. The Coyotes are just 7-12-1 on home-ice, so you can take a look at starting Blackwood tonight.
Blackwood stopped all 25 shots that he he faced in the Devils shutout win over the Canucks on Monday. Blackwood has posted back-to-back shutouts and won three in a row while allowing just two goals on 104 shots (.981 SV%). Despite this impressive stretch, Blackwood remains a risky option in Dallas against a Stars with a potent top-line and an above average power-play.
Francouz has gone 13-7-1 with a 2.65 GAA and .919 SV% with the Eagles this season. There is no word why Francouz has been recalled but it suggests that Semyon Varlamov or Philipp Grubauer is banged up.
Wolanin has spent most of the season with Belleville, where he has five goals and 13 assists (18 points) in 26 games. Wolanin could draw into the lineup on Saturday with Thomas Chabot injured. The 23-year-old, former fourth-round pick has one goal and two assists in 11 career NHL games.
Blackwood stopped all nine shots that he faced after replacing Keith Kinkaid in the Devils loss to the Blue Jackets on Sunday. Since coming up from the AHL, Blackwood has stopped 53 of the 57 shots (.930 SV%) that he has faced. He’ll be in tough in his first start after the break, facing a Bruins team that is 13-4-0 on home-ice this season.
Blackwood stopped all nine shots that he faced after replacing Keith Kinkaid in the Devils loss to the Blue Jackets on Sunday. Since coming up from the AHL, Blackwood has stopped 53 of the 57 shots (.930 SV%) that he has faced. He’ll be in tough in his first start after the break, facing a Bruins team that is 13-4-0 on home-ice this season.
Francouz is in his first season in the AHL after spending three full seasons in the Czech Republic and three more in the KHL. The 28-year-old netminder has gone 13-5-1 with a 2.61 GAA and .921 SV% in 21 AHL games. Francouz likely won’t even dress on Saturday.
Kulak has been a healthy scratch for the last two games but will replace David Schlemko on Saturday. Kulak has just one assist in 12 games this season but is a solid daily fantasy punt—he averaging 2.1 shots per game and 0.8 blocked shots.
Blackwood will make his first career NHL start tonight in the front-end of the Devils’ back-to-back. Blackwood was a second-round pick (No.42 overall) in 2015 and has gone 30-38-4 with a 2.91 GAA, .898 SV% and six shutouts in 83 AHL games. Sub-par AHL numbers and a tough road matchup in Columbus should keep Blackwood on the waiver wire.
Toews has registered five goals and 14 assists (19 points) in 24 games with Bridgeport this season. Over the last three years, Toews has 18 goals and 68 assists (86 points) in 130 games. He comes up with Thomas Hickey on IR and could make his NHL debut on Thursday.
Nelson was hurt on Tuesday following a knee-on-knee collision with Ian Cole. Nelson will be a game-time decision in Arizona.
Blackwood has gone 6-7-0 wth a 2.69 GAA and .911 SV% in 15 games with Binghamton this season. The 22-year-old, former second-round pick (No.42 overall in 2015) will serve as the Devils’ No.2 netminder while Cory Schneider (abdominal strain) is on IR.
Kamenev suffered a shoulder injury that will require surgery on Saturday and will likely miss the rest of the season according to head coach Jared Bednar. This is the second major injury that Kamenev has suffered in two years since being acquired from the Predators. A.J Greer was recalled from Colorado (AHL) to replace him on the roster.
