Kopitar, 28, has spent his entire NHL career with the Kings after the club selected him in the first-round (11th overall) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. In 725 regular season games he has 645 points (230G / 415A), a plus-62 rating and 194 penalty minutes, while in 70 postseason games he has 60 points (18G / 42A), a plus-22 rating and 37 penalty minutes en route to two Stanley Cups.
Fiala, 19, was the 11th overall pick in 2014. He was expected to start the year in Nashville but was demoted to Milwaukee, where he has 21 points (6G / 15A) in 34 games. He is expected to make his season debut on Thursday on the top line with James Neal and Ryan Johansen.
Gustafsson left the morning skate early and will be held out of the lineup because of a lower-body injury. With Gustafsson out, Rob Scuderi is expected to be back in the lineup.
Forsberg allowed three goals on 28 shots in the Blue Jackets’ loss in Carolina on Friday. Since being recalled, Forsberg has stopped 60 of 65 shots (.923 SV%) while going 1-2-0. His second go-around in the NHL is going much better than the first and tonight he draws a solid matchup against an Islanders team that has lost three of four while being outscored 18-9.
Kuemper allowed one goal on 25 shots in the Wild’s win over the Canadiens on December 22nd. Kuemper missed the last seven games with a concussion, but he will be back in goal tonight vs. the Devils. Kuemper has gone 3-0-1 with a 1.97 GAA and .936 SV% on home ice this season.
Kuemper missed the last seven games with a concussion, but has been cleared to serve as Devan Dubnyk’s backup tonight. The Wild have a Saturday-Sunday back-to-back, so Kuemper could start the tail-end of the set tomorrow.
Forsberg stopped 29 of 31 shots in the Blue Jackets 4-2 loss to the Wild on Tuesday. It was a great outing for Forsberg, who will be rewarded with another start tonight in Carolina. The Wild come in having lost three of four while averaging 2.50 goals per game.
Ceci has missed the last six games with an upper-body injury, but will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Panthers. Ceci has eight points (3G / 5A) and a plus-2 rating in 33 games this season.
Forsberg stopped all six shots that he faced after replacing the injured Curtis McElhinney in the Blue Jackets improbable win over the Capitals on Saturday. In his time with Lake Erie, Forsberg has gone 12-6-2 with a 2.60 GAA and .900 SV%. Tonight he faces a Wild team that is averaging just 2.00 goals per game in the first three games on their current road trip.
Kuemper was scheduled to start on Monday vs. the Red Wings, but was a late scratch because of an upper-body injury. The only reason he was starting was because Devan Dubnyk was dealing with an arm injury, but he must be feeling better than Kuemper, because Dubnyk will start now.
Kuemper allowed one goal on 25 shots in the Wild’s win over Montreal last Tuesday. With Devan Dubnyk dealing with an arm injury, Kuemper will get the nod against the Red Wings. Kuemper has won three in a row while posting a 1.00 GAA, .963 SV% and one shutout. He will face a Red Wings team that is ninth in the NHL in scoring on the road—averaging 2.62 goals per game.
Gustafsson, 23, has recorded 11 points (3G / 8A) in 27 games with Rockford this season. With David Rundblad on waivers, Gustafsson will take his spot on the roster and could be in the lineup on Tuesday.
Haula has served as a healthy scratch for the last three games, but he will get back into the lineup, likely for Jarret Stoll on Tuesday. Haula has just two goals and two assists (four points) in 28 games this season.
Kuemper allowed two goals on 31 shots in the Wild’s win over the Canucks last Tuesday. When Devan Dubnyk got hurt, Kuemper impressed, going 2-0-2 with a 1.48 GAA and .938 SV% in four starts. Dubnyk started last night, so it will be Kuemper to wrap up the Wild’s pre-Christmas schedule tonight against the sliding Canadiens.
Kuemper allowed two goals on 31 shots in the Wild’s win over the Canucks last Tuesday. When Devan Dubnyk got hurt, Kuemper impressed, going 2-0-2 with a 1.48 GAA and .938 SV% in four starts. Dubnyk started last night, but it looks like Kuemper will wrap up the Wild’s pre-Christmas schedule tonight against the sliding Canadiens.
