Kovacevic has a goal, four assists, 40 SOG and 18 PIMs through 34 games this season but will be a healthy scratch Tuesday vs. Nashville. David Savard (injury) will take his position in the Canadien's defensive pairings.
Allen allowed three goals on 35 shots (.914 SV%) as he picked up his fourth straight loss in a defeat to Dallas his last time out. The 32-year-old has struggled for most of the season but still holds his starter's spot, with his 9-13-1 record, 3.26 GAA and .900 SV%. He will face the Tampa Bay Lightning, who lost their last game 7-4 to the Detroit Red Wings but are third in the NHL in goals per game (3.59).
Rittich stopped 35 of 36 shots (.972 SV%) for his third win in five starts as he beat Ottawa his last time out. The 30-year-old backup netminder has been solid this season, with his 5-3-0 record, 2.55 GAA and .909 SV%. He draws the Washington Capitals, who are in the middle of a three-game win streak after a 3-2 overtime win over Ottawa in their previous game.
Allen stopped 34 of 36 shots (.944 SV%) as he picked up his third straight loss in a 2-1 overtime defeat to the Colorado Avalanche in his last game. The Canadiens starter has struggled at times this season, with his 9-12-1 record, .900 SV% and 3.27 GAA. He takes on the Dallas Stars, who are first in the Central Division but have lost two of their last three games after a 6-3 loss to Edmonton in their previous game.
Allen allowed five goals on 27 shots (.815 SV%) for his second straight loss as he was defeated by the Tampa Bay Lightning in his previous start. Allen has fought the puck most nights this season, with his 9-12-0 record, .897 SV% and 3.33 GAA. He will take on the Colorado Avalanche, who have won four of their last five games despite being fairly injured after a 1-0 victory over the Islanders in their last game.
Rittich stopped 31 of 34 shots (.912 SV%) as he picked up the loss vs. Seattle in his previous start Sunday. The Jets' backup has struggled this season, with his 4-3-0 record, 2.77 GAA and .896 SV%. He will take on Ottawa, who just snapped a four-game winning streak with a 4-2 loss vs. Minnesota in their last game.
Allen stopped 34 of 35 shots (.971 SV%) in a win over Calgary in one of his strongest starts of the season his last time out. The Canadiens' starter has been up and down this season, as shown by his 9-10-0 record, .901 SV% and 3.26 GAA. He draws the Anaheim Ducks, the league's coldest team, after a 7-0 loss to Toronto in their last game, having lost nine of their last ten contests.
Rodrigues has missed Colorado's previous 10 games due to an ankle injury but will return to the line Thursday as they take on the Buffalo Sabres. The 29-year-old will be a welcome return to the injured Avalanche lineup, as he has six goals, nine points, 84 SOG and averages 18:07 TOI.
Allen stopped 34 of 35 shots (.971 SV%) in a win over Calgary in one of his strongest starts of the season his last time out. The Canadiens' starter has been up and down this season, as shown by his 9-10-0 record, .901 SV% and 3.26 GAA. He draws the Anaheim Ducks, the league's coldest team after a 7-0 loss to Toronto in their last game, having lost nine of their last ten contests.
Allen allowed three goals on 34 shots (.912 SV%) in a loss vs. Los Angeles in his previous start. The 32-year-old has struggled with his starter's workload yet again, posting an 8-10-0 record with a 3.40 GAA and .896 SV%. He takes on the Calgary Flames, who are on a two-game losing skid after dropping their last game 5-4 to Toronto in overtime.
Tufte earned his first promotion of 2022-23 to the Dallas Stars Monday after putting up seven goals and 16 points with 39 PIMs and a +10 plus/minus through 21 games this season with Texas (AHL). Tufte was a first-round pick (25th overall) in 2016 and has scored one goal and four PIMs across ten previous career NHL games prior to his call-up Monday.
