Varlamov stopped all 54 shots that he faced in the Avs’ 2-0 shutout win over the Blackhawks on Tuesday. It was a ridiculous performance from Varly,who has been exceptional since returning to the crease. He has won four of six starts with a 1.79 GAA and .942 SV%. Tonight he faces a Sens team who have lost five of seven.
Duclair had been on a loan to Team Canada for the World Juniors. He posted four goals and four assists in seven games en route to a gold medal. Despite a strong tournament, the Rangers are playing great right now, so there is no reason to rush Duclair’s development. He heads back to the Quebec, where he had 50 goals and 49 assists (99 points) in 59 games.
Varlamov gave up four goals on 27 shots in Sunday’s 4-3 loss to Columbus. Since returning from a groin injury, he has won three of five with a 2.14 GAA and .919 SV%. Despite the recent success, he draws a terrible matchup tonight vs. the 26-11-2 Blackhawks. He is 2-4-4 with a 3.63 GAA and .890 SV% on the road.
Varlamov allowed a single goal on 28 shots in the Avs’ shootout win over the Oilers on Friday. He has won three of four starts with a 1.68 GAA and .935 SV% since returning from injured reserve. Tonight he will face the Blue Jackets at home—Varly is 5-3-1 with a 2.08 GAA and .938 SV% at Pepsi Center this season.
Varlamov allowed three goals on 29 shots in the Avs’ win over the Flyers on Wednesday. The Avalanche will continue to ride Varly almost exclusively with no back-to-backs until January 12th-13th. He is 2-1-0 with a 1.95 GAA and .925 SV% since returning from a groin injury last week.
Palmieri skated with Ryan Kesler and Matt Beleskey in the Ducks morning skate and could be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Blues. Palmieri has missed the last six games with a shoulder injury.
Varlamov gave up three goals on 25 shots in the Avs’ 3-0 loss to the Blues on Monday. He is 1-1-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .941 SV% in two games since returning from injury. Until further notice, the net belongs to Varlamov. He enters the final day of 2014 at 5-7-5 with a 3.01 GAA and .912 SV%.
Palat missed the morning skate and was listed as a game-time decision, but his availability for warmups suggests that he will be in the lineup vs. the Maple Leafs.
Drouin missed Saturday’s game with an illness, but is on the ice for warmups and it looks like he will play. He was listed as a game-time decision, but he skated this morning and his availability in warmups are both signs that he will play.
Palat is just a “little banged up” according to coach Jon Cooper. He did not skate this morning and will likely test his lower-body ailment in warmups before deciding if he will play.
Drouin, who missed Saturday’s game, took part in the morning skate and will be a game-time decision tonight. All signs point towards him returning, but the Lightning want to make sure he doesn’t start feeling under the weather again closer to puck-drop.
Drouin missed Saturday’s game with an illness but is on the ice this morning which is a good sign that he will return to the lineup tonight vs. the Maple Leafs.
Valamov stopped all 26 shots that he faced in the Avs’ 5-0 shutout win over the Blues last Tuesday. It was a nice return to the crease for Varly, who will start the vast majority of games heading forward. Tonight he will take on the Blues again, this time in St. Louis. He is 1-0-1 with a 0.96 GAA and .964 SV% in the first two meetings.
Palmieri was hopeful that he would be able to return to the lineup tonight vs. Arizona, but he will miss at least one more week with a shoulder injury.
Drouin was sent home with a stomach virus this morning and will be held out of the lineup tonight. With Drouin out, Cedric Paquette will play on the top-line with Steven Stamkos and Brett Connolly.
Drouin was not on the ice for the Lightning’s morning skate because he was sent home sick this morning. Coach Cooper said that there is “no indication” that Drouin has the mumps. Expect an update on Drouin’s status a few hours prior to warmups.
Varlamov (groin) has missed the last six games, but will be back between the pipes tonight vs. the Blues. In his only two starts in December, he has gone 0-1-1 with a 5.24 GAA and .836 SV%. He draws a tough matchup to return in—St. Louis ranks sixth in the NHL in scoring with 2.94 goals per game.
Varlamov skated and took shots on Sunday in Detroit and Patrick Roy said he is “95 percent and will likely start on Tuesday” but the team will decide for sure on Monday. Calvin Pickard continues to play extremely well, so there is no need to rush Varlamov back if he is not 100 percent.
Palat said that he had his “best day yet” on Thursday. He has missed the last four games, but could be back in tomorrow. He skated on the second line with Valtteri Filppula and Nikita Kucherov today, because Tyler Johnson missed practice with an illness.
The Ducks first game after the Christmas break is on December 27th vs. the Coyotes. Palmieri remains with the team on their road-trip and will undergo tests when they return to Anaheim.
