Bobrovsky allowed three goals on 30 shots in the Blue Jackets win in Colorado on Tuesday. The win snapped a personal three-game losing streak for Bobrovsky, who will make his 37th start of the season on Thursday. The 30-year-old is 10-8-0 with a 3.03 GAA, .903 SV% and one shutout on the road this year.
Stolarz stopped all 38 shots that he faced in the Flyers shutout win over the Rangers on January 29th. Stolarz has turned in a couple of outstanding performances this season but has mixed them in with some duds. It’s hard to know what to expect from the 25-year-old but the Flyers are red-hot right now and have a terrific matchup vs. the Kings, so you should at least consider spot-starting him.
Mermis was called-up prior to Tuesday’s game because the status of Alex Goligoski was uncertain. Goligoski ended up playing so Mermis returns to the AHL.
Matthews was set to become a restricted free-agent this summer but signed through 2023-24 with an $11.634M cap-hit. Matthews has had a strong season, scoring 23 goals on 121 shots (19.0 SH%) with 23 assists (46 points) in 38 games. Matthews has broken through as one of the best goal-scorers in the league but continues to have a difficult time staying healthy—missing 20 games last season and 14 so far this year.
Bobrovsky allowed four goals on 26 shots in the Blue Jackets loss in Winnipeg on January 31st. Bobrovsky has allowed at least three goals in eight of his last nine starts, going 3-6-0 with a 4.02 GAA and .861 SV% over that span. In his first start vs. the Avalanche, Bobrovsky stopped 25 of 27 shots in a 5-2 win (Oct.9).
Ekman-Larsson missed the last three games before the break with a lower-body injury but will be a game-time decision in San Jose. Ekman-Larsson would replace Jakob Chychrun (lower-body) in the lineup if he plays.
Roslovic left the morning skate early because he “cramped up,” so he will be a game-time decision vs. the Ducks. Roslovic has heated up recently, scoring two goals with one assist in his last five games.
Blueger, 24, was a second-round pick (No.52 overall) in 2012 and could make his NHL debut on Wednesday after 179 career games in the AHL. Blueger leads Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in points, scoring 21 goals with 18 assists (39 points) in 45 games.
Bobrovsky allowed two goals on 31 shots in the Blue Jackets loss in Minnesota on January 19th. Bobrovsky has had a tough time in his last seven stars, going 3-4-0 with a 3.84 GAA and .864 SV%. The 30-year-old comes in at 10-7-1 with a 2.85 GAA, .902 SV% and one shutout at Nationwide Arena this season.
Toronto needed to bolster their blueline and did so by adding Muzzin, who has spent the first seven seasons of his career in Los Angeles. The Maple Leafs really needed a right-handed defenseman but Muzzin was a much cheaper alternative and goes to Toronto with one more season on his contract that carries a $4.0M AAV cap-hit. Muzzin, who is 6-foot-3, 213 lbs., who can produce solid offensive numbers and play physically. He projects to play on the top-pair with Morgan Rielly, which will allow Ron Hainsey to play significantly less taxing minutes.
Wood missed the Devils last two games before their bye week but is expected to play Monday in Pittsburgh. Wood, who has 16 points (5G / 11A) in 45 games, is expected to skate on the second line with Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri.
Stolarz is expected to make his first NHL appearances since December 15th after Carter Hart started on Monday. The 25-year-old has gone 2-3-2 with a 3.90 GAA and .880 SV% in nine NHL appearances this season. During his time in the minors, Stolarz is 2-0-0 while allowing 16 goals on 161 shots (.901 SV%) in five games.
Ekman-Larsson was forced to leave Tuesday’s game in Ottawa and will not be available for Wednesday’s game in Montreal. Ekman-Larsson will return to Arizona to undergo an MRI and the extent of the injury will be known then. Look for Ilya Lybushkin to draw into the Coyotes lineup on Wednesday.
Paul was a healthy scratch for the last two games but will draw back into the Senators lineup on Saturday. Paul has just one assist and a minus-7 rating in 17 games.
Wood’s move to IR is retroactive to January 14th, which means he is eligible to return to the Devils’ lineup in the first game after their bye week.
Stolarz went 2-3-2 with a 3.90 GAA and .880 SV% in nine games with the Flyers this season. With Carter Hart playing well, Stolarz heads back to the Phantoms for now—he is 2-0-0 with a 3.34 GAA and .889 SV% in the AHL this year.
