Barbashev left the bubble, presumably on Monday, to be with his wife for the birth of their first child. Depending on when he returns to the bubble, he'll need to quarantine and that makes him questionable for Sunday's game. Mackenzie MacEachern is expected to draw in for Barbashev on Thursday.
Lehner started the 2020 season in Chicago, where he was 16-10-5 with a 3.01 GAA and .918 SV% on one of the worst defensive teams in hockey. After he was traded to Vegas, he went 3-0-0 with a 1.67 GAA and .940 SV%. Him and Marc-Andre Fleury will likely get a look during the round-robin but it will be Lehner first. He's a great option tonight vs. a Stars team that has struggled to score all season, ranking 26th in GF/gm (2.58).
Samsonov did not travel to Toronto and will remain in Washington to undergo treatment. The Capitals expect Samsonov to be healthy for the 2020-21 season, which means Braden Holtby is now their unquestioned starter heading into the playoffs. Pheonix Copley and Vitek Vanecek will battle it out for the backup position.
After being acquired from t he Hurricanes as a part of the Erik Haula trade, Roy split the 2020 campaign between the NHL and AHL. With the Golden Knights, he had 10 points (5G / 5A) in 28 games while scoring seven goals with 15 assists (22 points) in 27 games. Signing a two-year contract means he's signed through 2022 and will still be an RFA at the end of the deal.
Schwindt was a third-round draft pick (No.81 overall) in 2019 and just finished his third season with the Mississauga Steelheads (OHL). The 18-year-old centre led the team with 71 points (28G / 43A) in 57 games.
Laczynski was picked in the sixth-round of the 2016 draft and the 22-year-old centre finished his senior season at the University of Ohio State with a team-leading 34 points (11G / 23A) in 36 games.
After picking up seven points (2G / 5A) in 35 AHL games, Whitecloud became a fixture on the Golden Knights' third pair before the NHL suspended the season. The 23-year-old defenseman has picked up just one assist in 16 NHL games while adding 10 hits and 16 blocked shots.
The Oilers selected Lavoie in the second round (No.38 overall) in 2019. The 19-year-old centre was traded from Halifax to Chicoutimi midseason and finished the campaign tied for eighth in QMJHL scoring with 82 points (38G / 44A) in 55 games.
Golden Knights Pete DeBoer says that Stone remains week-to-week but that he anticipates Stone to be back for some regular-season games. Nicolas Roy is expected to remain in the top-6 moving forward.
Hanifin is going through protocol but head coach Geoff Ward doesn't think it will be a long-term absence. Travis Hamonic skated in Hanfin's spot on Tuesday and it looks like he could replace him on Thursday.
Samsonov allowed two goals on 31 shots in the Capitals loss in Winnipeg last Thursday. After not losing a game in January, Samsonov did not win a game in February, going 0-4-0 with a 3.86 GAA and .877 SV%. Tonight he faces a Rangers team that has gone 4-7-0 with 2.64 goals per game in their last 11 games at MSG.
Lehner allowed two goals on 34 shots in the Golden Knights win over the Sabres last Friday. It was an extremely strong debut for Lehner, who will make his second start tonight vs. the Devils. New Jersey has played well recently, winning four of their last six (4-0-2) but they've scored just 2.50 goals per game in that span.
Lehner was a surprising acquisition of the Golden Knights on Monday and will make his first start with his new team on Friday. Prior to being traded, Lehner went 16-10-5 with a 3.05 GAA and .918 SV% but goes from one of the worst defensive teams to one of the best. His debut will come against his former team, who he is 2-1-0 with a 1.69 GAA and .947 SV% against since leaving in 2019.
