Murray has not played this season but has been practicing with the team for nearly two weeks, which is a great sign that he is nearing his season debut. Traveling with the team leaves the possibility that the young defenseman will play on the road-trip, but that is not a guarantee at this point.
The Bruins sent Griffith down to play over the weekend but have recalled him to begin the week. He has three points (2G / 1A) in three games with Providence, but has yet to break onto the score sheet in three games with Boston.
Griffith failed to record a point and posted a minus-2 rating in three games with the Bruins. Griffith was called-up to provide an offensive spark, but Simon Gagne supplanted him on the top-line.
Smith allowed four goals on 27 shots in a 6-4 win over the Oilers on Wednesday. It was his first win of the season, but it was not a great outing for him. He has allowed 10 goals in his first two contests while posting an ugly .815 SV%. He should be avoided tonight with the Blues in town.
With Semyon Varlamov and Reto Berra both dealing with injuries, Pickard will make his first NHL start tonight. He allowed four goals on 27 shots in a relief effort loss to the Senators on Thursday. He is good young goaltender, but is not a great fantasy option tonight vs. the Habs.
Nugent-Hopkins missed the last two games, but will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Canucks. The first line rushes he took were with Nail Yakupov and Teddy Purcell, but then he was reportedly between Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall at the end of practice, so expect him to be in his usual spot on the top-line. He has one assist in two games.
Nugent-Hopkins is on the ice for the Oilers morning skate and is participating in line rushes, which suggests he will return to the lineup tonight after missing the last two games. RNH is skating on the third line with Nail Yakupov and Teddy Purcell. Monitor his status following the morning skate.
Nurse had no points with a minus-2 rating and two shots in his first two NHL games. The 19-year-old will get one more year of junior and have a chance to stick with the Oilers full-time next season. He had 13 goals with 37 assists (50 points) in 64 games with Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) last season.
Pickard, 22, was the Avs second round pick (49th overall) in 2010. He has never made and NHL appearance but has 94 games of AHL experience. He is 1-1-0 with a 1.52 GAA and .952 SV% in two starts with Lake Erie this season.
Nugent-Hopkins skated on Tuesday but missed yesterday's game against the Kings and will not play tonight vs. the Coyotes. However, it is a positive sign that he has skated two days in a row, so consider him day-to-day.
Murray is nearing his season debut, but head coach Todd Richards said that penciling him for Friday might be "premature". Richards said he has his fingers crossed for Murray to be ready sooner than later, but “it might be pushing it” to suggest Friday as a possibility. Regardless, Murray continues to make progress and it is a long season. If not Friday, Murray could be back Saturday.
Smith gave up six goals on 27 shots to the Jets in the season opener. He took a seat while Devan Dubnyk won against the Kings on Saturday, but the Coyotes will turn to Smith tonight vs. the Oilers. The Oilers have yet to get into the win column and are on the tail-end of a back-to-back, so Smith should be able to bounce-back tonight.
Nurse, 19, was the seventh overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft. He will replace Jeff Petry in the Oilers lineup tonight and likely skate with Andrew Ference. He had 13 goals and 37 assists (50 points) in 64 games in the OHL last season.
Nugent-Hopkins was reportedly injured on a hit in the Vancouver game on Saturday. He won't play tonight and should be considered questionable for tomorrow's game. Mark Arcobello will centre the top line with RNH out.
RNH missed practice on Monday with an undisclosed and is not practicing on any particular line this morning, which would suggest he is not playing tonight. Mark Arcobello is skating in his spot on the top-line, so if RNH can't go expect that the be the case tonight. We will get an update following the skate.
Murray has yet to play this season, but he has practiced everyday for the last week, which is a great sign that he is nearing his season debut. Murray is a tremendous offensive talent and will help bolster a Blue Jackets power-play that is working at 12.5% through two games.
Griffith, 21, was a fifth round pick (131st overall) in 2012. He had 50 points (20G / 30A) in 69 games with Providence last year. Expect him to suit up on the Bruins fourth line on Monday.
Smith allowed six goals on 27 shots in a 6-2 loss to the Jets on opening night. It was not a great start for Smith and it will not be easy for him to get back on track tonight against a Sharks team coming off of a huge opening night win over the Kings.
Murray still remains without a target date for his return, but says he feels like he is getting closer and closer with each passing day. Murray is a dynamic offensive talent on the blueline and will bolster a Blue Jackets powerplay that went 1/4 on Thursday.
Smith had a rough year in 2013-14, but should be in line for a bounce-back season. He is a good goalie on a defence-first team, which makes him a reliable fantasy option. The 2.64 GAA he posted last season, was the worst GAA he has posted in his three years in Arizona, so expect that number to creep closer to 2.40 in 2014-15. He starts the season with a nice matchup vs. Winnipeg.
