Vanecek stopped 37 of 38 shots (.974 SV%) his last time out in a win over Washington. He has been fantastic in his first season with the Devils, posting a 10-2-0 record with a .923 SV% and a 2.04 GAA. He faces off against the New York Rangers who are in the middle of a two-game losing streak but rank sixth in the NHL in shots per game (34.1).
Asplund has missed the Sabres' previous two games due to an upper-body injury but will slot back into the lineup Monday vs. Tampa Bay in replacement of Vinnie Hinostroza. The 24-year-old has two goals and four assists with a +1 plus/minus through 17 games played so far this season.
Barkov continues to battle an illness and will not start the trip with the team but could join the team when he's feeling better, according to head coach Paul Maurice. With Barkov out, the Panthers recalled Aleksi Heponiemi from the AHL, and Sam Bennett will centre the top line.
Gadjovich will miss Friday's game due to illness and be replaced by Evgeny Svechnikov. The 24-year-old had yet to get a point through 10 games in 2022-23.
Asplund will not be in the Sabres' lineup Friday due to an undisclosed injury. The 24-year-old had two goals, four assists and a +1 plus/minus in a bottom-six roll through 17 games prior to the injury.
Rodrigues suffered a lower-body injury vs. the Canucks on Wednesday and did not travel to Nashville for Friday's game. According to head coach Jared Bednar, Rodrigues "tweaked" something, and they're waiting to hear from doctors before releasing a timeline for his return.
Asplund will not be in the Sabres' lineup vs. the Blues Wednesday as he is day-to-day with an injury. He has two goals, four assists, and 22 SOG through 17 games played this season.
Kahkonen was incredible in his previous start stopping 37 of 38 shots (.974 SV%) in a win over Ottawa. He is filling in for an injured James Reimer but has struggled this season with his 2-4-1 record, 3.31 GAA and .894 SV%. He takes on the Seattle Kraken who have won their last two contests 3-2 in overtime after beating the Kings their last time out.
Vanecek stopped 28 of 30 shots (.933 SV%) picking up his ninth straight in his previous start vs. Edmonton. He has been sensational as the Devils' workhorse this season, posting a 9-1-0 record with a 2.14 GAA and .918 SV%. He will take on the Toronto Maple Leafs who lost in overtime their last time out and ranks a surprising 20th in the NHL in goals with 2.95 goals per game.
Sturm had been enjoying a strong 2022-23 prior to the announcement Tuesday that he is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, scoring six goals and eight points off 33 SOG through his first 20 games to start the season.
Jones has missed the last 10 games due to a thumb injury but will return to the Blackhawks' lineup Wednesday. Prior to the injury, the 26-year-old star defenseman had four assists and 22 SOG through eight games played while posting a -5 plus/minus rating.
Vanecek picked up his eighth straight win in his last start out, stopping 25 of 27 shots (.926 SV%) vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 26-year-old is enjoying a great first season in New Jersey, posting an 8-1-0 record with a .916 SV% and 2.15 GAA. He's taking on the Edmonton Oilers who beat Vegas 4-3 in overtime their last time out and rank 2nd in the NHL with a 31.7 powerplay percentage on the season.
Gadjovich has yet to pick up a point through eight games so far this season but will draw back into the Sharks' lineup as they take on the Ottawa Senators Monday.
Kahkonen's last start was November 10th when he stopped 28 of 32 shots (.875 SV%) in a loss to the St. Louis Blues. The Sharks' backup has battled the puck all season, as shown by his 1-4-1 record, .878 SV% and 3.70 GAA. He takes on the Ottawa Senators who have only won two of their last 11 games played.
