Ceci missed Saturday’s game due to a lower-body ailment, but he will return to the lineup tonight in Nashville. Cecil will replace Chris Wideman in the lineup. He comes in with two goals in 13 games.
Kopitar left Tuesday’s game with an upper-body injury, but he said he felt fine after the game and will play tonight vs. the Blue Jackets. Kopitar has four goals in 12 games this season—three of which have come in the last six games.
Kopitar took an elbow to the face early in Tuesday’s loss to the Blues. Kopitar played just 5:04 before retiring to the dressing room for the evening. There was no update on his status following the game, but expect the Kings to provide the severity of his injury within the next 24 hours.
Kuemper allowed two goals on 37 shots in the Wild’s loss in Los Angeles on October 16th. It was a nice start for Kuemper, who entered last season as the Wild’s starter, but has clearly fallen well behind Devan Dubnyk on the depth chart. Kuemper will start the second half of the back-to-back vs. a Winnipeg team that is sixth in the NHL in scoring.
Perry and Getzlaf were split up to start their season opener but were reunited midway through the third period. The Ducks were shutout in their opener which is another reason that coach Bruce Boudreau will likely put the duo back together. Perry had one shot on goal and a minus-1 rating in 16:03 TOI on Saturday.
Edler was held out of Saturday’s game vs. Calgary because of and illness but will return to the lineup tonight in Anaheim. Edler had three shots and a plus-3 rating in the Canucks season opener.
Kuemper took a serious backseat to Devan Dubnyk last season and ended the year at 14-12-2 with a 2.60 GAA and .905 SV%. Overall he is 27-22-6 with a 2.48 GAA and .910 SV% in 63 career NHL games. Tonight he will make his first start of the season against a Kings team who has lost their first three games—while being outscored 12-2.
Kuemper did not skate on Wednesday or Thursday because of an illness, so he will not back-up in Game 1, instead that duty will go to Niklas Backstrom. Kuemper will likely be kept away from the team until he is healthy. The team can not afford to get sick in the playoffs.
Fiala, 18, had 11 goals and nine assists (20 points) in 33 games with Milwaukee this season. The 2014 11th overall pick did not have a point in his NHL debut on March 24th.
Dumoulin, 23, had one goal in eight games with the Penguins this season. Pittsburgh has been forced to play with five defensemen recently because of cap issues, but with the absence of the salary cap in the playoffs allows the Penguins to recall Dumoulin for the postseason. Dumoulin scored four goals with 29 assists (33 points) in 62 games with WBS.
Kuemper will be making his first start since January 6th (93 days ago) tonight in Nashville. Kuemper will give Devan Dubnyk a rest after Dubnyk started the last 39 straight games. Kuemper has gone 13-12-2 with a 2.62 GAA and .904 SV% in 27 starts this season. He will take on a Predators team who have lost four in a row.
Fiala was a minus-1 while playing 11:25 in the only game he played in during his recall. His return to the minors suggests that Matt Cullen will be back in the lineup on Saturday.
Perry wound up on the third line late in Friday’s game against the Penguins and head coach Bruce Boudreau will stick with it tonight in Vancouver. Perry comes in with four goals and one assist in his last five games. He will skate with Jiri Sekac and Rickard Rakell.
Edler has missed the last eight games with an upper-body injury, but it looks like he will play tonight. According to the Canucks website, he has been activated from IR. He skated with Yannick Weber in the morning skate, so expect that to be the case tonight in Arizona. He has 17 points (5G / 12A) in 55 games this season.
Edler resumed skating last week and he has been making some progress after missing the last seven games, but it doesn’t look like he will play tomorrow. Monitor his status leading up to Thursday’s game in Arizona.
Forsberg allowed four goals on 31 shots in the Blue Jackets 4-2 loss to Buffalo last night. He has struggled at the NHL level, going 0-4-0 with a 4.69 GAA and .866 SV%, so he will swap places with Oscar Dansk.
Forsberg allowed six goals on 46 shots in the Blue Jackets 6-3 loss on Long Island on February 14th. Curtis McElhinney has started the last four games, but they will get Forsberg in tonight vs. the Sabres. Forsberg has a good shot to earn his first career NHL victory.
Forsberg allowed six goals on 46 shots in the Blue Jackets 6-3 loss on Long Island on February 14th. Curtis McElhinney has started the last four games, but they will get Forsberg in tonight vs. the Sabres. Forsberg has a good shot to earn his first career NHL victory.
