Kahkonen stopped 32 of 34 shots in the Wild's win in New Jersey in his NHL debut last Tuesday. The 23-year-old was 7-2-1 with a 2.47 GAA and .909 SV% when he was called-up, so he should continue to be a decent option while Devan Dubnyk is out. With that said, the Panthers have won four of their last five home games while scoring 3.80 goals per game, so it's not a great matchup for career start No.2.
Price allowed five goals on 34 shots in the Canadiens' loss to the Devils on Thursday. Price is in the middle of a terrible stretch, losing five in a row (0-4-1) with a 5.34 GAA and .822 SV% and draws a terrible matchup in Boston on Sunday. He struggled in November last year, so maybe seeing the calendar flip to December will be enough for him to figure things out, but this matchup is for only the most desperate of owners.
Montembeault has struggled as the Panthers' backup this season, posting a 3.31 GAA and .889 SV% in five appearances. Florida sent him to the AHL to try and find his game and recalled Chris Driedger, who has an impressive .938 SV% in the AHL this year.
Blais suffered the injury during the Blues' 3-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. Blais will be re-evaluated in 10 weeks, which means he could miss more than two and a half months. To replace Blais, the Blues announced that they've signed veteran Troy Brouwer to a one-year deal.
Devan Dubnyk missed Wednesday's practice for personal reasons, so Kahkonen comes up and will likely serve as Alex Stalock's backup on Thursday.
Price allowed two goals on 28 shots in the Canadiens win in Washington last Friday. Keith Kinkaid started Saturday, so Price gets the nod Tuesday in Columbus. Price has won three in a row while stopping 90 of the 96 shots (.938 SV%) that he's faced. One of those wins came against the Blue Jackets, who he'll face again tonight--he stopped 33 of 35 shots in a 3-2 shootout win over Columbus last Tuesday.
Byron suffered a knee injury in Washington on Friday and it will require surgery on Tuesday. Bryon will miss several weeks and will likely be moved to IR so Montreal can call-up reinforcements from Laval (AHL). Someone like Ryan Poehling is a logical replacement for Byron.
Byron will come out of the lineup due to a lower-body injury that he suffered last night in Washington. With Byron out, Jesperi Kotkaniemi will be making his return to the lineup.
Price allowed two goals on 35 shots in the Canadiens win over the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Price has won three of his last four starts (3-0-1) with a 2.70 GAA and .919 SV%. Despite playing well, he has a tough road assignment in Washington. The Capitals have not lost in regulation in over a month, going 11-0-2 with 4.38 goals per game in their last 13 games.
Price stopped 31 of 33 shots in Montreal's win over the Kings on Saturday. Price has won three of his last five starts (3-1-1) while posting a 2.62 GAA and .924 SV%. On Tuesday he faces a Blue Jackets team that has lost six of their last seven (1-5-1) while scoring just 2.00 goals per game.
Price allowed three goals on 43 shots in the Canadiens loss in Philadelphia on Thursday. On Saturday, Price will be making his fourth consecutive start--he has gone 1-1-1 with the 3.36 GAA and .907 SV% in the previous three games. Tonight he faces a Los Angeles team that has lost five in a row on the road while scoring just 1.40 goals per game.
Dach played in 10 straight games, registering three points (1G / 2A) and 10 shots while playing 11:06 ATOI. Head coach Jeremy Colliton told reporters that "scratching [Dach] was part of the development plan." He will be replaced by Dominik Kubalik.
