Pulock missed Friday's practice with a leg injury that he seemingly suffered late in Thursday's game in Washington. Head coach Barry Trotz called him a game-time decision for Saturday but also added that he expects him to play.
Jacob Markstrom started the first five games of the season, so Thursday will be Rittich's season debut. The 28-year-old has won 20-plus games in back-to-back seasons, going 24-17-6 with a 2.97 GAA, .907 SV% and two shutouts in 48 games last season. Tonight he faces a Canadiens team that has yet to lose in regulation and lead the NHL in scoring through six games (4.83 GF/gm).
Varlamov stopped 30 of 31 shots in the Islanders' win over the Devils last Thursday. With Ilya Sorokin struggling again on Sunday, Varlamov is likely to start for the fourth time in six games on Tuesday. He's been the best goalie in the NHL through three starts, going 3-0-0 with a 0.33 GAA, .988 SV% and two shutouts.
Highmore has been a healthy scratch for the last three games but he will play Tuesday because Alex DeBrincat is in COVID-19 protocol. Highmore has eight points (4G / 4A) in 52 career NHL games.
Getting added to the COVID-19 reserve list means that Boqvist likely will not be available for the Tuesday/Wednesday back-to-back in Nashville. Boqvist's roommate Alex DeBrincat was also added to the list, so Chicago could be without two of their best offensive weapons in a tough series with the Predators.
Varlamov stopped 30 of 31 shots in the Islanders' win over the Devils last Thursday. With Ilya Sorokin struggling again on Sunday, Varlamov is likely to start for the fourth time in six games on Tuesday. He's been the best goalie in the NHL through three starts, going 3-0-0 with a 0.33 GAA, .988 SV% and two shutouts.
Varlamov stopped all 24 shots that he faced in the Islanders' shutout win over the Rangers on opening night. He was scheduled to start Saturday's rematch but was scratched after getting hit in the face in warmups. Luckily the injury was not serious and he'll be back between the pipes tonight vs. a Bruins offence that has been relatively quiet through their first two games.
Varlamov was scheduled to start Saturday but took a puck up high in warmups and ended up not playing. Head coach Barry Trotz said that both Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin are available to start on Monday but did not name a starter. We will get confirmation once warmups start at 4:30 PM ET.
Nick Robertson was hurt over the weekend and is expected to miss some time, so Engvall comes up from the AHL and should be in the lineup on Monday evening. The 24-year-old Engvall had eight goals and seven assists (15 points) in 48 games with the Maple Leafs last season.
