Rittich surrendered four goals on 43 shots in the Flames loss to the Canadiens on Thursday. Rittich has lost two straight while giving up seven goals on 73 shots (.904 SV%) and draws a tough road assignment in Dallas. The Stars have won 10 of their last 13 home games (10-2-1) while scoring 3.31 goals per game.
Clutterbuck was taken to the hospital after cutting his wrist in Thursday's game in Boston and will be out indefinitely after undergoing surgery. Andrew Ladd has been recalled from Bridgeport (AHL) to take Clutterbuck's spot on the roster.
Hogberg allowed four goals on 40 shots in the Senators loss in Tampa Bay on Tuesday. In his first three NHL games this season, Hogberg has posted a 2.57 GAA and .913 SV% and will start tonight in place of the Nilsson, who was the scheduled starter. Nashville has won four of their last six while scoring 4.33 goals per game, including an eight-goal outing against the Islanders on Tuesday.
Rittich surrendered three goals on 30 shots in the Flames loss to the Hurricanes last Saturday. Cam Talbot started Tuesday, so Rittich will be well-rested for tonight's game vs. the Canadiens. Saturday's loss snapped a five-game winning streak for Rittich, who is 9-2-2 with a 2.36 GAA, .919 SV% and one shutout at the Scotiabank Saddledome this season. Tonight he faces a Canadiens team that has won four of their last five while scoring 13 goals (2.60 GF/gm).
Varlamov allowed three goals on nine shots after replacing Thomas Greiss in the Islanders 8-3 loss to the Predators on Tuesday. The Islanders goalie rotation will remain intact and Varlamov enters play at 4-0-0 with 2.02 GAA and .936 SV% in December. He has gone 5-1-1 with a 1.70 GAA, .943 SV% and one shutout on the road this season but has a tough assignment in Boston, where the Bruins are 12-1-6.
Hogberg stopped 13 of 14 shots after coming in in relief in the Senators' loss in Vancouver back on December 3rd. With Anders Nilsson going last night, Hogberg will make his second NHL start of the season tonight but draws a horrible matchup in Tampa Bay. The Lightning average 3.69 goals per game on home ice, so leave Hogberg on the bench tonight.
The Flyers are dealing with injuries upfront so they have a lot of Phantoms on the roster right now and Andreoff is the latest to get called-up. Andreoff has one assist in six games with the Flyers and eight points (4G / 4A) in 14 AHL games this season.
Rittich allowed two goals on 34 shots in the Flames win over the Maple Leafs on Thursday. Rittich extended his winning streak to five games, posting a 2.37 GAA and .924 SV% in the process. Tonight he faces a Hurricanes team that will fire a ton of rubber at him and have gone 1-0-1 in their first two games of their road trip.
Varlamov allowed one goal on 32 shots in the Islanders win in Tampa Bay on Monday. Varlamov has won three in a row while stopping 92 of the 96 shots (.958 SV%) that he has faced. The 31-year-old has gone 5-2-1 with a 2.73 GAA and .914 SV% on home-ice this season and is a must-start regardless of his matchup right now.
Highmore was called up on Monday but sat as a healthy scratch on Tuesday. Highmore will replace Dylan Sikura in the Blackhawks' bottom-6 and comes in with no points in two games this season.
Rittich allowed four goals on 32 shots in the Flames win in Colorado on Monday. Rittich has played super well recently, winning four straight while posting a 2.46 GAA and .919 SV%. Tonight he faces a Toronto team that has won seven of their last nine while scoring 3.44 goals per game.
Boqvist will appear in his seventh NHL game of the season in Vegas. The rookie defenseman has one goal on 10 shots while playing 14:27 ATOI in his first six games. He will replace Slater Koekkoek in the lineup.
Gauthier was called up on Monday and will play in his third NHL game of the season. The 22-year-old power-forward has scored 10 goals with two assists (12 points) in 22 AHL games this season and will skate on the fourth line with Jordan Martinook and Brock McGinn in Edmonton.
Rittich allowed three goals on 29 shots in the Flames win over the Sabres last Thursday. Rittich has won three straight while posting a 1.99 GAA and .935 SV%. For the most part, Rittich has played very well this season but has unsurprisingly struggled against the Avalanche--going 0-2-0 with a 3.57 GAA and .877 SV% in his first two starts against them in 2019-20.
Highmore had no points in two games with the Blackhawks this season but has picked up 12 points (4G / 8A) in 21 AHL games. Andrew Shaw was placed on LTIR on Monday, opening up a roster spot and clearing cap space to bring up Highmore and Adam Boqvist.
The Blackhawks placed Andrew Shaw on LTIR to give them some cap-relief to call-up Boqvist and Matthew Highmore. Boqvist had one goal in six games with the Blackhawks earlier this season and has posted six points (1G / 5A) in 15 AHL games this season.
Varlamov allowed two goals on 33 shots in the Islanders win over the Golden Knights last Thursday. Varlamov has gone 4-1-1 with a 2.32 GAA and .923 SV% in his last six starts and two relief appearances. The Lightning has won seven of their 13 home games (7-5-1) while scoring 4.31 goals per game. Tampa Bay hasn't been as good as they were in 2018 but they're still a tough matchup for Varlamov and the low-scoring Islanders.
Hogberg appeared in two games with Ottawa last week with Craig Anderson injured. With Anderson back on IR, Hogberg comes back from Belleville, where he is 7-6-0 with a 3.05 GAA and .897 SV% this season.
