Crosby is on the Penguins road trip and skated before the morning skate and also took part in the team session ahead of Tuesday's game in Vegas. It's a great sign that he was able to skate with the team again today but he will remain out of the lineup for at least one more game.
Jarry allowed three goals on 34 shots in the Penguins loss to the Panthers on Sunday. Jarry has lost his last two starts, allowing three goals in each game and posting a .909 SV%. He'll have a tough time snapping the short losing skid in Vegas, where the Golden Knights have won four in a row while scoring 19 goals (4.75 GF/gm).
Crosby has been out since November 9th after undergoing surgery for a nagging sports hernia but it looks like he'll be back in the lineup at some point this week. The Penguins are in Vegas on Tuesday, so monitor Crosby's status if they elect to hold a morning skate.
Bemstrom has been sidelined by an upper-body injury since December 7th but has been activated from IR prior to Saturday's afternoon game. It remains to be seen if Bemstrom will play against the Sharks.
With Adam Pelech out for the rest of the season with an Achilles injury, Aho comes up from Bridgeport for the first time this season. The 23-year-old defenseman has two goals and 18 assists (20 points) in 34 games.
Jarry allowed two goals on 26 shots in the Penguins win over the Senators on Monday. Jarry is riding a six-game winning streak while posting a 1.80 GAA, .939 SV% and one shutout. Tonight he faces a Sharks team that was awful in December, going 2-9-2 while scoring just 2.08 goals per game, making Jarry a must-start on Thursday.
Heinen has been held pointless in his last five games and has just one goal and one assist in his last 12 games. David Backes will draw back into the lineup to replace Heinen.
Jarry allowed two goals on 32 shots in the Penguins 5-2 win in Nashville last Friday. Jarry continues his amazing run, winning his last four while posting a 1.70 GAA, .942 SV% and one shutout. Since the middle of November, Jarry is tied for second in wins (10), second in GAA (1.74) and third in SV% (.943). He starts the week with a good home matchup. Ottawa has lost eight of its last nine road games (1-6-2) while scoring just 2.11 goals per game.
Clifton suffered an upper-body injury early in Sunday's game vs. the Sabres and will not play against the Devils tomorrow. With Clifton and Charlie McAvoy definitely out and Torey Krug not expected to travel, look for the recently recalled Jeremy Lauzon to play with Matt Grzelcyk.
Jarry allowed two goals on 32 shots in the Penguins 5-2 win in Nashville last Friday. Jarry continues his amazing run, winning his last four while posting a 1.70 GAA, .942 SV% and one shutout. Since the middle of November, Jarry is tied for second in wins (10), second in GAA (1.74) and third in SV% (.943). He starts the week with a good home matchup. Ottawa has lost eight of its last nine road games (1-6-2) while scoring just 2.11 goals per game.
Rakell will miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury that he suffered against the Islanders last Saturday. With Rakell out, Max Jones is expected to remain in the Ducks lineup.
Jarry stopped 26 of 28 shots in the Penguins win in Edmonton last Friday. Jarry continues to play extremely well, winning four in a row and six of his last seven with a 1.41 GAA, .952 SV% and three shutouts. Tonight he takes on a Predators team on a five-game point streak (4-0-1) while scoring 4.80 goals per game.
Mantha was body-slammed by Jake Muzzin in the Red Wings loss to the Maple Leafs and suffered an injury to his rib cage that will keep him out of a minimum of four weeks. Mantha had a terrific start to the season but injuries have completely derailed a career-year.
This leaves the Ducks without three of their top-6 forwards because both Ryan Getzlaf and Jakob Silfverberg are out with the flu. The Ducks recalled Daniel Sprong to fill one of the spots but the other will likely go to Jaccob Larsson and they will dress seven defensemen and 11 forwards.
Mantha engaged with Jake Muzzin after a hit in the third period and ended up getting body-slammed to the ice by the Leafs' defenseman. Mantha's head hit the ice and remained down for a few minutes before being helped off of the ice. Sunday is the Red Wings' final game before the Christmas break, so it's entirely possible that he could be back for next Saturday's game in Florida but that is pure speculation at this point.
Jarry stopped 33 of 34 shots in the Penguins win in Calgary on Tuesday. His brilliant run continued, as he's now 5-1-0 with a 1.31 GAA, .955 SV% and three shutouts in his last six outings. Tonight he sees an Oilers team that has lost five of their last six (1-4-1) while averaging just 2.33 goals per game.
Clifton has been a healthy scratch for the last three games but will replace John Moore, who is out with an illness. Clifton has two goals on 19 shots (10.5 SH%) and a plus-4 rating in 25 games this season.
