McCann was a game-time decision on Wednesday and was held out of the lineup vs. the Avalanche but was at practice on Thursday and remains a game-time decision on Friday. It looks more likely that he will play tonight than it did two days ago, but monitor his status during warmups.
Kempny missed the first eight games of the season but will play Friday vs. the Rangers. With Jonas Siegenthaler playing well on the top-pair, Kempny will get eased back in on the third-pair with Radko Gudas but could return to his minute-eating ways in a quick hurry. Kempny had 25 points (6G / 19A), 111 shots and 84 hits while playing 19:11 ATOI in 71 games a season ago.
Fleury has been a healthy scratch for the last four games but will replace Christian Folin in the lineup on Thursday. Fleury has no points and one shot in his first two career NHL games.
Grubauer gave up three goals on 32 shots in Colorado’s win in Washington on Monday. Grubauer owners could not have asked for a better start to the season. He is 4-0-0 with a 2.51 GAA and .925 SV% in his first four outings and will look to stay undefeated in Pittsburgh. The Penguins are extremely banged up but they still rank third in the league in scoring (4.17 GF/gm).
McCann missed Monday’s practice with a lower-body injury and will be a game-time decision on Wednesday. The Penguins are ravaged by injuries upfront, so they will dress a seventh defenseman if McCann can’t play.
McCann missed Monday’s practice with a lower-body injury and head coach Mike Sullivan called him “day-to-day” after the session. The injury bug continues to bite the Penguins, who could be without McCann, Evgeni Malkin, Alex Galchenyuk, Nick Bjugstad and Bryan Rust on Thursday.
Grubauer made 39 saves on 41 shots in Colorado’s win over the Bruins last Thursday. Grubauer’s tenure as their No.1 netminder has gotten off to a fantastic start, going 3-0-0 with a 2.34 GAA and .931 SV% in his first three starts. He has a difficult matchup in Washington—the Capitals are 3-1-2 while averaging 3.17 goals for per game (17th in the NHL) though six contests.
Eberle will miss Monday’s game against the Blues and will be replaced by Oliver Wahlstrom, who will be making his NHL debut. The Islanders are back in action in Winnipeg on Thursday, so monitor Eberle’s status leading up.
Eberle appeared to suffer a leg injury in Saturday’s win over the Panthers. Head coach Barry Trotz did not have an update on Eberle post-game but the Islanders recalled Oliver Wahlstrom from Bridgeport (AHL) on Monday, which suggests that Eberle won’t be available vs. the Blues.
Grubauer allowed two goals on 31 shots in Colorado’s win over the Wild last Saturday. Grubauer has had a great start to the season, wining each of his first two starts while stopping 56 of the 61 shots (.918 SV%) that he has faced so far. Dating back to last season, Grubauer is 12-5-1 in his last 18 regular season starts at the Pepsi Center.
Kempny was on the ice for Monday’s practice but is not ready to play vs. Dallas. Jonas Siegenthaler is expected to be recalled from Hershey (AHL) and will skate on the top-pair with John Carlson. Kempny remains day-to-day and Thursday is a possible return date for him.
Grubauer allowed three goals on 30 shots in Colorado’s 5-3 win over the Flames on Thursday. Grubauer passed the first test as Colorado’s new No.1 goalie and draws a good matchup in his second start. Minnesota was beat up in Nashville in their opener and Grubauer was 1-1-0 with a 3.00 GAA and .908 SV% vs. them last season.
Larsson took a Quinn Hughes slapshot off his right leg on Wednesday and landed on LTIR this afternoon. The original timetable puts Larsson out until at least mid-November. Evan Bouchard or Joel Persson are expected to replace Larsson on Saturday.
With Semyon Varlamov signing with the Islanders, Grubauer is left as Colorado’s No.1 netminder to begin 2019-20. It is the first time in his career that Grubauer has been leaned on as a No.1 goalie, which will allow him to blow by his previous career-highs in starts (33) and wins (18). It’s a huge opportunity for the 27-year-old, who was 4-1-0 with a 1.90 GAA and .939 SV% vs. the Flames in the postseason last year.
The movement to LTIR means that Larsson will miss at least 24 days but his timeline should become more clear when the Oilers disclose what his injury is. Larsson took a Quinn Hughes shot off of his foot in Wednesday’s win and it could be related to that. For a corresponding move, the Oilers sent Ethan Bear to Bakersfield (AHL) and recalled Evan Bouchard.
With Semyon Varlamov signing with the Islanders, Grubauer is left as Colorado’s No.1 netminder to begin 2019-20. It is the first time in his career that Grubauer has been leaned on as a No.1 goalie, which will allow him to blow by his previous career-highs in starts (33) and wins (18). It’s a huge opportunity for the 27-year-old, who was 4-1-0 with a 1.90 GAA and .939 SV% vs. the Flames in the postseason last year.
