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.
Murray allowed one goal on 32 shots in the Penguins win over Anaheim on Thursday. Murray will start his fifth consecutive game tonight in Minnesota. He has posted a 2.52 GAA and .920 SV% though four games and the Wild remain winless, so Murray should be in your lineups tonight.
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.
Murray gave up four goals on 22 shots in the Penguins 4-1 loss to the Jets on Tuesday. Murray has had a tough start to the season, going 1-2-0 with a 3.04 GAA and .903 SV% through three games. Wins could be hard to come by in the foreseeable future, with Evgeni Malkin, Alex Galchenyuk and Nick Bjugstad all sidelined with injuries. Tonight he faces a Ducks team that has started 3-0 but is averaging just 2.67 goals per game.
Murray allowed two goals on 30 shots in the Penguins 7-2 win over the Blue Jackets on Saturday. Murray has had a strong start to the 2019-20 season, stopping 66 of the 71 shots (.930 SV%) through two games. Without Evgeni Malkin and Nick Bjugstad, the Penguins are in tough but the Jets weak blueline make Murray a strong candidate to win on Tuesday.
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.
Murray surrendered three goals on 41 shots in the Penguins’ season-opening loss to the Sabres on Thursday. Murray delivered a strong performance, but he was just about the only Pittsburgh player to do so. They have an excellent chance to bounce-back and get Murray the win tonight vs. a Blue Jackets team on the tail-end of a back-to-back.
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.
Murray started a career-high 50 games last year, going 29-14-6 with a 2.69 GAA and .919 SV%. It was a nice bounce-back season for Murray, who will try to stay healthy in 2019-20. He has the abilities to be a workhorse for the Penguins but durability has been an issue over the last three seasons. A home matchup with the Sabres makes Murray one of the night’s top options.
Kempny will not be available for the Capitals season-opener but head coach Todd Reirden did not rule out a possible return against the Islanders on Friday. Kempny will likely replace Martin Fehervary when he’s set to return.
Montour is a few weeks away from any type of contact, which suggests that he won’t be back until late-October. Luckily the Sabres went out and got Colin Miller and Henri Jokiharju this offseason, so their blueline should remain strong in Montour’s absence.
Kempny was in a non-contact jersey during Tuesday’s practice, which suggests that he’s not ready to play in St. Louis. With Kempny likely out, Jonas Siegenthaler is expected to skate on the top-pair and 19-year-old Martin Fehervary is expected to make his NHL debut.
