Atkinson has already missed time with a sprained ankle this season. He missed just over two weeks in late-December/early-January and will now likely be sidelined through the rest of February. Liam Foudy is up with the team replacing Atkinson, but his stay is expected to be a short one.
Kucherov got tangled up with Jack Johnson late in the second period and limped to the bench and down the tunnel. Kucherov did not return for the third period and head coach Jon Cooper did not have an update post-game. Consider Kucherov day-to-day with a lower-body injury until they release more information.
Cirelli blocked a shot from Evgeni Malkin on a late-first-period penalty kill and never returned. head coach Jon Cooper did not have an update post-game, so consider Cirelli day-to-day with a lower-body injury until they release more information.
Vasilevskiy stopped 17 of 18 shots in the Lightning's win over the Islanders on Saturday. Vasilevskiy is riding a five-game winning streak, posting a 2.00 GAA and .928 SV%. Tonight he faces the Penguins for the second time in less than a week--he stopped 29 of 31 shots in a 4-2 win over Pittsburgh last Thursday.
Elliott allowed two goals on 28 shots in the Flyers win in Washington on Saturday. Elliott played well while Carter Hart was out, going 5-1-1 with a 2.06 GAA and .916 SV% in seven starts. In two appearances (one start) vs. the Islanders, Elliott stopped 52 of the 55 shots (.945 SSV%) that he's faced. He's also 10-4-2 with a 3.06 GAA and .897 SV% on the road this year.
There no word what kind of injury Atkinson is dealing with but it will leave the Blue Jackets without seven regular skaters tonight vs. the Lightning. Liam Foudy has come up from the London Knights (OHL) to take Atkinson's spot in the lineup. Consider him day-to-day until the Blue Jackets release a more detailed injury report.
Johansson allowed three goals on 21 shots in the Sabres shootout loss to the Red Wings on Thursday. With Carter Hutton out with a personal matter, Johansson will make his second career NHL start vs. the Ducks. Today he'll face a Ducks team that is 2-0-2 while scoring 3.00 goals per game in the first four games of their road-trip.
Head coach Jon Cooper updated McDonagh's status following Saturday's morning skate and it wasn't good. Cooper said that McDonagh is "more than day-to-day" and that they will "circle back in a couple of weeks to see how much progress" he makes.
McDonagh left Thursday's game after blocking an Evgeni Malkin shot and did not return. McDonagh was reportedly seen in a walking boot postgame but head coach Jon Cooper said he didn't believe it was very serious. Luke Schenn is expected to replace him on Saturday.
Vasilevskiy stopped 29 of 31 shots in the Lightning's win over the Penguins on Thursday. Vasilevskiy can't lose right now, going 14-0-1 with a 1.92 GAA and .938 SV% in his last 15 starts. In his first start v.s the Islanders, Vasilevskiy allowed four goals on 25 shots in a 5-2 loss but that was back when he wasn't playing well.
Elliott was pulled after he allowed four goals on 17 shots in the Flyers 5-0 loss to the Devils on Thursday. In his last four starts, Elliott has two shutouts but has given up a combined eight goals on just 37 shots in the other two games. Elliott has a strong record (9-4-2) on the road this year but the other numbers aren't as pretty (3.12 GAA | .895 SV%).
Vasilevskiy allowed two goals on 29 shots in the Lightning's win over the Golden Knights on Tuesday. Vasilevskiy is on a 14-game point streak (13-0-1) while posting a 1.92 GAA, .938 SV % and two shutouts over that stretch. In his first start vs. the Penguins, Vasilevskiy stopped 37 of 39 shots in the Lightning's 3-2 win in late-October.
Johansson stopped 13 of the 14 shots the he faced after replacing Carter Hutton in the Sabres loss to the Avalanche on Tuesday. The only goal scored on him was a Nathan Mackinnon-Mikko Rantanen 2-on-1, other than that he was excellent. Johansson was 13-3-3 with a 2.19 GAA and .925 SV% in 20 AHL games before being called-up. He is a solid spot-start option the Red Wings in town.
Vasilevskiy allowed two goals on 29 shots in the Lightning's win over the Golden Knights on Tuesday. Vasilevskiy is on a 14-game point streak (13-0-1) while posting a 1.92 GAA, .938 SV % and two shutouts over that stretch. In his first start vs. the Penguins, Vasilevskiy stopped 37 of 39 shots in the Lightning's 3-2 win in late-October.
Paul missed the last 10 games with an ankle injury but has been activated from IR and is expected to replace Vladislav Namestnikov in the lineup. Paul has scored six goals with seven assists (13 points) in 38 games this season.
Elliott stopped all 16 shots that he faced in the Flyers shutout win in Detroit on Monday. Elliott has won four of his last five starts (4-0-1) while posting a 1.58 GAA, .935 SV% and two shutouts. Tonight he faces a Devils team that has lost six of their last seven games (1-3-3) while averaging 3.00 goals for and 4.86 goals against per game.
Vasilevskiy allowed three goals on 26 shots in the Lightning's win in Anaheim last Friday. Since returning from their bye week, Vasilevskiy has gone 2-0-1 while stopping 87 of the 95 shots (.916 SV%) that he's faced. Tonight he faces a Vegas team that has lost six of their last nine (3-5-1) while averaging 2.67 goals per game.