Samsonov allowed three goals on 29 shots in the Capitals win in New Jersey on Saturday. Braden Holtby started the last two games but Samsonov will start the second game of their home-and-home with the Jets. Samsonov has gone 0-3-0 with an ugly 4.55 GAA and .855 SV% in his last four outings (three starts). It is the ugliest stretch of his season but he'll face a Winnipeg team that is also on a three-game losing skid.
Lehner followed up his spectacular 2018-19 season with an impressive stint in Chicago. He was able to post a 16-10-5 record with a .918 SV% despite some obvious flaws in Chicago’s defense. Lehner will immediately assume the backup role and could potentially challenge Marc-Andre Fleury for the starting job. He is set to become an unrestricted free-agent on July 1st.
Hutton will come out of the Kings lineup Sunday vs. the Oilers, so Joakim Ryan will draw back in. Consider Hutton day-to-day.
Pietrangelo missed Friday's game with an illness but was on the ice for the morning skate and is expected to play in Minnesota. Pietrangelo will skate on the top-pair with Carl Gunnarsson and will re-join the top power-play unit as well.
Lehner allowed two goals on 40 shots in the Blackhawks loss to the Bruins last Wednesday. Lehner has played well in his last five starts, going 3-1-1 with a 2.39 GAA and .926 SV%. He has gone 8-5-1 with a 3.00 GAA .919 SV% on the road this year and catches a break tonight with Connor McDavid out with a quad injury.
With Darcy Kuemper suffering a setback prior to Monday's game and Antti Raanta starting last night, Hill will make his eighth start of the season tonight in Toronto. Hill has gone 2-3-2 with a 2.54 GAA and .918 SV% in his first 11 appearances (seven starts). The Maple Leafs are 7-2-1 with 4.30 goals per game in their last 10 home games.
Karlsson missed the last eight games with a broken finger but is expected to play tomorrow in Minnesota. At Monday's practice, Karlsson centred the Golden Knights' third line and top power-play. He returns with 10 goals and 24 assists (34 points) in 49 games this season.
Samsonov missed last Tuesday's game vs. the Kings and served as Braden Holtby's backup on Saturday. With Holtby having a rough outing vs. the Flyers, the Capitals will come back to Samsonov tonight vs. the Islanders. Samsonov is 7-1-0 with a 1.86 GAA and .937 SV% in his last nine outings (seven starts) and has stopped 32 of the 33 shots that he's faced (.970 SV%) in four periods vs. the Islanders this season.
Roy has appeared in eight straight games with the Golden Knights and he'll likely be in the lineup on Tuesday. This is probably just for some extra cap savings as we get closer to the NHL Trade Deadline.
Antti Raanta was scheduled to start this afternoon but was a late-scratch, so Hill will start in Boston. In his last start, Hill gave up three goals on 37 shots in the Coyotes loss to the Kings. Overall, he is 1-2-0 with a 1.88 GAA and .937 SV% on the road this season.
Lehner allowed four goals on 26 shots in the Blackhawks loss to the Panthers on January 21st. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Lehner, who has gone 7-3-3 with a 2.72 GAA and .925 SV% on home ice this season. He has a tough matchup tonight with the Bruins in town but he was equal to the task in early-December, stopping 37 of the 40 shots that he faced in a 4-3 OT win in Boston.
Patrick, who has missed the entire season with a migraine condition, skated in a regular jersey in Wednesday's practice. Head coach Alain Vigneault downplayed his appearance on the ice because the team only worked on skills, but its positive nonetheless. This is a huge step for the 2017 No.2 overall pick, who will likely head to Lehigh Valley (AHL) for a conditioning stint once he's ready for game action.