Ekholm missed Saturday's game vs. Dallas with an illness but it looks like he will play tonight in New York. Ekholm, who will replace Matt Irwin on the blueline, has four goals and 11 assists (15 points) in 30 games this season.
Janmark missed Saturday's game in Nashville but is expected to replace Justin Dowling in the lineup tonight vs. the Oilers. Janmark has just two assists in his last seven games and just 11 points (3G / 8A) in 28 games this season.
Jarry stopped all 17 shots that he faced in the Blue Jackets' shutout win over the Blue Jackets on Thursday. Jarry has posted three shutouts in his last four starts, going 3-1-0 with a 0.74 GAA and .971 SV% over that span. Overall, he is 7-2-0 with a 1.19 GAA and .958 SV% on home-ice this season.
Jarry allowed three goals on 25 shots in the Penguins' loss to the Canadiens on Tuesday. The win snapped a two-game shutout streak for Jarry, who has clearly taken over as the Penguins' top netminder for now. He is 6-2-0 with a 1.35 GAA, .955 SV% and two shutouts on home-ice this season but the Penguins will be without Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin tonight.
Nugent-Hopkins has missed the last six games but will play Sunday vs. the Sabres. Nugent-Hopkins' return means that Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid will be back together on the top-line. Nugent-Hopkins has five goals and 11 assists (16 points) in 25 games this season.
Jarry stopped all 28 shots that he faced in the Penguins shutout win over the Blues on Wednesday. Jarry has won five of his last six starts while posting a 1.86 GAA, .941 SV% and one shutout. Tonight he faces a Coyotes team that has played well on the road, going 8-1-2 while scoring 3.09 goals per game in their last 11 road games.
Jarry surrendered four goals on 29 shots in the Penguins loss in Columbus last Friday. Matt Murray did not have his best showing in St. Louis the following night, so Jarry will get a shot at the Blues on home-ice on Wednesday. The 24-year-old was 4-2-0 with a 2.42 GAA and .923 SV% in November and is 4-1-0 with a 1.59 GAA and .948 SV% on home-ice, so he’s a reasonable spot-start option tonight.
Janmark was a healthy scratch vs. the Blues on Friday but will replace Justin Dowling on Sunday. Janmark has nine points (3G / 6A) in 22 games this season.
With Jimmy Howard going on IR, Pickard comes up to serve as Jonathan Bernier's backup. Pickard has gone 7-6-3 with a 3.00 GAA and .898 SV% in 15 AHL starts this season. He has a career .908 SV% in 104 NHL games.
Jarry allowed one goal on 37 shots in the Penguins win over the Devils last Friday. The terrific effort has earned Jarry a second straight start. He has played extremely well all season-long, posting a 1.80 GAA and .945 SV% in five starts. On Monday, he will face a Flames team that has lost six of their last seven while averaging just 1.14(!) goals per game.
With Zach Bogosian set to make his season debut, Lazar will sit as a healthy scratch and Buffalo will go with seven defensemen and 11 forwards.
Stillman has no points in three games with the Panthers and has picked up just two points (1G / 1A) in 13 games on the Springfield blueline this season. There's no word on if Stillman will play on Sunday bit if all six defensemen are healthy, he could replace Josh Brown or Mark Pysyk.
Jarry allowed one goal on 33 shots in the Penguins win over the Maple Leafs last Saturday. Jarry has been seldom called upon this season but has played at a high-level, posting a 1.98 GAA and .938 SV% in his four starts. His opponents come in at 3-4-0 while scoring just 1.86 goals per game in their last seven.
Janmark was originally expected to play but did not take part in line rushes at the morning skate and will not play vs. the Canucks. Janmark remains day-to-day, so monitor his status leading up to Thursday's game vs. the Jets.
