Kuemper stopped 37 of 38 shots in the Coyotes win over the Golden Knights last Thursday. Antti Raanta made his season debut in Colorado on Saturday but they’ll come back to Kuemper tonight in Winnipeg. Kuemper is 1-2-0 with a 1.35 GAA and .957 SV% in his three starts this season and stopped 34 of 35 shots in a win in his only start vs. Winnipeg last season.
Fiala has struggled to start the season, picking up just one assist and seven shots in the first five games of 2019-20. Gerry Mayhew will make his NHL debut and replace Fiala in the Wild’s lineup in Toronto.
Zuccarello was originally expected to accompany the team on their road-trip but was instead held back in Minnesota and will not play until they return home on Sunday at the earliest. Victor Rask Ryan Donato is the most likely candidate to draw back into the lineup and replace the veteran winger.
Zuccarello missed Sunday’s practice with “bumps and bruises” and may not play Monday against the Senators. The Wild shuffled their lines without Zuccarello and recalled Gerry Mayhew from Iowa (AHL).
Kuemper allowed one goal on 26 shots in the Coyotes 1-0 loss to the Bruins last Saturday. Kuemper is still looking for his first win of the season, despite stopping 52 of the 55 shots (.945 SV%) that he has faced thus far. As good as he has been, he has a brutal matchup vs. a tough Golden Knights team—he was 2-1-1 with a 2.71 GAA and .923 SV% in four starts against Vegas last year.
Perry skated for the second straight morning skate on Tuesday and will be checked by doctors on Thursday. If he is cleared, Perry could make his Stars debut vs. the Flames on Thursday or vs. the Capitals on Saturday.
Kuemper stopped 27 of the 29 shots the he faced in the Coyotes opening game loss in Anaheim. Kuemper picked up right where he left off last season but didn’t get any help from his offence. He will look to put a notch in the win column tonight vs. the Bruins, a team he was 0-2-0 against last year.
Kuemper set career-bests in starts (55), wins (27), GAA (2.33) and SV% (.925) while filling in for an injured Antti Raanta in 2018-19. With Raanta slightly banged up to start 2019-20, Kuemper will start the opener in Anaheim. Kuemper was 1-1-0 with a 2.05 GAA and .941 SV% in two starts vs. the Ducks last year.
2018-19 was Kuemper's first full season in Arizona and it went very well. Kuemper went 27-20-8 with a 2.33 GAA and .925 SV% in 55 games while filling in for an injured Antti Raanta. Entering 2019-20, Kuemper will be the Coyotes No.2 but showed he’s capable of handling the starting gig should the oft-injured Raanta miss time again. Kuemper is signed through the 2021-22 campaign.
Perry suffered a broken foot in mid-September and will miss at least the first two weeks of the regular season. Perry’s play has slipped in recent years and he is not expected to be anything more than a third-liner once he returns to the Dallas lineup.
Through four NHL seasons, Edmundson has never played more than 69 gams and is coming off of just 11 points (2G / 9A) in 64 games last year. The 6-foot-4, 215 lbs. defenseman plays a physical brand of hockey tying for 22nd among D-men in hits (531) over the last four years. Playing on a loaded blueline in Carolina will likely mean third-pairing minutes for Edmundson in 2002.
Perry’s first training camp with the Stars will be delayed after suffering a broken foot on Wednesday. Perry will be re-evaluated in two weeks but will likely miss at least one month, which would put his status for opening night in jeopardy.
Fiala struggled after being traded to the Wild last season, scoring just three goals with four assists (seven points) in 19 games. Heading into his first training camp with Minnesota, Fiala has a chance to start the season on the top-line with Eric Staal and Jason Zucker, putting him back on the map for a fantasy hockey breakout. He has great shot volume and that will only get better with first line minutes.
Kempe gets a three-year deal nine days before training camp after registering 28 points (12G / 16A) in 81 games last season. Despite seeing an uptick in ice-time, Kempe’s numbers decreased in his second full season. Decreased shot volume was the main component to his drop in goals and a big dip in on-ice SH% affected his assist total. Expect him to centre the Kings second line in 2020, which makes him a candidate to return to 15 goals and 20-plus assists.
Forsberg was average in his first and only season with the Blackhawks. During his 35 NHL games, Forsberg went 10-16-4 with a 2.97 GAA and .908 SV%. While with Rockford (AHL), the 26-year-old went 15-17-1 wth a 2.64 AA and .919 SV%. With Petr Mrazek and James Reimer already in the NHL, Forsberg is likely headed to Charlotte (AHL) to start 2020.
In his first four NHL seasons, Edmundson has never played more than 69 games. Edmundson had just two goals and nine assists (11 points) in 64 games this past season. The 26-year-old ranked fourth among Blues defensemen in TOI/gm (19:23) while leading them in hits (128) and ranking fourth in blocked shots (106).
Hicketts led all Grand Rapids defensemen with 27 points (3G / 24A) in 64 games in 2018-19. Hicketts has just three assists in 16 career NHL games but continues to get bumped down the Red Wings depth chart and may never become a full-time NHLer in Detroit.
