Drouin missed Saturday’s game with an illness, but is on the ice for warmups and it looks like he will play. He was listed as a game-time decision, but he skated this morning and his availability in warmups are both signs that he will play.
Drouin, who missed Saturday’s game, took part in the morning skate and will be a game-time decision tonight. All signs point towards him returning, but the Lightning want to make sure he doesn’t start feeling under the weather again closer to puck-drop.
Drouin missed Saturday’s game with an illness but is on the ice this morning which is a good sign that he will return to the lineup tonight vs. the Maple Leafs.
Valamov stopped all 26 shots that he faced in the Avs’ 5-0 shutout win over the Blues last Tuesday. It was a nice return to the crease for Varly, who will start the vast majority of games heading forward. Tonight he will take on the Blues again, this time in St. Louis. He is 1-0-1 with a 0.96 GAA and .964 SV% in the first two meetings.
Palmieri was hopeful that he would be able to return to the lineup tonight vs. Arizona, but he will miss at least one more week with a shoulder injury.
Drouin was sent home with a stomach virus this morning and will be held out of the lineup tonight. With Drouin out, Cedric Paquette will play on the top-line with Steven Stamkos and Brett Connolly.
Drouin was not on the ice for the Lightning’s morning skate because he was sent home sick this morning. Coach Cooper said that there is “no indication” that Drouin has the mumps. Expect an update on Drouin’s status a few hours prior to warmups.
Varlamov (groin) has missed the last six games, but will be back between the pipes tonight vs. the Blues. In his only two starts in December, he has gone 0-1-1 with a 5.24 GAA and .836 SV%. He draws a tough matchup to return in—St. Louis ranks sixth in the NHL in scoring with 2.94 goals per game.
Varlamov skated and took shots on Sunday in Detroit and Patrick Roy said he is “95 percent and will likely start on Tuesday” but the team will decide for sure on Monday. Calvin Pickard continues to play extremely well, so there is no need to rush Varlamov back if he is not 100 percent.
The Ducks first game after the Christmas break is on December 27th vs. the Coyotes. Palmieri remains with the team on their road-trip and will undergo tests when they return to Anaheim.
Palmieri suffered a shoulder injury in the Ducks loss to the Maple Leafs last night. He has been sent back to Anaheim and will miss the remaining two games of the Ducks current road trip. Emerson Etem has been recalled and will skate in Palmieri’s spot on the second line.
Drouin has been in and out of the lineup recently and has only averaged 12:58 TOI in 23 games this season. He scored his second goal of the year last night and will bump up to the top line with Steven Stamkos and Ryan Callahan.
Cizikas has missed the last three games with an upper-body injury that he suffered on December 6th vs. the Blues. He will be back in for Michael Grabner, who is day-to-day with a lower-body ailment. Cizikas will centre the fourth line with Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck.
With Zack Smith out for multiple months, the Senators have recalled Pageau to fill in. Pageau, 22, had two goals in 28 games with the Senators last season. He had 18 points (8G / 10A) in 25 games with Binghamton before his recall.
Varlamov underwent an MRI on Monday and the results did not reveal anything positive for the Avalanche. Varlamov will miss a couple of weeks at least, which leaves the team with Calvin Pickard as their starter.
Cizikas’ move to IR is retroactive to November 6th. Josh Bailey will remain in the lineup until Cizikas is 100 percent.
Drouin has had a difficult time staying in the lineup as of late. Tonight will mark the third time in seven games that the 2013 third overall pick will sit out. J.T Brown will be in for Drouin.
Varlamov is still battling a groin injury that cost him to miss six games from November 15th-December 3rd. There is no word on who will be called up, but if it is Calvin Pickard, he will get the start. Groin injuries with goalies are tricky, so Varly could be held out for awhile.
Cizikas was injured in the Isles’ loss to the Blues on Saturday and will miss Tuesday’s game vs. the Wild. Ryan Strome will drop to the fourth line, and Josh Bailey will draw into the lineup with Cizikas out.
Pulock, 20, took part in warmups as the seventh defenseman this afternoon, but did not get into the lineup. His return to the AHL suggests that Lubomir Visnovsky will be good to go on Tuesday.
