Varlamov has been out since January 2nd due to a lower-body injury but returned Tuesday to back up Ilya Sorokin and will start Thursday vs. Montreal. The 35-year-old back up has exclaimed his excitement for new Head Coach Patrick Roy, who he played under in Colorado during Roy's inaugural coaching tenure. Varlamov is positing an impressive 6-4-2 record, 2.78 GAA And .918 SV% on the season. He will take on Montreal on Thursday.
Chaffee has not played since December 12th, when he registered two hits in 6:56 time-on-ice. He will likely line up on the fourth line with Luke Glendenning and Waltteri Merela.
Palat last played on December 30th, missing the last 10 games, but will return to the lineup on Thursday after being a full participant at practice on Wednesday. In 35 games this season, Palat has 14 points (5G / 9A), his lowest point-per-game pace since his rookie season in 2012-13.
Bear will re-enter the Capitals' lineup in place of the scratched Trevor van Riemsdyk for Wednesday's game in Colorado. Bear has one goal and one assist in 11 games this season.
Chaffee went pointless in his only game with the Lightning this season, though he remains productive for Syracuse (AHL). He has 11 goals and 14 assists in 33 AHL games this season.
Engvall has missed the last four games due to an upper-body injury but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. Engvall has five goals and nine assists in 41 games this season.
Palat last played on December 30th, missing the last 10 games, but appears to be nearing a return after being a full participant at practice on Wednesday. In 35 games this season, Palat has 14 points (5G / 9A), his lowest point-per-game pace since his rookie season in 2012-13.
Bear will exit the lineup for the first time since joining the Capitals team at the end of December. In 11 games, Bear has two points (1G / 1A), 19 shots, and 17 blocks. Alexander Alexeyev will also be a healthy scratch for the Capitals as Rasmus Sandin and Trevor van Riemsdyk will draw back into the lineup.
Varlamov has been out since January 2nd due to a lower-body injury but returned Tuesday to back up Ilya Sorokin and is expected to start Thursday vs. Montreal. The 35-year-old back up has exclaimed his excitement for new Head Coach Patrick Roy, who he played under in Colorado during Roy's inaugural coaching tenure. Varlamov is positing an impressive 6-4-2 record, 2.78 GAA And .918 SV% on the season. He will take on Montreal on Thursday.
Despite Semyon Varlamov being activated from the injured reserve, Sorokin will start for the 10th straight game. Sorokin was tremendous in the Islanders' first game with new head coach Patrick Roy on Sunday, saving 40 of 42 shots (.952 SV%) in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Dallas Stars. Sorokin has struggled to stay consistent this season and has allowed three or more goals in six of his last eight games (2-5-1), posting a pedestrian .902 SV%. The Islanders are -149 home favourites against a Vegas Golden Knights club that played last night and lost 6-5 in overtime to the New Jersey Devils.
Despite Semyon Varlamov being activated from the injured reserve, Sorokin will likely start for the 10th straight game. Sorokin was tremendous in the Islanders' first game with new head coach Patrick Roy on Sunday, saving 40 of 42 shots (.952 SV%) in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Dallas Stars. Sorokin has struggled to stay consistent this season and has allowed three or more goals in six of his last eight games (2-5-1), posting a pedestrian .902 SV%. The Islanders are -149 home favourites against a Vegas Golden Knights club that played last night and lost 6-5 in overtime to the New Jersey Devils.
Vanecek served as the backup to Nico Daws on Saturday in a one-side 6-2 loss to the Dallas Stars. Given Vanecek's tremendous effort the previous night, saving 29 of 30 shots (.967 SV%) in a 4-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Devils will turn back to him on Monday. Vanecek has helped a struggling Devils squad record at least a point in each of his last three starts (2-0-1), posting a .907 SV% in the process. The Devils, losers of three of their last four (1-3-0), are -120 road underdogs against the Vegas Golden Knights, who are riding a three-game winning streak.
Varlamov has been sidelined most of the last month, battling a lower-body injury. Varlamov has been serviceable while backing up Ilya Sorokin this season, posting a 2.78 GAA and .918 SV% in 14 appearances (6-4-2). Before his injury, he was playing about one of every three games for the Islanders, but it is unclear if that trend will continue under their new bench boss, Patrick Roy.
Vanecek served as the backup to Nico Daws on Saturday in a one-side 6-2 loss to the Dallas Stars. Given Vanecek's tremendous effort the previous night, saving 29 of 30 shots (.967 SV%) in a 4-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Devils will likely turn back to him on Monday. Vanecek has helped a struggling Devils squad record at least a point in each of his last three starts (2-0-1), posting a .907 SV% in the process. The Devils, losers of three of their last four (1-3-0), are -120 road underdogs against the Vegas Golden Knights, who are riding a three-game winning streak.
Sorokin allowed four goals on 24 shots in the Islanders' overtime loss in Chicago on Friday. Sorokin has allowed three or more goals in six of his lat seven starts, going 1-5-1 with an .893 SV% during that stretch. Tonight, he'll face a Stars team that has won five of their last seven games while averaging 4.1 goals per game.
With his grasp on the Devils' starting job slowly slipping away from him, Vanecek will get a shot at redemption on Friday as he will be back between the pipes for the Devils when they travel to Columbus. Nico Daws got the nod in goal in each of New Jersey's previous three games, but head coach Lindy Ruff is opting to go back to Vanecek after suffering back-to-back defeats. We last saw Vanecek on January 11th when he surrendered four goals on just 20 shots as the Devils suffered a 4-3 overtime defeat at the hands of the Lightning. Vanecek has managed to scrape together a 14-7-2 record on the season despite an .882 SV%. He's in an ideal spot to get back in the win column on Friday with the Devils being -150 favourites in Columbus.
Sorokin will start the eighth straight game on Friday and attempt to snap a three-game losing streak. Sorokin has only one win in his last six outings (1-5-0), allowing three or more goals five times, posting a pedestrian .900 SV%. That said, Sorokin is coming off a great performance in a losing effort, saving 40 of 43 shots (.930 SV%) in a 4-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. The Islanders have a favourable matchup as they are -250 road favourites against a Chicago Blackhawks club that played last night and was shut out 3-0 by the Buffalo Sabres
MacLean will likely suit up on the fourth line in his NHL debut on Friday against the Chicago Blackhawks. The undrafted 24-year-old out of Livingston, New Jersey has spent the entirety of the last four seasons in the AHL, tallying 78 points (29G / 49A) in 193 games.
Sorokin will likely start the eighth straight game on Friday and attempt to snap a three-game losing streak. Sorokin has only one win in his last six outings (1-5-0), allowing three or more goals five times, posting a pedestrian .900 SV%. That said, Sorokin is coming off a great performance in a losing effort, saving 40 of 43 shots (.930 SV%) in a 4-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. The Islanders have a favourable matchup as they are -250 road favourites against a Chicago Blackhawks club that played last night and was shut out 3-0 by the Buffalo Sabres.
MacLean is one step closer to following in his 18-year NHL veteran father's footsteps as he has been recalled from Bridgeport (AHL) to the New York Islanders for the first time in his career. The 24-year-old undrafted free agent forward has enjoyed a solid AHL season with 19 points (6G/13A) in 36 games played prior to his call up.
