Mrazek replaced James Reimer, who was hurt early in the first period and then he was hurt in a collision with Maple Leafs' forward Kyle Clifford while attempting to play the puck way outside of his crease on Saturday night and did not return. So the Hurricanes were forced to turn to 42-year-old Zamboni driver David Ayres for the final 28:41 of Saturday's 6-3 win.
Friday could be the first time Mrazek makes back-to-back starts since playing either side of the All-Star break. He played well in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Stars, stopping 33 of the 36 shots he faced. Mrazek has just two wins in his last nine games after starting the season 16-8-2. He'll hope to get back in the win column tonight against a lowly Devils team.
Mrazek allowed six goals on 26 shots in the Hurricanes loss in St. Louis last Tuesday. Mrazek has stumbled in his last five starts, going 1-4-0 with a 3.26 GAA and .875 SV%. He has struggled more often than not in road games, going 4-7-2 with a 3.24 GAA and .888 SV% in 13 road games (12 starts).
The Capitals have been rotating a defenseman in and out of the lineup since Martin Fehervary joined the team. Tonight Nick Jensen will draw back in with Radko Gudas sitting for the first time all season.
There is no indication what Poehling is dealing with but a flu bug has been going through the Habs room, so it could be that. Consider Poehling a game-time decision and monitor his status as they hit the ice for warmups at 6:30 PM ET.
Kreider was a full participant in Tuesday's practice but head coach David Quinn called him a game-time decision for tonight's game vs. the Maple Leafs. The Rangers are expected to shake things up, so it's unknown where Kreider will slot in if he plays.
Mrazek allowed four goals on 37 shots in the Hurricanes loss to the Golden Knights last Friday. Mrazek struggled in January, going 2-5-0 with a 2.48 GAA and .910 SV% in seven games. Tonight he'll face a Blues team that his suddenly struggling. They've lost five of their last six (1-4-1) while scoring just 2.67 goals per game.
Mrazek allowed four goals on 37 shots in the Hurricanes loss to the Golden Knights last Friday. Mrazek struggled in January, going 2-5-0 with a 2.48 GAA and .910 SV% in seven games. Tonight he'll face a Blues team that his suddenly struggling. They've lost five of their last six (1-4-1) while scoring just 2.67 goals per game.
Kreider was hurt in Saturday's win in Detroit but was on the ice for Monday's morning skate and will be a game-time decision vs. the Stars. Kreider has been absolutely red-hot, scoring at a point-per-game pace with 22 points (12G / 10A) in his last 22 games.
Kreider took a knee from teammate Mika Zibanejad mid-way through their win over the Red Wings on Saturday. The Rangers said it's not a concussion and was already feeling better after the game but Phil Di Giuseppe was recalled from Hartford (AHL) which suggests that he won't be available for Monday's game vs. the Stars.
Mrazek allowed one goal on 17 shots in the Hurricanes win over the Jets on January 21st. The Hurricanes return from their bye week with Mrazek facing the Golden Knights. Mrazek has gone 14-6-0 with a 2.35 GAA and .910 SV% on home ice this season and Vegas comes in having lost six of their last seven (1-5-1) while scoring 2.43 goals per game.
Husso has spent the entire season with San Antonio (AHL), going 10-12-8 with a 2.93 GAA and .898 SV% in 30 games. Husso projects to be the future backup to Jordan Binnington, but Jake Allen has one year left on his deal, so Husso's time likely isn't until 2022.
