Stecher, 22, was an undrafted college free agent, who has one assist in four games with Utica this season. Last year he had 29 points (8G / 21A) in 43 games at the University of North Dakota and tonight he will make his NHL debut on the top pair with Alex Edler as well as on the top power-play.
Semyon Varlamov started Colorado’s season opener on Saturday, but they will turn to Pickard tonight in the first game of a back-to-back set. Pickard was 7-6-1 with a 2.56 GAA and .922 SV% in 13 starts and seven relief appearances last year. The 24-year-old will be a strong spot-start option throughout the season, but is a risky option tonight in Pittsburgh.
Kulak, 22, sat out of the first two games of the season, but will be in the lineup for Dennis Wideman on Saturday. Kulak had 17 points (3G / 14A) in 59 games with Stockton (AHL) a season ago. He has no points in nine career NHL games.
Lazar is recovering from mono and on Monday he was cleared for contact. The Senators believe the fastest way for him to get ready to play in the NHL is to go back to Binghamton. With Lazar going back, Tom Pyatt and Phil Varone will fill in on the third line.
Janmark is reportedly dealing with Osteochondritis dissecans and will undergo surgery on Friday afternoon. The Stars have been ravaged by injuries in training camp and this is a big loss for them. Janmark was expected to play an expanded role early in the season because Cody Eakin is currently sidelined with a knee injury of his own. Janmark may miss the entire season.
Pickard, 24, is likely the goalie of the future in Colorado and he signs a two-year “bridge” deal while Semyon Varlamov is still in town. The two-year deal will keep Pickard as a restricted free agent so the Avalanche have control of him when this contract expires. He was 7-6-1 with a 2.56 GAA and .922 SV% with the Avalanche last season and carries a career 2.46 GAA and .927 SV% in 26 career NHL starts.
There is no word whether or not Lazar is battling an injury or if he is a healthy scratch. Lazar will be replaced by Phil Varone.
Kapanen has appeared in the last five games, but will return to the Marlies, so he can play on Friday. The 19 year old has not recorded a point in nine NHL games, but has 25 points (9G / 16A) in 41 AHL games.
Pickard stopped 23 of 24 shots after replacing Semyon Varlamov in Colorado’s loss to the Blues on Sunday. Pickard has only started 12 games this season, but has appeared in seven other games—overall he is 7-5-1 with a 2.53 GAA, .923 SV% and one shutout. He’ll be in tough against a Stars team that has won seven of their last nine while averaging 3.44 goals per game.
Pickard stopped 23 of 24 shots after replacing Semyon Varlamov in Colorado’s loss to the Blues on Sunday. Pickard has only started 12 games this season, but has appeared in seven other games—overall he is 7-5-1 with a 2.53 GAA, .923 SV% and one shutout. He’ll be in tough against a Stars team that has won seven of their last nine while averaging 3.44 goals per game.
Hyman, 23, collected four goals and two assists in 16 games with the Maple Leafs.He heads back to the Marlies where he has 33 points (13G / 20A) in 54 games.
Kapanen was called-up earlier in March, but failed to record a point in his first four NHL games. During his time with the Marlies, the 19 year old has scored nine goals with 16 assists (25 points) in 41 games.
Nurse was suspended for three games for fighting an unwilling Roman Polak. With his suspension up, Nurse is expected to return tonight vs. St. Louis. The young blueliner has just eight points (2G / 6A) in 59 games this season.
