News and notes from around the crease...
Clemmensen goes for Panthers
Florida will give under-the-weather netminder Tim Thomas the night off on Monday, turning the crease over to veteran backup Scott Clemmensen versus Pittsburgh.
Clemmensen, who hasn’t started a game since Dec. 29, is 5-4-1 this season with a 2.91 GAA and .894 save percentage. He has performed well in stints, however -- including a solid stretch in late December -- and did win his last game, stopping 21 of 22 shots in a 4-1 win over Montreal.
Clemmensen will take on Marc-Andre Fleury tonight.
Halak takes on Wings
St. Louis will face former division rival Detroit tonight, and will give Jaroslav Halak the chance to face a team he’s struggled against historically.
Halak is 3-4-1 all-time against the Wings, with a 3.76 GAA and .880 save percentage. Last year, the Blues often went with Brian Elliott (or Jake Allen) against Detroit, though Halak did face the Red Wings once (and did well, stopping 14 shots in a 6-0 win.)
Halak will go up against Jimmy Howard tonight.
Elsewhere...
Stars at Predators: Kari Lehtonen vs. Carter Hutton
Leafs at Coyotes: No confirmed starters from either team yet.
Flames at Sharks: Karri Ramo for Flames; no word yet on who San Jose will start.