News and notes from around the blue paint...
Timmy’s in town, but Kari starts
Kari Lehtonen will get the start for Dallas tonight against Vancouver, but will do so with a new backup -- Tim Thomas.
Acquired from Florida yesterday, Thomas will take the place of the outgoing Dan Ellis (now a member of the Panthers) and, according to head coach Lindy Ruff, will have the opportunity for some playing time with the Stars.
“I want to give Tim the opportunity to play,” Stars bench boss Lindy Ruff said, per the Dallas Morning News. “If he plays well, I’ll give him the chance to play.”
Eddie Lack will get the start tonight for Vancouver. For more on the Lethonen-Thomas situation, click here.
Zatkoff in for Pens
Jeff Zatkoff will be in goal for Pittsburgh tonight when it takes on the Sharks in San Jose.
Zatkoff hasn’t started since Jan. 30 but his last outing was a good one, stopping 30 of 31 shots in a win over the Kings. The former Miami of Ohio standout is 9-2-1 on the year with a 2.64 GAA and .909 save percentage.
Antti Niemi will be in goal for the Sharks tonight -- he’s currently in a battle for playing time with Alex Stalock, who has started three times since the Olympic break ended.
Elsewhere...
Capitals at Bruins: Braden Holtby for Caps (read more here), Tuukka Rask likely for B’s.
Kings at Jets: Jonathan Quick vs. Ondrej Pavelec
Sabres at Lightning: Jhonas Enroth for Buffalo; Anders Lindback likely for Bolts.
Blues at Preds: Ryan Miller for St. Louis; no word yet on a Nashville starter.
Blue Jackets at ‘Hawks: Sergei Bobrovsky vs. Corey Crawford
Avalanche at Red Wings: J.S. Giguere vs. Jimmy Howard
Canadiens at Coyotes: Mike Smith likely for Phoenix; no word on a Montreal starter.
Islanders at Oilers: Evgeni Nabokov vs. Ben Scrivens