Jacob Fowler will be the starting goalie tonight

We also wondered if there would be any changes to the lineup… and there are: Jake Evans (who returned to the team entourage, as expected) and Arber Xhekaj will be back in uniform.

Jared Davidson and Jayden Struble will skip their turn.

In Fowler’s case, logic is respected. The young goalie, who did well on Thursday, deserved to keep the net… and it will be interesting to see him tonight, when the effect of the first game will no longer be there.

Will the guys be as solid as they were in front of him on Thursday night? We’ll see.

On the training front, Evans’ return is a good sign. He skated this morning in an optional session, but obviously that was more to shake off the rust. His return will help the club’s numerical disadvantage… and take some pressure off Nick Suzuki’s shoulders.

And for the defensemen, Xhekaj is back after skipping his turn on Thursday. So that means Adam Engström gets another game… and it’ll be interesting to see what the brigade looks like tomorrow.

Engström could be sent back to the AHL as the club will be back home… or he could stay up there if the club deems him more reliable than Xhekaj and Struble. I expect the first scenario, but don’t rule anything out.

Extension

The last question that remains unanswered at the moment is the identity of the second goalkeeper. But it’s safe to assume that veteran goaltender Samuel Montembeault will take priority.

And the other question is who will be in front of the net tomorrow. But that’s a problem for tomorrow.