Athanasiou returned to practice on Friday but remains a game-time decision for the Red Wings season opener. Valtteri Filppula rotated with Athanasiou on the power-play in practice, which suggests that head coach Jeff Blashill is prepared to play without Athanasiou.
Point missed the season opener as he recovers from offseason hip surgery and head coach Jon Cooper ruled him out for both games this weekend. Point is expected to be back soon, so monitor his status as the Lightning head into their game in Toronto next Thursday.
Thomas missed Friday’s practice with what is being described as an upper-body injury, believed to be wrist related. Zach Sanford skated in his spot in practice and would likely take Thomas’ spot if he can’t play vs. The Stars on Saturday.
Middleton was set to start the season in the AHL but an injury to Dalton Prout has opened up a roster spot for Middleton to be recalled. He had one assist in three NHL games last season and added 19 points (5G / 14A) in 57 AHL contests.
Prout played 16:05 TOI in the Sharks season opener but has landed on IR with an undisclosed injury. In a corresponding move, the Sharks recalled Jacob Middleton from San Jose (AHL). Prout will miss at least there next three games.
Andersen allowed three goals on 26 shots in the Maple Leafs 5-3 win over the Senators on opening night. Getting the ‘W’ is all that matters, but Andersen will be hoping for better performances in the future. He is a great option against a Blue Jackets team that lost a few key pieces this offseason.
Anderson allowed five goals on 42 shots in the Senators 5-3 loss in Toronto on Wednesday. It was a tough matchup to start the season and things won’t get any easier on Saturday—the Rangers just hung six goals on the Jets on Thursday. Anderson was 13-12-12 with a 3.01 GAA and .917 SV% in 27 starts on home-ice last season.
Sabourin was a great story on opening night. After 308 career AHL games and three ECHL, Sabourin made it to the NHL and scored one goal on three shots in 8:27 TOI. Sabourin was missing from Friday’s practise because he was “sore” but head coach DJ Smith said it’s “likely” that he plays on Saturday.
Athanasiou has missed the last two practices but returned to the ice on Friday afternoon. Athanasiou’s availability for practice suggests that he will be in the lineup for the Red Wings’ season opener on Saturday.
Samsonov was a first-round pick (No.22 overall) in 2015 and is one of hockey’s top goaltending prospects. With Braden Holtby heading into the final year of his contract, the Capitals will want to get a look at exactly what they have in Samsonov. He had a 20-16-1 with a 2.70 GAA and .898 SV% in 37 games with the Hershey Bears (AHL) last year.
Comeau fell awkwardly after being hit in the face with the puck and suffered a lower-body injury in the Stars season opener. It was a tough night for the Stars, who lost Comeau, Roman Polak and Jason Dickinson in the game. They will need to call-up some reinforcements from Texas (AHL) prior to Saturday’s game.
Polak crashed head/shoulder first into the corner boards following a hit attempt and had to be stretchered off of the ice. Head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters post-game that Polak has full use of his extremities, which is great news but Polak will likely be sidelined long-term.
Dickinson was cross-checked in the Stars season opener and is expected to be sidelined for at least a week. The Stars will need to recall a forward from Texas (AHL) to replace Dickinson on Saturday.
de Haan has been questionable leading up to the Blackhawks season opener in Prague but was officially ruled out a few hours prior to puck-drop. Dennis Gilbert will play in his second career NHL game in de Haan's spot on the Blackhawks blueline.
Gilbert was with the Blackhawks in Prague so the “recall” was just a formality. Gilbert was a third-round pick in 2015 and will play in his second career NHL game because Calvin de Haan and Connor Murphy are injured to begin the season. The 22-year-old blueliner had 14 points (5G / 9A) in 63 games in his first AHL season (2018-19).
Schenn was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season but the Blues have locked him up through the 2027-28 season. Schenn failed to record a point in the season opener but is coming off of a 54-point season (17G / 37A) in 2018-19.
With Connor Hellebuyck starting on Thursday, Brossoit will make his season debut on the tail-end of the back-to-back. Brossoit played extremely well during his first season with the Jets, going 13-6-2 with a 2.52 GAA and .925 SV% in 21 games. He’ll be a solid spot-start option throughout the 2019-20 season, but his first matchup is difficult. The Devils revamped their offence this offseason and present a tough challenge for a weak Jets bluelline.
Crawford has had concussion issues over the last two years, being limited to 27 and 39 starts. During that time, Crawford was tied for 11th in SV% (.917) and 14th in GAA (2.66). This summer they brought in Robin Lehner to share the crease with Crawford, but the Blackhawks veteran will start the season opener in Prague. He was 0-2-0 with a 2.58 GAA and .902 SV% vs. the Flyers last year.
