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.
Mrazek split starts with Curtis McElhinney last year, going 23-14-3 with a 2.39 GAA and .914 SV% in 40 games. This year he should see a larger share of the games with James Reimer as his backup, but certainly won’t be among the league leaders. With a dominant 5v5 team in front of him, Mrazek will be a solid option on most nights. He was 12-5-1 with a 2.33 GAA, .914 SV% and two shutouts on home-ice last year.
In 2018-19, Rinne won at least 30 games for the fifth straight season while posting a 2.42 GAA and .918 SV%. The Predators continue to scale back Rinne’s usage, but he should probably start at least 50 games for the ninth time in his career. Rinne was 2-0-0 with a 2.88 GAA and .906 SV% vs. the Wild last season.
Larsson took a Quinn Hughes slapshot off his right leg on Wednesday and landed on LTIR this afternoon. The original timetable puts Larsson out until at least mid-November. Evan Bouchard or Joel Persson are expected to replace Larsson on Saturday.
Steel missed the second half of training camp with a lower-body injury but was on the ice for Wednesday’s practice and head coach Dallas Eakins said Steel is “ready to rip.” Steel is expected to centre the second line with Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg on his wings, which is a great opportunity for him to build off of the 11 points (6G / 5A) he had in 22 games last season.
Kase is on the non-roster injured list but could be activated ahead of Thursday’s season opener, with a corresponding move. The Ducks did not hold a morning skate so there is no indication on who will be in the lineup vs. Arizona.
Persson missed the Oilers season opener with a shoulder injury but head coach Dave Tippett did not rule him out for Saturday’s game against the Kings. His return would be great news because the Oilers just lost Adam Larsson to a broken foot.
Backlund has been dealing with a lower-body injury since the late stages of the preseason but is ready to go in Colorado. Backlund, who will centre the second line with familiar linemates (Tkachuk and Frolik) had 21 goals and 26 assists (47 points) last season.
