Franzen will miss his fifth straight game on Wednesday and he is hopeful that he will be back by Sunday, but did not rule out his potential return on Friday vs. Los Angeles. Franzen has two goals and three assists in four games and will provide a boost to the Red Wings top-6, but it will likely spell the end of Andrej Nestrasil's run with the Red Wings.
After a breakout season (20G / 31A) in 2013-14, Smith has just two goals and two assists through 11 games this season, despite playing slightly more and his shooting percentage (13.3%) remaining in-line with last season. The 23-year-old is a good scorer, but he will have to work his way back into the top-6 to be a consistent fantasy contributor.
Rielly limped off of the ice at practice on Wednesday, but said following the skate that he is "fine" and left "only as a precaution". The young blueliner is coming off of his best game of the season---he had two assists, plus-1 rating and six shots in 22:27 vs. the Sabres on Tuesday.
Wilson, 20, was recently recalled from his conditioning stint with Hershey and rotated in on the Capitals fourth line in the morning skate. Head coach Barry Trotz called him a game-time decision, which likely means he will take warmups and a decision will be made then. If he plays, Eric Fehr will come out.
It looks like the Flyers will be giving Emery his fourth straight start vs. the Lightning on Thursday. Emery has won each of his last three starts while posting a 2.30 GAA and stopping 95 of 102 shots (.931 SV%). He appears to have supplanted Steve Mason for the starting job for now, however, Mason is expected to be between the pipes on Saturday.
McKenzie played two games during his recall, but failed to record a point. The 23-year-old will head back to Texas where he scored a goal in the only game he has appeared in so far this season.
Krug broke his finger when he was slashed against the Wild on Tuesday night. He remained in the game and played a season-high 24:07 and recorded one assist. However, the bigger news is he will be out 2-3 weeks which leaves an already thin blueline even more shorthanded. With Krug out, expect Joe Morrow to get into the lineup on Thursday vs. Buffalo.
Hackett is currently on injured reserve as he tries to work his way back from a torn ACL. He is not expected to be back until late-December or early-January, but even when he is back, he is still going to play for the Sabres and you know what that means.
If there is anything that can hurt your fantasy value more than playing for the Buffalo Sabres, it is playing on the fourth line for the Sabres. Hodgson has one goal and one assist with a minus-7 rating in 10 games this season. He is safe to cut ties with until something changes, which is unlikely.
Holtby stopped 20 of 21 shots in the Capitals 3-1 win over the Flames last Saturday. He was given Sunday night off, but the Caps starter will be back in the crease tonight vs. the Red Wings. Holtby has started the season 3-1-1 with a 1.92 GAA and .922 SV% through five starts and one relief appearance. He faces a Detroit team who, like the Caps, are a great puck possession team, but have struggled to score goals (2.25 G/PG).
Manning will be the Flyers seventh defenseman on their upcoming two-game road trip starting with the Lightning on Thursday. Manning has one goal and four assists with a plus-2 rating in six games with Lehigh Valley.
In the first seven games of Green's season, he was averaging just 1:19 of power-play time per game, while John Carlson was seeing three minutes. At Capitals practice this morning, Green and Carlson swapped spots, which should have Green seeing the three minutes of PP time tonight vs. the Red Wings. Despite limited power-play time, Green has found a way to score three goals with five assists in seven games (one PPP).
Drouin owners got a preview of him on the first line with Steven Stamkos last week, but according to head coach Jon Cooper the plan all along was to ease him into the NHL, which is why he is currently on the third line. He played in the top-6 last week because of injuries up-and-down the lineup, but with healthy forwards returning, he will have to work his way back up.
Morrow, 21, was recalled when Zdeno Chara originally got injured, but was sent back to Providence when Zach Trotman played well on Saturday vs. the Leafs. The B's bluleine struggled on Tuesday night, so they have recalled Morrow to give him a shot. He was a part of the Tyler Seguin trade and has scored one goal with one assists in five games with Providence.
The Bruins blueline struggled on Tuesday without Zdeno Chara and Johnny Boychuk, so they are going to try a few combinations of young players to see what works best. Warsofsky has one points and a minus-3 rating in the AHL this season and has one goal and one assist in six career NHL games.
Brodin crashed violently into the end-boards after being checked from behind by Chris Kreider on Monday. He returned for the third period of that game, but was too banged to play last night. Brodin reportedly had his left hand bandaged up after Monday's game, but it sounds like he is battling a a couple of minor injuries.
Colbrone retired to the dressing room after playing just 8:09. He is tied for eighth in the NHL with eight assists in the first 11 games of the season, but his hot-start could come to a halt if this upper-body injury is serious.
Stajan was injured in a knee-on-knee collision with Habs' defenseman Jared Tinordi. Stajan was in pain and had to be helped off of the ice, which is not a good sign that he will be back soon.
Wisniewski joins an already lengthy injury list in Columbus. The Blue Jackets have not been able to catch a break to start the season and it continued on Tuesday night when Wisniewski broke his finger in a loss to the Senators. Wisniewski has missed 53 games over three years in Columbus, so he is no stranger to the IR.
Backes suffered the injury in the first period when he collided with Stars' defenseman Trevor Daley in the offensive zone. Backes hit the ice hard and suffered what the Blues are calling an upper-body injury. St. Louis hosts Anaheim on Thursday, so expect an update on Wednesday or Thursday morning.
