Jurco will miss at least the next three games with a disc issue in his back. Should be be shutdown until after the All-Star break, then he will miss at least six games. This should let the Red Wings take a long look at Teemu Pulkinen.
Salomaki scored a goal on four shots in his NHL debut last night. Despite a strong debut, with Matt Cullen and Taylor Beck coming back from IR, he has been squeezed back to the minors.
Beck has missed the last four games with an illness, but will return to the lineup on Saturday vs. the Wild. He skated on the second line this afternoon in practice, so that is where he is expected to start tomorrow’s game. He has eight points (4G / 4A) in 28 games this season.
Cullen has missed the last six games with an upper-body injury but will be back in the lineup on Saturday vs. the Wild. Expect him to start on the wing on the third line with Calle Jarnkrok in the middle and Olli Jokinen on the other flank.
Higgins was held out of Thursday’s game and was not on the ice for the Canucks’ practice on Friday because of the flu. If Higgins is not good-to-go on Saturday, expect Linden Vey to remain in the lineup.
Elliott allowed two goals on 26 shots in the Blues 7-2 win over the Sharks on Thursday. He extended his winning streak to three games, while posting a 1.34 GAA and .942 SV% in the process. He draws a great matchup with the Hurricanes in town—Elliott is 6-2-0 with a 1.63 GAA and .940 SV% at Scottrade Center this season.
Grossmann suffered the injury in the first period of Thursday’s overtime win vs. the Capitals. He was replaced on the top-pair by Andrew MacDonald this morning. Look for him to be back in the early stages of February.
Parise missed Tuesday’s game to be with his ailing father and then missed Thursday’s game after he passed away from lung cancer. Parise said he plans to be in the lineup and said that his dad would have been mad that he missed two games. Parise, who has 30 points (14G / 16A) in 32 games will be a huge boost to the Wild lineup.
Parenteau will miss his third straight game with an upper-body injury that he suffered last Friday vs. the Devils. Coach Therrien said that Parenteau is progressing, but will be held out of the lineup tomorrow. Look for him to be back next Wednesday in Columbus.
Bobrovsky allowed two goals on 26 shots in the Blue Jackets win over the Stars on Tuesday. It was a nice bounce-back for Bob who had a rough outing vs. the Coyotes on the weekend. Tonight he will face a Maple Leafs team in a state of flux—they have a new head coach and have dropped eight of their last 10 games.
Smid has missed the last 10 games with an upper-body injury but will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Panthers. He will replace Raphael Diaz.
Scrivens allowed two goals on 33 shots in the Oilers win over the Islanders on Sunday. He was given Tuesday night off, but will be back in goal tonight vs. the Blackhawks. It is not a desirable matchup for any net minder, but especially not an Oilers goalie. Scrivens has a 3.01 GAA and .898 SV% on the year.
Neuvirth was pulled after he allowed four goals on nine shots in the Sabres loss to the Rangers last Friday. Neuvirth has lost his last five outings with a 4.83 GAA and .870 SV%. He is a risky option, especially vs. the high-powered Lightning offence.
Prosser has missed the last two games with an illness, but returned to practice this afternoon. His return to the ice suggests that he could be back in the lineup on Saturday vs. the Predators.
Eriksson was on the ice this morning, but he still remains questionable for tomorrow’s game vs. the Flyers. It is an afternoon start, so the Bruins will not have a morning skate, monitor his status prior to game-time (1PM ET).
Letang missed practice on Thursday, but returned to practice on Friday and is fully expected to play tomorrow vs. the Canadiens. Monitor his status during the Pens’ morning skate.
McGrattan has not played since December 6th. He has no points with a minus-2 rating in eight games. There is a small chance that he is claimed by another team, so expect him to go down to Adirondack (AHL).
Bickel had one assist in nine games with the Wild this season. He heads back to the AHL where he has three assists in nine games.
Kinkaid surrendered three goals on 25 shots in the Devils loss to the Canadiens last Friday. Cory Schneider faced 42 shots last night, so he will likely get the night off tonight vs. the Islanders. He made 31 saves in a 3-2 shootout loss in his first start vs. the Isles.
Parise was on the ice before practice taking shots, but is expected to be a full participant this afternoon. Parise missed the last two games because of the death of his father; his return to practice today suggests that he should be available for Saturday’s game vs. the Predators.