Davidson (undisclosed) let Wednesday’s game and will not return.
There is no word on what is ailing Davidson, but he will miss the remainder of the season opener. Expect the Oilers to give an update on Davidson in the next 24 hours.
NHL Hockey Player News
Quick left Wednesday’s game with a lower-body injury and is not expected to return.
Quick left after the first period and is not expected to return. The Kings’ netminder stopped 14 of 15 shots in the first frame, that included a dustup with Joe Pavelski following the Sharks’ goal. There is no word on when Quick suffered the injury, but expected an update in the next 24 hours.
Eichel has been diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain; no timetable for a return.
Eichel suffered a high ankle sprain in Wednesday’s practice and will likely miss a minimum of 4-to-6 weeks. It could be much longer, but the Sabres have not released a timetable. Eichel’s injury means that Johan Larsson and Tyler Ennis will likely take on bigger roles.
Czarnik (concussion) will play in the Bruins’ season opener.
Czarnik suffered a concussion in the preseason on a hit from Flyers’ defenseman Radko Gudas—a hit that got him suspended for six games. Czarnik will centre the Bruins’ third line with Matt Beleskey on his left and Jimmy Hayes on his right wing.
Crosby (concussion) will miss the Penguins’ season opener.
Crosby took part in parts of the Penguins’ practice on Wednesday, albeit in a non-contact sweater. Crosby will miss the first game of the year, but his availability this morning is encouraging and suggests that he won’t miss an extended period of time.
Injury
Klein (back) will not play in the Rangers’ season opener.
Klein underwent an MRI on his back that showed a strain. Klein is listed as day-to-day and will miss the season opener on Thursday. With Klein out, look for Skjei to get into the lineup.
Okposo (bruised knee) will not play in the Sabres’ season opener.
Okposo has been trying to work his way back from a bruised knee he suffered in the preseason, but he wasn’t on the ice for Wednesday’s practice and will miss Thursday’s game. Consider him day-to-day and monitor his status prior to Sunday’s game in Edmonton.
Eichel left Wednesday’s practice with an apparent left injury.
Eichel’s leg bent backwards awkwardly and had to be helped off of the ice and appeared to be a serious amount of pain. All signs are pointing towards Eichel missing some time, but there likely won’t be an update until later today. Consider him doubtful for Thursday’s season opener.
Rust (undisclosed) returned to practice on Wednesday.
Rust has been skating on his own, but finally got back into practice on Wednesday. With Sidney Crosby likely out of the season opener with a concussion, the Penguins could use Rust back in the lineup, but that seems unlikely at this point. Consider him day-to-day.
Miller will miss six weeks after undergoing surgery on his left hand.
Miller had to get surgery to repair a broken bone in his left hand and will miss the first six weeks of the regular season. With Miller out, Brandon Carlo is expected to take his spot next to Zdeno Chara.
Bergeron will miss the Bruins’ season opener with a lower-body injury.
Bergeron was held off of the ice during the Bruins’ practice on Wednesday and will miss their season opener on Thursday. With Bergeron out, David Backes will shift to centre and take his spot between Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. Bergeron is listed as day-to-day.
Price (illness) will not travel to Buffalo for the season opener.
Price has been fighting a virus, but all signs were pointing towards him being ready for the season opener on Thursday. He missed Wednesday’s practice and will not travel to Buffalo for Thursday’s game. Look for Al Montoya to start and consider Price as day-to-day.
Miller (undisclosed) will miss an “extended period of time.”
Miller already made it back from a knee injury this preseason, but a new undisclosed injury will keep him out for “an extended period of time,” per Bruins GM Don Sweeney. With Miller out, 19-year-old Brandon Carlo and 23-year-old Rob O’Gara, who both impressed in training camp, will start the year with the Bruins and could see big minutes early in the year.
McGinn (upper-body) missed Tuesday’s practice and is questionable for the Coyotes’ season opener.
McGinn has been absent since last Friday’s preseason contest and remains questionable for the season opener. Thankfully for the Coyotes, they don’t open the season until Saturday, so it gives McGinn a few extra days to recover.
Arvidsson is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
There is no word on when Arvidsson suffered the injury, but it puts his stats for the Predators’ season opener in question. Arvidsson is a talented offensive winger, but will likely find it difficult to carve out a large enough role on a deep team to be fantasy relevant.
Del Zotto (lower-body) will be placed on long-term injured reserve on Wednesday.
Del Zotto is expected to miss at least the first month of the regular season, so his move to IR simply opens up a roster spot for an extra player to make the Flyers roster out of training camp. Del Zotto’s injury means that rookie Ivan Provorov will play huge minutes to start his NHL career.
The Flyers have placed Scott Laughton (knee) on long-term injured reserve.
Laughton is recovering from a sprained knee that he suffered in training camp. With Laughton expected to miss at least 10 games, his move to LTIR helps the Flyers with some cap relief and a roster spot. Start monitoring Laughton’s status in about three weeks when he will be eligible to be removed from LTIR.
O’Reilly (back) missed Tuesday’s practice and is questionable for the season opener.
O’Reilly skipped Tuesday’s practice session, which leaves his status for the season opener up in the air. O’Reilly was able to skate on his own before the session but remains day-to-day. The Sabres could also be without Kyle Okposo for Thursday’s contest.
Okposo (knee) missed Tuesday’s practice and is questionable for the season opener.
Okposo was already questionable for the season opener and each additional practice that he misses leading up to Thursday further clouds his status. The Sabres may also be without Ryan O’Reilly, which would put them without two-thirds of their top line. Monitor Okposo’s status on Wednesday and during Thursday’s morning skate.
Injury
Klein (back spasms) missed practice the last two days and is questionable for Thursday’s season opener.
Klein has missed the last few practices and is questionable for the start of the 2016-17 season. It looked as if Dylan McIlrath would start the season in the press box, but if Klein is unable to play, look for him to draw into the lineup. Klein has missed a combined 26 games over the last two years.
NHL Injury Report
Daily Faceoff NHL injury report compiles all of the reported injuries from across the National Hockey League so you can see who is set to be sidelined, what their injury is, and how long they are expect to be out of commission. Injury updates are some of the most important NHL player news for any hockey fan to stay on top of, as winning or losing can ultimately be decided by the absence of a key player from within a team’s lineup. If you’re an avid hockey bettor, it’s crucial to your betting success that you stay informed on the latest injury news. Check out the latest NHL injury report on this page and see who’s set to miss some time this NHL season.
Reading the NHL Injury Report
The daily NHL injury report provides you with information regarding the type of injury a player is suffering from, the severity of it, as well as the timeline for their potential return. Common injury designations are day-to-day (almost fully healthy) out (not healthy, but not a long-term issue), and injured reserve/long-term injured reserve (out for an extended period of time).
Along with our regularly updated NHL injury report, you can also stay in the know regarding NHL injuries through team reporters/beat writers, social media channels and journalists, as well as official site reports from the NHL or their respective clubs.
Common NHL Injuries
In a physical sport such as hockey, injuries are a necessary evil as the toll it takes on each player’s body builds up over the course of an entire season. With the speed the game is played at the NHL level, it is common place for various injures to occur on a game-to-game basis. Whether it’s from a hard hit, inadvertent contact from a stick, or even being pelted by a blocked shot or deflected puck, it can be nearly impossible to avoid getting banged up over the course of an NHL contest.
Unlike many other professional sports leagues across the globe, the NHL tends to keep injury details close to the vest, reporting injury designations as either an upper body injury or lower body injury after players undergo tests. Below we’ll dive into some of the most common injuries that occur across the NHL, how they can affect players, and how long these injuries can sideline them from action.
Upper Body Injuries
Upper body injuries encompass all injuries that occur from the waist and up which includes the torso, arms, back, as well as the head. Common upper body injuries include shoulder dislocation, clavicle fractures, and broken/sprained wrists. An upper body injury could happen in a number of ways.
One of the most common and severe injuries that occurs across the NHL are concussions. Concussions are caused when the brain bounces or twists within the skull. This can be caused in a number of ways in hockey, generally from a hard impact whether that’s against another players body, the ice, or the boards. Recovery timelines for concussions vary from case-to-case with some players suffering mild effects and clearing protocol within a few weeks, to drastic scenarios where a player could miss the remainder of the season.
Lower Body Injuries
While players are often able to play through upper body injuries, a lower body injury can force a player to miss an extended amount of ice time depending on the location and severity of the issue. Lower body injuries encompass all issues from the waist down.
With so many pivotal muscle groups found within the lower body, these types of injuries often leave athletes unable to practice, let alone compete. Arguably the worst lower body injury a player can experience is a knee injury. From ACL tears, to MCL strains, or even broken patellas, there a numerous key ligaments and muscles, within the knee that are essential to a hockey players ability to hit the ice. Severe injuries to the knee can lead to lengthy absences from the lineup as well as a host of potential issues down the line of a players career if not successfully rehabbed. Other common lower body injuries in hockey include hip pointers, groin strains, and sprained/broken ankles.
Reserve Lists
In the NHL, players are often moved in and out of the lineup due to injury but when an issue occurs in which a player is set to miss an extended period of time, they must be placed under the official designation of the injured reserve list. NHL teams utilize reserve lists as a way to provide injured players time to recover from their physical ailments, as well as to free up space within their active roster to replace the output of their missing player.
There are two versions of reserve lists in the NHL, the injured reserve list (IR) and the long term injured reserve list (LTIR). Each reserve list holds their own distinctions for players to qualify, as well as how teams are able to replace members of the roster when they are forced to send an injured athlete to an injury reserve list. Below are the key differences between each reserve list and how an injured player can find themselves placed there in a season.
Injured Reserve List
The injured reserve list (IR) is for any player who is set to miss seven calendar days or more due to injury, disablement or illness is designated. Once a player is sent to injured reserve they must spend at least seven calendar days out of the teams lineup, but is still able to attend practices, team meetings, as well as travel with their team. Players are eligible to stay on the injured reserve until they are cleared by their team medical staff as ready and fit to return to competition…. When a player is sent to the injured reserve list, clubs are able to call up players from their roster to replace them whether that is from a scratched member of their main roster, a call up from the minors (AHL/ECHL), or by signing a free agent (cap space permitting).
Long Term Injured Reserve List
Similar to the injured reserve list, the long term injured reserve list (LTIR) is designed for teams to make up for severe injuries that have occurred to a player during the season. A player can be placed on the LTIR if they have been evaluated by medical staff and are ruled out of action for a minimum of 24 calendar days or 10 NHL games. Players often spend a much longer time on this reserve list once they are placed there due to the nature and severity of their injuries.
One major difference between the IR and the LTIR is the ability to circumvent the salary cap. When a player is placed on the LTIR, teams are able to pull from what is referred to as the “LTIR Pool”. The LTIR pool is the amount in which a team is granted in cap space after a player has been assigned to the LTIR. This amount is determined by subtracting the total amount of cap space remaining for a team from the affected player’s salary cap hit for the season. The amount given in the LTIR pool is also dependent on whether a team is under or over the salary cap at the beginning of the regular season.
For example, if a player who has a $2 million annual cap hit is placed on the LTIR and their team was under the salary cap by $500K, they would deduct the $500K in remaining cap space from the player’s annual salary hit, leaving the team with $1.5M to spend on replacements for their injured player.
However, if a team is over the salary cap to begin the regular season the LTIR pool is divided differently. In this case whatever the value of the overage in salary cap is at the start of the season will be the LTIR pool funds available for a club. For example, if a team is over the salary cap by $1 million, and a player with a $5 million cap hit is placed on the LTIR, their LTIR pool is valued at $1M as that is the amount they were over the cap to begin the season.
When a player is removed from the LTIR, the team must be under the annual salary cap hit on that day.
Considering Injuries When Placing NHL Bets
Considering injuries when placing NHL bets is incredibly important. By staying informed about the latest injury news heading into a matchup, you can better formulate how a matchup may play out based on the personnel available for action. Here’s how you can use the NHL injury report to influence your next bet and help give you a knowledgeable boost on all your wagers placed on tonight’s clashes.
Moneyline and Puck Line Bets
When placing a moneyline or puck line bet, knowing who is suiting up for action can make or break your chances of winning your wager. It only takes the absence of one player to shift the lines and change the outcome of the game. By waiting for the latest injury report prior to puck drop, bettors can make informed decisions before throwing down a wager on an upcoming matchup.
For example, if the New Jersey Devils are set to play the Columbus Blue Jackets but Jack Hughes is out due to injury, you may not want to back the Devils on the moneyline. Instead, you can use this information to reevaluate where the best value is on the adjusted moneyline and puck line for this contest.
Goal Total Bets
Each team relies heavily on their top goal-scorers to produce on a nightly-basis. If one of these performers is sidelined due to injury this could majorly effect the final score of the game. For example, if Minnesota Wild star forward Kirill Kaprizov is out of action due to injury heading into a contest against the New York Islanders, you could use this information to your advantage by betting the Under on the matchup due to the elite goal-scorer’s absence.
The same can be said inversely about a team’s goaltending. If the Tampa Bay Lightning are set to be without superstar netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy in their clash with the Toronto Maple Leafs, it may be in your best interest to bet the Over as his backup may not be able to handle the oppositions high-powered offence.
Prop Bets
Player injuries are also a prevalent factor to take into account before placing a prop bet on a matchup. If a team is without some of their top line players, it can leave the door open for someone lower in the depth chart to step up in their place.
For example, if The Ottawa Senators are taking on the San Jose Sharks, but Brady Tkachuk is listed as out on the latest injury report, other members of the Senators may be due for an increase in output as they look to make up for the void in production left by their team captain.
Futures Odds
While you don’t need a crystal ball to place a successful futures bet, knowing the latest injury news for each team can make a positive impact on your bets potential success. The NHL regular season is a vigorous journey that takes a heavy toll on the bodies of the athletes competing, and can sometimes lead to key members of a roster winding up on the injured reserve as a result. If a team does end up with an injury to one of their top players, this could completely derail their hopes of competing into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
For example, if Colorado Avalanche superstar forward Nathan Mackinnon suffers a season-ending injury just before the All-Star break, you can expect to see their Stanley Cup future odds drop drastically as their best player is put on the shelf. On the other hand, you can also expect to see the ripple effects of this change in odds as other top contenders see their Stanley Cup odds increase as the competition among the top of the league is dropped.
NHL Injury Report FAQs
How often does the NHL injury report get updated?
The NHL injury report is updated daily so that you can see the latest injury news ahead of puck drop in any of today’s matchups. Seeing timely updates to the NHL injury report can make a major impact on your daily fantasy sports picks and wagers on a particular game. All information provided on the NHL injury report is provided directly by the NHL and each respective franchise to ensure accuracy.
How long can a player stay on the injured reserve list?
While the minimum amount of time spent on the injured reserve list is seven calendar days, there is no maximum amount of time that a player can be placed on the injured reserve list. If a player is set to be sidelined for longer than 24 calendar days or 10 NHL games, then a club may opt to place them on the long-term injured reserve instead. This allows franchises with the ability to exceed the salary cap while a player is placed on this reserve list.
How long does it take to recover from an ice hockey injury?
No injury recovery timeline is the same as another as there are several factors that go into the rehab process for a player being affected by injury. Factors include but are not limited to, injury severity, player injury/medical history, age, as well as the location of the injury. Some injuries are able to clear up in a matter of days, while others may take an athlete out of action for the entirety of a season.