Ward has not played since December 31 because of a lower-body injury, but his return to the ice is a step in the right direction. When Ward returns the Hurricanes will have a tough decision with three goalies on their hands.

Ward has not played since December 31 because of a lower-body injury, but his return to the ice is a step in the right direction. When Ward returns the Hurricanes will have a tough decision with three goalies on their hands.
This is bad timing for Howard who just started to get his game on track recently. Luckily for the Red Wings Jonas Gustavsson will return to the crease on Wednesday after missing nine games with a groin injury. Petr Mrazek will stay with the team while Howie is out.
Gustavsson has not played since December 28. He could get the nod on Wednesday because Jimmy Howard is dealing with a knee injury. Gustavsson is 11-3-2 with a 2.39 GAA and .914 SV% this season.
Ericsson has missed the last 10 games with a rib injury that he suffered on December 23. Ericsson is expected to be reunited with Niklas Kronwall on the Red Wings' top pair. He has eight points (1G / 7A) in 29 games this season.
Alfredsson was on the ice with the Red Wings once again this morning, but ruled himself out of tomorrow's meeting with the Blackhawks. It will be the sixth consecutive game that Alfie has missed, but hopefully for the injury ravaged Red Wings he will be available for Friday.
Tarasenko missed last night's game in Detroit because of the flu, but monitor his status prior to tonight's game. He will skate on a line with Vlad Sobotka and Magnus Paajarvi if he does play.
Hedman missed Sunday's game agains the Hurricanes after being struck by a puck in the ankle on Saturday. Hedman is listed as day-to-day, so he appears in line to return on Thursday.
There is no word on who will back-up Cam Talbot tonight because there could be some weather complications if recalling someone from AHL Hartford. Monitor Lundqvist's status leading up to Thursday's contest vs. the Blues.
Tallinder has missed the last nine games with an upper-body injury but will replace Mark Pysyk tonight. Tallinder has averaged 19:21 TOI while registering two goals and four assists with a minus-12 rating in 34 games this season.
Brunner has missed the last 14 games with a sprained MCL but will slide back onto the Devils' third line with Dainius Zubrus and Patrik Elias tonight. Brunner has 14 points (8G / 5A) with a minus-6 rating and 70 shots on goal in 32 games in his first season with New Jersey.
Howard had been playing well despite allowing three goals on 25 shots. The Blues were all over the Red Wings for the large majority of Monday's contest and Howard was up to the test, until he was forced from the game with a knee injury. Howard will be reevaluated today. Howie had just started to get his game back on track, so missing any time would be a tough break for he and his fantasy investors. Jonas Gustavsson is expected to return Wednesday against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks, giving the Wings a tandem of Gustavsson and Petr Mrazek.
There is no word when Ovechkin suffered the lower-body injury but he will be a gametime decision tonight. The Capitals have lost five straight so missing Ovechkin vs. the surging Senators would be troubling. Monitor Ovi's status leading up to puck-drop.
Voracek will be re-evaluated when the team returned to Philadelphia. The Flyers host Carolina on Tuesday. Voracek’s loss would be huge. He has nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points in his last 19 games. “We’re not sure yet,” coach Craig Berube said. “It’s a loss for sure. He’s a good player and one of our better players. So it’s going to be a loss if he’s out. That happens. People have to step up and play.”
Sedin's ironman streak will come to an end at 679 games. That is the sixth longest in NHL history, the last time he missed a regular season game was during the 2003-04 season. Sedin is listed as day-to-day.
Hanzal is dealing with a nagging injury that is expected to be to his lower-body. Monitor his status during pre-game warmups.
Sedin missed the third period of Saturday's game and his absence at practice today puts his availability for tomorrow game in jeopardy. Monitor his status following Tuesday's morning skate.
Tyutin missed the last two games with an illness but should draw back into the lineup on Tuesday vs. Los Angeles. Tyutin had a solid first day back, so he is expected to play tomorrow, however monitor his status following the gameday skate for confirmation.
Brunner has been out since December 20 because of a sprained MCL but was back on the ice skating on a regular line on Monday. He was skating with Patrik Elias and Dainius Zubrus so it looks like he will be back in tomorrow. The Swiss forward has 13 points (8G / 5A) in 32 games in his first season with the Devils.
The Blues are in Detroit tonight, but they may be without Tarasenko who is currently fighting the flu. Tarasenko hasn't scored in his last four games but has totalled 15 goals and 14 assists (29 points) in 47 games this season. Adam Cracknell will draw into the lineup if Tarasenko can't play.
Jones has missed the last eight games with an eye infection but appears to be back tonight vs. the Sharks. He has 12 points (6G / 6A) in 36 games this season. Jones is expected to skate with Matt Stajan and Paul Byron tonight.
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.
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.
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.