Weber was a late scratch on Thursday but was back on the ice this morning and could be back on Saturday. Weber remains a question mark, but at least it doesn’t appear to be a serious injury.
Cole has missed the last three games after taking a puck to the mouth vs. the Predators on October 7th. Cole has been cleared to play tonight, but it remains to be seen if he will actually draw into the lineup. The Penguins have listed him as a game-time decision so monitor his status as they hit the ice for warmups.
Cole has missed the last three games with a mouth injury, but it looks like he could draw back into the lineup on Tuesday. Cole’s return will help the Penguins’ blueline, but he doesn’t have a lot of fantasy relevance.
Cole was smashed in the face by a Roman Josi slapshot on Saturday, resulting in some lost teeth and a mangled mouth. Cole obviously has some discomfort after the gruesome shot block, so look for Chad Ruhwedel to replace him on the blueline tomorrow.
Pouliot was the No.8 overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, but has yet to reach his full potential in Pittsburgh. The 23-year-old defenseman split last season between the NHL and AHL, recording 23 points (7G / 16A) in 46 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and no points in 11 games with the Penguins. The rebuilding Canucks can take a chance on the young blueliner, who likely won’t crack the top-6 to open the season.
This is an unfortunate injury for Bertuzzi, who was expected to open the season with the Red Wings after dazzling in the AHL playoffs last spring. Bertuzzi could still be a Red Wing when he’s healthy, but this injury opens the door for Martin Frk or Luke Witkowski to open the season as their No.12 forward.
Ellis underwent knee surgery in June and is expected to miss the first three months of the season, at the very least. This is a huge blow to the Predators’ talented blueline as Ellis is coming off of a career-highs in goals (16) and points (38). With Ellis sidelined, look for offseason acquisition Alexei Emelin to play a more prominent role and for Matt Irwin to see regular playing time.
Ellis was hurt during the Predators’ loss in Montreal on Thursday and missed today’s morning skate. Ellis is listed as day-to-day and will come out of the lineup tonight vs. the Blackhawks. Anthony Bitetto will replace Ellis and is expected to skate with Yannick Weber.
