O’Reilly will not play on Monday vs. the Flames, but he is reportedly close to returning to the lineup and could play Wednesday vs. the Red Wings. Monitor his status during Wednesday’s morning skate.
Saros was recalled from Milwaukee and was expected to replace Marek Mazanec as the Predators’ backup, but that wasn’t the case. He backed up Pekka Rinne for a few games, before Mazanec came back up and actually got the start while Rinne was out. With Rinne back for Thursday’s game, Saros is the goalie who heads back to Milwaukee.
Stamkos left Tuesday’s game after getting twisted up on the sideboards. Stamkos was unable to put any weight on his leg as he left the ice and the Lightning confirmed the concern that it was a series injury. Stamkos has had a tough time with serious injuries during the last few years. He will undergo surgery for a lateral meniscus tear, but there is no timetable for his return.
O’Reilly has missed the last two games and it looks like he will miss a third straight game on Thursday. O’Reilly is listed as questionable, so monitor his status during the morning skate.
Stamkos appeared to twist his knee in the first period of the Lightning's win in Detroit on Tuesday. Stamkos was unable to put any weight on his right leg as he left the ice and headed down the tunnel. Stamkos did not return to the game and returning to Tampa Bay for further evaluation suggests the injury could force him to miss some time.
O’Reilly missed Wednesday’s game vs. the Senators, but was on the ice for the gameday skate and it looks like he will return to the lineup tonight vs. the Devils. O’Reilly has eight points (4G / 4A) in 12 games this season.
O’Reilly was not on the ice for the Sabres’ morning skate and is listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game vs. the Senators. With O’Reilly taking the morning off, Hudson Fasching skated in his spot, but the lines will likely be shuffled if O’Reilly can’t go. Monitor his status when the Sabres’ hit the ice for warmups at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Saros stopped 34 of 35 shots in a win over the Penguins in his season debut back on October 22nd. Saros is viewed as the Predators’ goalie of the future and his recall comes after he went 6-1-0 with a 1.99 GAA and .929 SV% with Milwaukee. With Pekka Rinne being average through the first month of the season, Saros comes up to be the Predators’ No.2, but carries some fantasy value in daily leagues, especially in keeper leagues.
Saros stopped 34 of 35 shots in the Predators win over the Penguins on Saturday. He started because Pekka Rinne had food poisoning. He was excellent and is the goalie of the future in Nashville, but he heads back to Milwaukee for the time being.
O’Reilly was battling a back injury in the preseason but will be in the lineup for the first game of the season. O’Reilly will not be able to take all of the face-offs tonight, which means Sam Reinhart will have to draw in, but he shouldn’t be too limited otherwise. He will play on the top line between Reinhart and Evander Kane.
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.
After Jonathan Huberdeau left Saturday’s preseason game, Marchessault took reps with Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr. Marchessault had seven goals and 11 assists (18 points) in 45 games with the Lightning last year before signing with Florida this summer.
Marchessault, 25, split his 2015-16 campaign between the NHL and AHL. The 5-foot-9 forward had nine points (6G / 3A) in 11 games with Syracuse and 18 points (7G / 11A) in 45 games with the Lightning. Marchessault will fight for a spot on the Panthers’ opening night roster in training camp this Fall.
The Lightning cut it close, signing Stamkos two days before he hit the free agency market. There were a tonne of teams hoping Stamkos would become a free agent, but it looks like he will be with the Lightning through the 2023-24 NHL season. Stamkos missed games at the end of the season with a blood clot issue, but he finished with 36 goals and 28 assists (64 points) in 77 games.
