Ellis has been sidelined with a lower-body injury since January 8th. His return to the Predators morning skate is a good sign that he is progressing well and close to being back in the lineup.
Ellis did not participate in the Predators morning skate, but he skated alone prior to the team’s practice session. Ellis has been sidelined since January 8th and will likely miss another week before returning.
Braun missed the Sharks last game before the All Star break after breaking his hand last Monday. The injury will keep him out of the lineup until at least late-February, likely until early-to-mid March. He had 19 points (1G / 18A) in 47 games before getting injured.
Braun will be out for “weeks” according to coach Todd McLellan. Braun suffered an upper-body injury in Monday’s loss to New Jersey and will be missed on the Sharks’ blue line for at least a couple of weeks. With Braun out, San Jose recalled Dylan Demelo from Worcester (AHL).
Braun, who had appeared in all 47 games this season, left at the 6:48 mark in the second period of last night’s game vs. New Jersey. Expect a more detailed update on Braun’s injury in the next 24 hours.
The Sabres will sit Ristolainen tonight vs. the Red Wings and he will be replaced by Andrej Meszaros. Ristolainen has one assist and a minus-5 rating in his last eight games.
Ellis was injured in Thursday’s game vs. the Stars and will miss at least the next five games. He will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break and then a more detailed timeline will be released. The Predators did not recall a defenseman from Milwaukee for today’s game, so Anton Volchenkov must be ready to return.
Ellis left after playing just 11:16 TOI and did not return. Ellis had been playing really well, having registered two goals and three assists in his previous three games—5G / 13A, plus-12 in 40 games this season. If Ellis misses an extended period of time, it could open the door for veteran Ian White to make it back to the NHL.
Ristolainen was back paired with his usual partner Nikita Zadorov last night vs. the Panthers. He played 19:07 TOI and registered one shot in the 2-0 loss. The Sabres are back in action tonight in New York.
Ristolainen took part in the Sabres morning skate, but will miss his second straight game with the flu. Look for him to be back on Friday vs. Florida.
Ristolainen was left back in Buffalo so he will not be in the lineup tonight. He is listed as day-to-day.
There is an illness making its way around the Sabres locker room and it took Ristolainen victim last night. He is considered day-to-day.
Johansen missed Monday’s practice because he was “banged up”, but was on the ice for Tuesday’s morning skate. He will be in the lineup vs. the Red Wings. He comes into tonight with six goals and 14 assists (20 points) in 17 games.
Johansen has six goals and 14 assists and leads the Jackets with 20 points, and averages nearly 20 minutes of ice time per game.
The Flyers tried Chris VandeVelde on the top line on Thursday, but will have Simmonds there to start the game tonight. Simmonds is a natural RW who will shift to the left side, but playing with Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux should provide ample scoring chances for the big winger. Simmonds has cooled off after a hot start, but has six goals and three assists with a plus-10 rating in 13 games this season.
Couturier was not on the ice on Wednesday because of a stomach virus, but he is back out there today and should play tonight. The young centre has recorded three goals and two assists (5 points) in 12 games this season.
The Flyers are in action on Thursday so monitor Couturier’s status during tomorrow’s morning skate. If he takes part, he should play, if not his status will be in doubt.
Just three days after signing a three-year, $12 million dollar deal, Johansen will throw that Blue Jackets jersey on and lace em up tonight vs. the Sabres. He only has one practice and a gameday skate under him, so you can expect a little rust. With all the injuries in Columbus right now, the Jackets will lean heavily on Johansen and his linemates Nick Foligno and Cam Atkinson.
Simmonds will open the season on a line with Sean Couturier and Matt Read as he looks to build off of his career-year from a season ago. Simmonds had 29 goals and 31 assists and played a huge role on the Flyers PP, scoring 15 of his goals with the extra man. Despite starting on the third line, there is no doubt that he will be on the top PP unit.
Johansen joined the Blue Jackets for his first practice of the season on Wednesday morning and he reportedly did not look sharp at certain point of the skate. That is to be expected from a player who missed the entire preseason, but with all the injuries in Columbus right now, it would be surprising to not see Johansen in the lineup. Even a Ryan Johansen at 75% is likely still their top centre right now.
