Dvorak missed the first 62 games of the season but will make his season debut on Tuesday. Dvorak did not record a point during his two-game conditioning stint with Tucson (AHL) but had 37 points (15G / 22A) in 78 games with Arizona last season.
Simmonds’ production took a predictable hit this season after the Flyers signed James van Riemsdyk in the offseason. Simmonds’ playing time dropped 1:30 TOI/gm this season and has led to him scoring 16 goals and 11 assists (27 points) in 62 games. Simmonds in on-pace for less than 10 power-play goals for the first time since 2013 but should help bolster the Predators power-play, which ranks 31st in the NHL right now.
Dvorak missed the first four and a half months of the season with what the Coyotes called an “upper-body” injury but recently played two games with Tucson on a conditioning stint. Dvorak did not record a point but returns to the Coyotes, where he had 37 points (15G / 22A) in 78 gmaes last year.
Dvorak has been sidelined by a lower-body issue since training camp but has been skating with the Coyotes recently and a conditioning stint with Tucson is the next step to get him up to game speed. Dvorak will likely play a few AHL games before returning to Arizona where he will make his season debut. With Nick Schmaltz out and Alex Galchenyuk primarily playing the wing, Dvorak could step right into the No.2 centre role between Galchenyuk and Clayton Keller.
Aston-Reese has been out since January 8th but skated on the Penguins fourth-line and second power-play unit in Wednesday’s morning skate. Aston-Reese is expected to replace Dominik Simon in the lineup vs. the Oilers.
In his first full season with the Kings, Thompson has four goals and two assists (six points) in 53 games. Thompson is a hard-working, fourth liner while has averaged 12:55 TOI/gm. His 64.9 D-zone start% hurts but a 43.4 CorsiFor% and -5.9 CF%rel are absolutely disastrous rates.
Grundstrom was one of the Maple Leafs’ top prospects and has been enjoying a quality campaign with the Marlies, scoring 13 goals with 16 assists (29 points) in 42 games. Grundstrom, a former second-round pick, plays a physical two-way game but doesn’t project to be much of a high-end scorer at the NHL-level.
Acciari has been in the lineup for the last nine games but will be replaced by David Backes on Thursday. Acciari has just four points (1G / 3A) in 40 games this season.
Aston-Reese was presumably hurt during a fight with Colton Sceviour on Tuesday and will miss at least a week of time after landing on IR. The Penguins recalled Garrett Wilson from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) to take his roster spot.
Seeler missed the last two games with an upper-body injury but will return to the lineup in Toronto on Thursday afternoon. Seeler doesn’t bring a lot of offence to the table, having picked up just three points (1G / 2A) in 36 games this year.
Couturier has missed the last two games but is expected to play Wednesday in Calgary. Couturier has played 91% of his 5v5 ice-time with Claude Giroux this season but will start the night as the second-line centre with Michael Raffl and Jakub Voracek on his wings. Couturier has 10 goals and 10 assists (20 points) in 26 games this season.
Couturier is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury so he will not play in Buffalo this afternoon. Either Jordan Weal or Phil Varone, who was recalled on Friday, will replace Couturier in the lineup.
Acciari was a healthy scratch for the last three games, but will replace Chris Wagner tonight. Acciari has no points in 15 games this season.
Vladar has gone 2-3-0 with a 2.52 GAA and .909 SV% in seven starts with Providence this season. Vladar has been called-up to serve as Jaroslav Halak’s backup while Tuukka Rask is out on a personal leave of absence.
Konecny left Friday’s practice after being hit by an Ivan Provorov shot, but said that he expects to play this afternoon vs. the Golden Knights. Konecny has just one assist and a minus-4 rating in four games this season.
Konecny took an Ivan Provorov shot off of his foot in practice and hobbled off of the ice on Friday morning. This clouds Konecny’s status for Saturday’s game vs. the Golden Knights. If Konecny doesn’t play, the Flyers will be without two of their second line forwards with Nolan Patrick out for at least one week with an upper-body injury.
The Coyotes have not had any updates on Dvorak’s status, other than they had “some encouraging stuff but ti’s still a process.” With Dvorak not skating and Alex Galchenyuk out with a lower-body, the Coyotes are without two of their top-3 centres. If Dvorak misses the start of the season, Clayton Keller could move to centre for the time being.
Sanheim is dealing with a minor shoulder injury that he suffered last weekend. The Flyers are keeping their young defenseman off of the ice for one-week as precaution, but expect him back next week. The 22-year-old defenseman is expected to play on the Flyers’ third-pairing this season after posting 10 points (2G / 8A) in 49 games with them last season.
