Skinner missed the first four games of the season with a concussion he suffered in the preseason, but he will play tonight vs. the Jets. Skinner is an elite goal scorer and that was evidenced by his 33 goals in 71 games last season. He will skate on a line with Victor Rask and Elias Lindholm in his season debut.
Skinner missed his fourth straight game after suffering a concussion in the preseason, but the Hurricanes are off until Tuesday so he has time to rest and will should be in the lineup against the Jets. As a corresponding roster move, the sent Brody Sutter and Patrick Brown back to the AHL.
Skinner skated for the second straight day, but will not play tonight vs. the Rangers. After tonight, the Hurricanes are of until Tuesday, so they are electing to give their young star four extra days to rest before he returns to the lineup.
Typically a player who is available for the evening's game will take part in line rushes with the line that he will play with that night, with Skinner not taking part, it suggests he is not ready to return to the lineup on Thursday. Expect an update following the morning skate.
Skinner was a full participant in Hurricanes practice this morning and skated on the third line with Brad Malone and Patrick Brown. He will probably take part in the morning skate and the Hurricanes will see how he feels before deciding whether or not he will play against the Rangers.
Skinner is a full participant in Hurricanes practice on Wednesday, which means he should be available to play on Thursday against the Rangers. Monitor his status later this afternoon or tomorrow during the morning skate for confirmation that he will play.
Thornton was clipped by a puck in warmups yesterday and had to go to the dentist to get some repairs done this morning. Thornton has three assists in three games and should be active in fantasy formats tomorrow vs. the Islanders.
This is the first time that Skinner has joined his teammates for a practice since suffering a concussion in the preseason. He will not play tonight, but is targeting Thursday for a return. Monitor his status leading up to Thursday's contest.
Skinner has not played this season, but the Hurricanes expect him to be on the ice with the team on Tuesday and possibly make his season debut on Thursday. Eric Staal was injured over the weekend, so getting Skinner back in the lineup will be huge for the Hurricanes.
Skinner sustained the concussion on a hit by Matt Niskanen in Sunday's preseason game vs. the Capitals. Skinner has had concussion issues in the past, so this is not the way he or the Hurricanes wanted to start the season.“He will continue to be monitored by our team doctors and go through proper protocols in the coming days," said GM Ron Francis. Don't expect to see Skinner in the season opener vs. the Islanders.
Leddy, 23, had seven goals with 24 assists (31 points) in 82 games with the Blackhawks last season. Leddy has never missed a regular season game in three NHL seasons and should be in the Isles' top-4 with a lot of power-play time.
Leddy served as a healthy scratch in Chicago's 4-0 loss in game 3, but will play on Friday. Expect Sheldon Brookbank to come out of the lineup to make room for Leddy.
Vlasic missed game 6 after being elbowed in the head by Kings' forward Jarret Stoll in game 5. He is there best puck moving defenseman, so his loss is a big one, but Matt Irwin filled-in pretty well in game 6. Irwin logged 18:43 of ice-time and was a minus-1, he'll be in again tonight.
Vlasic was injured early in Saturday's 3-0 loss to the Kings after being hit by Jarret Stoll. Vlasic will be replaced by Matt Irwin, who played 62 games this season, but is a downgrade from the Olympian Vlasic. Vlasic is considered day-to-day.
Vlasic left Saturday's game after playing just 5:38 and did not return. Vlasic was injured on a hit by Kings forward Jarret Stoll. The Canadian Olympian is the key component on the Sharks blueline, so missing him in any capacity would severely weaken the San Jose backend.
It looks like San Jose will give Vlasic a rest tonight. Vlasic has played in all 80 games this season as well as the Olmypics. He will get a much needed rest tonight after posting 24 points (5G / 19A) with a plus-31 rating in those 80 games.
Couture was listed as a game-time decision after suffering a foot injury on Monday. Following Monday's game head coach Todd McLellan said that Couture was "fine" so it looks like Couture will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Jets.
Couture missed two periods on Monday and Tuesday's game after taking a blast off the foot in the first period in Calgary on Monday. He did skate this afternoon, which is a good sign that he will be in the lineup, but the 10:30 pm ET start puts a strain on your lineup.
Couture left Monday's game in the first period and did not return. He was injured after being hit by a slapshot. He is "fine" according to coach Todd McLellan, but will get the night off.
Couture was injured while blocking a shot on Monday vs. the Flames. He attempted to return to the game in the second period, but retired to the dressing room after one shift. Monitor Couture's status prior to tonight's 9:30 ET puck-drop. He had 12 points in his previous 13 games before Monday.
