Vlasic suffered an upper-body injury on Tuesday vs. the Oilers. He was not on the ice for the morning skate and will not play tonight vs. the Wild. Vlasic will be replaced by Matt Tennyson, who was recalled this morning.
Couture suffered an apparent head injury in the Sharks win over the Flyers on Tuesday. He skate in the top-6 this morning and said that he is feeling good to go tonight, but needs to pass one more concussion protocol test. Consider him as a game-time decision.
Couture caught an inadvertent shoulder to the jaw when he collided with Flyers’ forward Michael Raffl. Couture went down in a heap, left the game and did not return. "He was checked out during the game," coach Todd McLellan said after San Jose's 2-1 victory. "I saw him after. He looks OK, but he'll be re-evaluated in the morning."
Wennberg has three assists and a minus-14 rating in 21 games with the Blue Jackets this season. Kerby Rychel and Michael Chaput were recalled with Wennberg going down.
Wennberg was sent down on Sunday but it was just a 'paper move' so they could activate Ryan Murray (knee) from IR. Today they placed Matt Calvert (upper-body) on IR to make room for Wennberg to be added back to the 23-man roster.
Wennberg, 20, appeared in seven games with the Blue Jackets this season, registering his first NHL point (assist) in his NHL debut on October 9 at Buffalo. He recorded 16 goals and five assists for 21 points with eight penalty minutes in 50 games with Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League in 2013-14. The Stockholm, Sweden native was the club’s first pick, 14th overall, in the 2013 NHL Draft.
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.
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.
Couture had said previously this week that something unexpected would have to delay his return to the lineup tonight. Feel free to use him as he'll be centering Marleau and Havlat.
Toffoli, 21, has appeared in 39 games with the Kings this season, recording 19 points (10G / 9A), eight penalty minutes, and a plus-15 rating. Toffoli has also played in 18 games with Manchester this season, recording 24 points (15G / 9A) and four penalty minutes.
Couture confirmed that only an unexpected occurrence would keep him out of the Sharks’ next game, on Thursday against the Flyers. Couture missed the last 16 games with a right hand injury, and he still wraps it for practice. He hurt himself on December 19 in Los Angeles, played through it for nearly three weeks, and eventually had surgery on January 8. “I’m ready to go in three or four days, whatever it is. Feels good as its felt in three months,” he said. Couture has 14 goals, 21 assists (35 points) and a plus-13 rating in 43 games this season.
There were reports earlier in the week that Couture is "close" and could be back before the break, but it sounds like he will be held out until after the Olympics.
“He was shooting the puck very well. Better than he has been over the last week," said Sharks head coach Todd McLellan. "That just shows progress. His legs and lungs have been maintained very well. I think when he finally gets the go-ahead to really get involved the conditioning will come quick. The timing will take a couple games, but is he on pace to play before the Olympic break? I sure hope so, but I can’t answer that definitively.” Couture will miss his 10th straight game tonight.
