Weaver has missed the last three games with a concussion, but was a full participant in practice on Wednesday. He skated on the fourth pair this afternoon, so don’t expect him to be in the lineup on Thursday vs. the Ducks.
Lack allow four goals on 45 shots in the Canucks loss to the Senators on December 7th. With Ryan Miller struggling; he has lost three in a row with a 4.46 GAA and .820 SV%, they will give Lack shot tonight vs. the Stars. Dallas ranks ninth in the league in goals (2.90 G/PG), but sit at 11-13-5.
Weiss will miss Friday’s game because he is not eligible to come off of IR, but he could be back on the Sunday against Colorado. If he returns on Sunday, he will have missed three games with the shoulder injury. Weiss recorded 10 points (4G / 6A) in 10 games prior to getting injured.
Franzen missed Tuesday’s game vs. the Blue Jackets, but is expected to play vs. the Isles on Friday. Monitor Franzen’s status leading up to Friday’s contest. Franzen has 19 points (6G / 13A) in 25 games this season.
Tlusty will miss his third consecutive game with an undisclosed injury that he suffered on December 11th. Tlusty is expected to be close to a return, so he could be back during the Hurricanes home-and-home vs. New York on Saturday and Sunday.
Nestrasil will miss his fourth straight game with an upper-body injury that he suffered on December 8th. Monitor his status prior to the Hurricanes’ home-and-home with the Rangers on Saturday and Sunday.
Semin will miss fifth straight game with a lower-body injury. After Thursday’s game, the Hurricanes are off until Saturday, monitor his status leading up to that matchup with the Rangers.
Perry will miss the next two games, but it sounds like he could be back Monday. After Monday’s game, the Ducks have four games off for the Christmas break, so there is a chance that the Ducks will hold him out of that game and give him the extra four days rest.
Brassard was sent home before Sunday’s game in Edmonton. The fear was that he had contracted mumps, but his test results came in this afternoon, confirming that he has mumps. There is not timetable for his return.
Krejci practiced on Tuesday, but was ruled out prior to the game. The Bruins did not have a morning skate because of the back-to-back, but coach Julien said that Krejci is a possibility for tonight. Monitor his status during pre-game warmups, which start at 7:30 PM ET.
Gunnarsson is close to returning, but he is not quite ready to be in the lineup tomorrow. Monitor his status leading up to Saturday’s game in San Jose.
Oshie missed Tuesday’s game due to personal reasons, but he is expected to play tomorrow vs. the Kings. Oshie has three goals and three assists in his last four games.
Brodeur allowed two goals on 34 shots in the Blues 4-2 win over the Panthers last Wednesday. He has played well in his three appearances with St. Louis—he is 2-1-0 with a 2.64 GAA and .904 SV%. He takes on a Kings team who have surprisingly dropped five of their last six while averaging just 2.17 goals per game.
Backstrom, who played last night for Darcy Kuemper (illness), could get back-to-back starts if he is well enough. Coach is expected to address the media at 6 PM ET, where he may announce if Backstrom is good-to-go. If not, we will have to wait for confirmation during warmups.
Curry was pulled off of the ice from his start with Iowa last night. He has been recalled as insurance for Niklas Backstrom tonight, but head coach Mike Yeo is hoping that Backstrom will feel well enough to start. If he is not, Curry will go.
Polak took part in Leafs practice on Wednesday and could be back in the lineup tomorrow vs. Carolina. He has been sidelined with a knee injury since November 22nd. Monitor his status in the morning skate.
Coach Craig Berube said that there is a chance that Lecavalier could be back in the lineup tomorrow vs. the Panthers. If Vinny gets back in, he will be playing centre. Lecavalier has six points (2G / 4A) in 16 games this season.
Mason allowed two goals on 22 shots in the Flyers 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday night. Mason has gone 2-1-1 with a 1.76 GAA and .936 SV% over his last four starts. He will take on a Panthers team who have alternated wins and losses in their last nine contests—they have averaged 2.44 G/PG over that span.
Kunitz took part in Penguins practice on Wednesday, but did not take any contact and is not quite ready to return to the lineup. Despite not being available for tomorrow’s game, it sounds like Kunitz is close to being back, which would be a huge boost for a Penguins team who is decimated by injury and mumps right now.
Crosby has missed the last three games with the mumps virus, but was on the ice this morning and GM Jim Rutherford said that “there is a chance” that Crosby plays on Thursday vs. Colorado. Monitor his status during the Penguins morning skate tomorrow.
