Neil left Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury that was later deemed a knee injury that would keep him out week-to-week rather than day-to-day. Ottawa is back in action on Saturday and if Clarke MacArthur is not ready to return from the illness that held him out of last night’s game, the Senators will need to make a roster move.
Palat missed Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury, but head coach Jon Cooper said he expects the forward to play on the upcoming five-game trip that starts on Saturday in Washington. Palat is day-to-day.
Toews was hit head-first into the end-board by Bruins' blueliner Dennis Seidenberg. Toews was shaken up and left the game late in the second period. Seidenberg was assessed a two-minute minor on the play, but is expected to avoid suspension. “We’ll see how he is tomorrow,” Coach Joel Quenneville told reporters. “Looks like he’s going to be all right.”
The Predators did not have a morning skate, but with no back-to-back on Friday, it is expected to be Rinne against the Coyotes. Rinne stopped all 26 shots in the Predators 3-0 win over the Avalanche. Rinne has gone 2-2-0 with a 1.77 GAA and .938 SV% in four December starts.
MacArthur was listed as a game-time decision, but is not on the ice for warmups so he will not play tonight vs. the Kings. Colin Greening will take his spot on the top-line.
Palat is not on the ice for pre-game warmups, so it looks like he will sit tonight vs. the Hurricanes. Expect Jonathan Drouin to suit up in Palat's place.
Quick allowed one goals on 16 shots in the Kings 1-0 loss to the Sabres on Tuesday. It was an unexpected loss to say the least, but hopefully coach Sutter lit a fire under his guys and will get them going tonight in Ottawa. Quick is 1-3-0 despite posting a 1.52 GAA and .931 SV% in his last four starts.
Smith allowed one goal on nine shots after relieving Devan Dubnyk on Saturday vs. the Bruins. Smith has just one win in his last 11 games and sits at 5-13-2 with a 3.27 GAA and .890 SV%. He gets a tough matchup tonight with the 18-7-2 Predators in town; look elsewhere.
Chara has missed the last seven weeks with a knee sprain, but will return tonight vs. the Blackhawks. This is a huge boost to the Bruins blueline, who will need all the help they can get vs. a high-powered Blackhawks lineup.
Krejci's status for tonight had been a little bit unclear, but he was not likely to play and is now officially out. He is definitely close, so monitor his status before Saturday's game vs. the Senators.
The Predators did not have a morning skate, but with no back-to-back on Friday, it is expected to be Rinne against the Coyotes. Rinne stopped all 26 shots in the Predators 3-0 win over the Avalanche. Rinne has gone 2-2-0 with a 1.77 GAA and .938 SV% in four December starts.
Heatley continues to work his way back from a groin injury he had a surgical procedure done on in November. He will play with Norfolk over the weekend and likely return to the Ducks next week. This is the first time that Heatley has ever been in the AHL.
Kuemper allowed five goals on 18 shots in the Wild’s loss to the Ducks last Friday. It has been ugly for Kuemper as of late, losing two of four with a 4.41 GAA and .848 SV%. He won his first start against the Sharks, but his road record is not great—4-5-0 with a 2.46 GAA and .918 SV%.
Tennyson, 24, failed to record a point in his only game with the Sharks this season. In the AHL he has piled up six points (3G / 3A) in 19 games with Worcester. He will be in the lineup tonight because Marc-Edouard Vlasic is out with an upper-body injury.
Tierney, 20, has two assists in 11 games with the Sharks this season. While in the AHL he has collected 10 points (1G / 9A) in 12 games. He will centre the fourth line tonight with Mike Brown out with an injury.
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.
Stalock stopped 25 of 27 shots in the Sharks win over the Oilers on Tuesday. He was not the scheduled starter, but Antti Niemi is dealing with an undisclosed injury. He will make his third straight start, having won one of two with a 2.02 GAA and .922 SV%.
Ward stopped 14 of 16 shots in the Hurricanes 2-1 loss to the Devils on Monday. The good news is Ward has returned as the clear number-1 this season, the bad he has just eight wins in 19 outings with a 2.49 GAA and .908 SV%. Those numbers are not terrible, but they also aren’t numbers of a guy you want to start tonight vs. the Lightning.
Ferland had one assist in 10 games with the Flames, but heads back to the AHL where he has reorder four goals and five assists in nine games.
It looks like Chara will return to the lineup tonight after missing exactly seven weeks with a sprained MCL. Chara will play on the top pair with Dougie Hamilton and is expected to be the net-front presence on the top power-play unit. His return is huge for a Bruins team who went 11-7-1 without their captain.