Simmonds is on the ice for the third straight day, so there is a great chance that he will be in the lineup for the season opener after being injured last week. He is expected to skate with Sean Couturier and Matt Read.
Nichushkin had been feeling under the weather the last few days which prompted the Stars to have him practice on the fourth line with Colton Sceviour taking his spot on the top-line. Nichushkin was shifted back to the right wing with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin and should be there for the season opener tomorrow. He has a ton of size and skill and two awesome linemates, all things point towards a huge year for Nichushkin.
Rask is coming off of a Vezina Trophy winning season in which he posted 36 wins with a 2.04 GAA and .930 SV%. The Bruins did not change much this summer, so expect much of the same from the 27-year-old netminder. Tonight he starts his season against the Flyers, a team he dominated last year--Rask won all three starts with a 1.95 GAA and .942 SV% vs. Philly.
Head coach Ted Noland announced today that they will be without McCabe for a week or so after he was placed on injured reserve yesterday. The 20-year-old D-man had one assist in seven games with the Sabres last season and will compete with the likes of Rasmus Ristolainen and Mark Pysyk for playing time.
Leivo has been battling a foot injury and will be held out of the season opener after having a great preseason. The Maple Leafs have yet to provide a timetable, but the injury is not expected to be serious and Leivo should be considered day-to-day.
Franson said after practice today that the swelling in his knee still has not gone down, but he still expects that he will be able to play on Saturday against the Penguins. With Franson out tonight, Stuart Percy will make his NHL debut on the third pair with Roman Polak.
Kucherov was likely sent down as a "paper-move" to help get under the cap before finalizing their 23-man roster. The Lightning did the same thing with Brett Connolly last season so Kucherov should be back with the team soon and in the lineup on Thursday. Kucherov led all players with six goals in the preseason, so expect him to be back.
Head coach Jon Cooper said that Drouin was all but ruled out for Thursday, but with full participation today we will see if that changes after practice. Regardless, Drouin is on the brink of a return.
Mason struggled in the preseason going 1-2-1 with a 3.35 GAA and .876 SV% in four preseason outings. Mason is coming off of a strong year in which he won 33 games with a 2.50 GAA and .917 SV%. The challenge for Mason is to follow that up with another good year, because year-to-year consistency has been his Achilles heel since he entered the NHL in 2008-09.
Rask is coming off of a Vezina Trophy winning season in which he posted 36 wins with a 2.04 GAA and .930 SV%. The Bruins did not change much this summer, so expect much of the same from the 27-year-old netminder. Tonight he starts his season against the Flyers, a team he dominated last year--Rask won all three starts with a 1.95 GAA and .942 SV% vs. Philly.
Krejci was placed on IR yesterday and will miss the first three games of the season but is eligible to return to the lineup on Monday vs. the Avalanche. The Bruins will go with Patrice Bergeron, Ryan Spooner, Carl Soderberg and Craig Cunningham as their four centres while Krejci out.
Johansen's status for Thursday's game is up in the air, but after spending Tuesday trying to get from Canada to Columbus, his presence on the ice is a positive sign for his availability tomorrow. There will be a ton of pressure on Johansen in the early part of the season, because of the contract dispute and the injuries Columbus is already dealing with.
Murray was placed on injured reserve on Sunday which means that he will miss at least the first two games of the season. The face that he is back on the ice this morning is a good sign that he could be back next Tuesday vs. Dallas, the first game he will be eligible to return from IR.
Malkin has said that he has a 50/50 chance of playing on Thursday, but should be back by Saturday if he can't play tomorrow. Expect another update after this morning's skate.
Bennett, 18, who was the Flames first round pick (4th overall) this summer is still with the Flames, but as a non-roster injured player with shoulder surgery looming. It is believed that surgery is a strong possibility, but we won't know until Wednesday. He was limited to three pre-season games and missed parts of main camp because of a groin injury coming out of rookie camp, which was followed by his shoulder troubles.
Krejci suffered in the second period of Saturday's final preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings. Krejci will miss a minimum of seven days, beginning from when he suffered the injury on Saturday. Consider him day-to-day.
Price went 1-2 with a 2.01 GAA and .929 SV% in four preseason games. He is coming off of one of the best seasons of his career (34 W / 2.32 GAA / .927 SV%) and he is widely regarded as the best goalie in the NHL. Price went 2-2-0 with a 3.28 GAA and .906 SV% against the Leafs last season and the Canadiens have went 1-7 against Toronto in their last eight season opener meetings.
Franson's designation on IR is simply a formality. He is not expected to play in the season opener, so placing him on IR allows the Maple Leafs to carry an extra player until he is healthy. The retroactive move allows Franson to return as soon as he is healthy.
Bieksa was back on the ice on Tuesday after missing Monday's practice with an undisclosed injury. The33-year-old is looking to get back to the 40-point plateau after posting just 36 points (10G / 26A) in 112 games over the last two seasons. Monitor his status tomorrow.
Duclair, 19, was the Rangers third round pick (80th overall) in 2013. He had a great training camp after posted 50 goals and 49 assists (99 points) in 59 games with the Quebec Remparts (QMJHL). He will start his NHL career on New York's third line with J.T Miller and Lee Stempniak.
