Chicago Blackhawks News

Burakovsky was a healthy scratch last night, so the Capitals have assigned him to Hershey so he can play tonight. Expect him to be recalled again soon.

Teravainen was a healthy scratch on Friday, but head coach Joel Quenneville wants to shake his lineup up on Sunday, which means Teravainen in and Bryan Bickell likely out. Teravainen was centring the second line with Antoine Vermette and Brandon Saad as well as playing on the Hawks second power-play unit.

Ellis was in the Predators morning skate, but the Predators will evaluate him this afternoon before making a decision on his status for tonight’s game. Ellis has missed the last three games while the Predators take things slow with his return.

Burakovsky was sent down to make him eligible for the AHL playoffs. He has registered nine goals and 12 assists (21 points) in 48 games with the Capitals this season.

The Predators said they want to be cautious with Ellis, which is why he was held out of Saturday’s game and why he will not play tonight vs. the Devils. He remains day-to-day until the Predators believe he is 100%.

The Capitals acquired Curtis Glencross from the Flames, so it looks like they will move him to the AHL on paper, but he will likely become the Capitals first of four post-deadline recalls.

Ellis played just 11:29 in his return to the lineup on Thursday. He said he was 100%, but being scratched this afternoon suggests that he might have re-aggregated that lower-body injury.

Ellis practiced yesterday and skated with Seth Jones in today’s morning skate, so it looks like he could be back in the lineup tonight. There is no official word on his status, but expect coach Laviolette to update Ellis’ status shortly.

Burakovsky was a healthy scratch on Sunday, but will be back in the lineup tonight vs. Pittsburgh. He played a career-high 18:10 TOI in his last game, so he could be in line for big minutes again tonight. His first-line status certainly makes him an intriguing one-day fantasy option.

After losing Patrick Kane for what could be the remainder of the season, the Hawks made their first move to try and replace that hole, by recalling Teravainen. The 20-year-old has two goals and two assists in 15 games with the Blackhawks this season. While in Rockford, he has 25 points (6G / 19A) in 39 games.

Burakovsky was in warmups, but ended up being a heathy scratch with Michael Latta returning to the lineup. Burakovsky had recorded two goals, a plus-4 rating and 10 shots in his previous four games.

Predators GM David Poile said he expected to have Ellis back in the lineup in the last week of February or the first week of March. Ellis, who has been out since January 8th, has taken a little longer than expected, but he is finally making some progress according to Poile. With the addition of Cody Franson over the weekend, the Predators blue line is going to look really scary when Ellis returns.

Burakovsky was a plus-2 in 9:52 on Wednesday, but will come out of the lineup in favour of Tom Wilson tonight vs. the Kings.

Ellis has been sidelined with a lower-body injury since January 8th. His return to the Predators morning skate is a good sign that he is progressing well and close to being back in the lineup.

With Kris Versteeg back in the lineup, Teravainen was a healthy scratch on Wednesday. The 20-year-old had two goals and two assists in 15 games during his recall. He returns to the AHL where he has tallied six goals and 17 assists (23 points) in 33 games.

Burakovsky was sent down yesterday in order for the Capitals to recall Philipp Grubauer, who was given the start last night. Burakovsky should be back in the Capitals lineup on Sunday vs. Philadelphia.

It seems like the Capitals really wanted to start Philipp Grubauer tonight vs. the Ducks. They recalled him this morning and sent Burakovsky down to make room for him. The call-up is not expected to be long-term, so expect Burakovsky back soon.

Ellis did not participate in the Predators morning skate, but he skated alone prior to the team’s practice session. Ellis has been sidelined since January 8th and will likely miss another week before returning.

Pouliot, 21, has one goal and two assists in seven games with the Penguins this season. While in WBS he has 21 points (7G / 14A) in 25 games. His recall suggests that he will play tonight if Kris Letang (head) can’t go.

Ellis was injured in Thursday’s game vs. the Stars and will miss at least the next five games. He will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break and then a more detailed timeline will be released. The Predators did not recall a defenseman from Milwaukee for today’s game, so Anton Volchenkov must be ready to return.