Philadelphia Flyers News

There is an illness making its way around the Sabres locker room and it took Ristolainen victim last night. He is considered day-to-day.

Johnson missed Wednesday’s game with a head injury, but he has back on the ice for Avs’ practice on Friday and should play tomorrow. Karl Stollery, Johnson’s replacement on Wednesday was sent back to the AHL which is another indicator that he will play tomorrow vs. Dallas.

Johnson was injured in Tuesday’s game but was able to finish the game. The Avalanche are likely following concussion protocol with Johnson, so Karl Stollery has been recalled to play in Johnson is unable to go.

Laughton, 20, was the Flyers first round pick (20th overall) in 2012. He had registered 11 points (6G / 5A) in 13 games prior to yesterday’s recall. He will skate on the Flyers’ third line with Vincent Lecavalier and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.

Johansen missed Monday’s practice because he was “banged up”, but was on the ice for Tuesday’s morning skate. He will be in the lineup vs. the Red Wings. He comes into tonight with six goals and 14 assists (20 points) in 17 games.

Johansen has six goals and 14 assists and leads the Jackets with 20 points, and averages nearly 20 minutes of ice time per game.

The Flyers tried Chris VandeVelde on the top line on Thursday, but will have Simmonds there to start the game tonight. Simmonds is a natural RW who will shift to the left side, but playing with Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux should provide ample scoring chances for the big winger. Simmonds has cooled off after a hot start, but has six goals and three assists with a plus-10 rating in 13 games this season.

Couturier was not on the ice on Wednesday because of a stomach virus, but he is back out there today and should play tonight. The young centre has recorded three goals and two assists (5 points) in 12 games this season.

The Flyers are in action on Thursday so monitor Couturier’s status during tomorrow’s morning skate. If he takes part, he should play, if not his status will be in doubt.

Johnson left Sunday's game in the third period and did not return, but he was on the ice on Monday and will be in the lineup on Tuesday. This is good news for the Avalanche as their captain is showing no ill-effects of the injury he sustained last night. He has one goal and two assists in nine games this season.

Just three days after signing a three-year, $12 million dollar deal, Johansen will throw that Blue Jackets jersey on and lace em up tonight vs. the Sabres. He only has one practice and a gameday skate under him, so you can expect a little rust. With all the injuries in Columbus right now, the Jackets will lean heavily on Johansen and his linemates Nick Foligno and Cam Atkinson.

Simmonds will open the season on a line with Sean Couturier and Matt Read as he looks to build off of his career-year from a season ago. Simmonds had 29 goals and 31 assists and played a huge role on the Flyers PP, scoring 15 of his goals with the extra man. Despite starting on the third line, there is no doubt that he will be on the top PP unit.

Johansen joined the Blue Jackets for his first practice of the season on Wednesday morning and he reportedly did not look sharp at certain point of the skate. That is to be expected from a player who missed the entire preseason, but with all the injuries in Columbus right now, it would be surprising to not see Johansen in the lineup. Even a Ryan Johansen at 75% is likely still their top centre right now.

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.

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.

Simmonds has been on the ice for the last two days which is a good sign that he will be in the lineup tomorrow vs. the Bruins. Simmonds is coming off of a career-year and appeared to be a candidate to replace Scott Hartnell on the Claude Giroux line, but it looks like he will start the year with Couturier and Read.

Johansen is currently in Toronto waiting to be cleared by immigration on both sides of the border before he can travel to Columbus. Johansen is expected to be in Columbus today for a physical and on the ice for Wednesday's practice and in uniform on Thursday night vs. the Sabres. "I feel good. I feel close (to game shape)," Johansen said. "I haven’t had any preseason games, so that's a challenge. My two linemates (forwards Boone Jenner and Nathan Horton) are hurt. That’ll be one of the biggest thing, being thrown in with two new guys."

Simmonds was listed as day-to-day last week, but getting back on the ice this morning suggests that he might be ready to go in the Flyers' season opener on Wednesday. Simmonds is coming off of a career-year and will be a crucial member of the Flyers' offence again this season.

The lengthy contract dispute is finally over and it is a good thing for the Blue Jackets, who looked like they would be without their entire top-line to start the season. Johansen and the Blue Jackets were significantly apart on the dollar value, but were able to get a deal done before the start of the 2014-15 campaign. Johansen had his coming out party last year when he scored 33 goals and 30 assists (63 points) in 82 games. Expect another 30-30 season from the 22 year old.

Simmonds' injury does not to be of the serious variety and he should be fine for the start of the regular season. Simmonds is coming off of a career-year and could record 30-plus goals this year. Monitor his status as the season approaches, but he should be good to go.