In line rushes at Monday's practice, Nichushkin skated as an extra. With a team stacked with polished NHL and KHL veterans it is not surprising to see the 18-year-old sit on the big stage. He could see some action as the tournament progresses, but don't expect to see him on Thursday vs. Slovenia.
“Val is going back in,” Lindy Ruff said. “This was to recharge Val and get him going again. It’s hard, because we miss him when he’s out of the lineup, we miss the Val that had lots of energy and skated well. It’s hard to say an 18-year-old is a big part of our team, but he’s a big part of our team, and when he’s going well, we’re a better team.” Those are pretty complimentary words for Nichushkin, who has 22 points (9G / 13A) in 46 games. There is no word on how the Stars lines will shake out, but we guess that coach Ruff goes back to his old lines, which will see Nichushkin skating with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn.
Kadri has been moved to the top-line in practice because Tyler Bozak is not on the ice after suffering a lower-body injury versus San Jose on Tuesday. Should Bozak miss an extended period of time, Kadri will likely get a look on the top-line with James van Riemsdyk and Phil Kessel - something that will certainly boost his fantasy value, because he not be great alongside David Clarkson so far.
Kadri is only expected to miss tonight's game but should be back in the lineup on Thursday.
Nelson continues to shuffle in and out of the Islanders lineup. He played 13:41 and was a minus-1 with three shots on goal vs. the Red Wings last night.
Still, the Sharks improved to 8-0-1 this season with Burns in the lineup. Burns has faced the Devils (tonight's opponent) just four times in his career, with one goal and one assist.
Nelson goes from the first line to a healthy scratch in an instant with Thomas Vanek returning from a lower-body injury and Michael Grabner getting back in the lineup. "Brock has played extremely well and the other guys have seen that. You have to make tough decisions," Islanders head coach Jack Capuano said.
Burns has been scratched for the last 13 games, after taking a series of high hits that included a whack in the face from Ottawa goaltender Robyn Lehner on Oct. 12. He had four goals and four assists in his first eight games on a line with Thornton and Tomas Hertl, with seven of his eight points coming at even strength.
Burns returned to the top-line in practice yesterday which is a good sign. The Sharks will hit the ice for their morning skate shortly and we will have an update on Burns' status for tonight following the skate.
Burns has missed 13 games, but could be back tomorrow. We have been here before with Burns and this injury - it looks like he is close and then he doesn't play. I won't get anyone's hopes up, monitor his status following tomorrow's morning skate.
The Maple Leafs have had a patchwork roster with Kadri, Tyler Bozak and Dave Bolland out, but Kadri's return will stabilize their top-6. The Leafs went 2-1-0 without Kadri. He has five goals and 14 points in 18 games and a spot on the first line should only help him produce even more.
Wilson also said that there is a chance that Burns plays on Thursday, but that will be up to the medical staff. Burns was originally expected to miss only a few days with a mouth injury, but it has cost him 13 games. Consider him questionable for Thursday.
This is a tough break for the Maple Leafs who lose yet another centre. They are already without Tyler Bozak (hamstring) and Dave Bolland (ankle). He is not eligible to play until next Thursday vs. Nashville.
It sounds like Burns has had a setback in his recovery. He had shed the non-contact jersey, but putting it back on today is not a good sign. "There’s days where I think he’s really close, and there’s other days when you want to do some work with him and he doesn’t seem able to do it,” head coach Todd McLellan said.
Kadri was also assessed a match penalty last night for a hit on Mikael Granlund, but the NHL viewed it primarily as a full body hit. Head was not primary point of contact. The penalty on ice fit the crime. We will update if a suspension is handed down.
Burns will miss his 10th straight game, but is progressing towards a return. It continues to be a day-to-day situation, monitor his status for Thursday's game.
Burns continues to progress towards a return, but it does not appear that it will be tomorrow. James Neal randomly played on Saturday though so don't completely rule him out yet. His next opportunity to play would be Thursday versus Vancouver.
Burns will miss his ninth straight contest tonight. He traveled with the team to Winnipeg, but will not play. Monitor his status prior to Tuesday's game vs. Calgary.
Burns continues to practice, but has yet to shed the "don't hit me jersey". There is still no timetable for Burns return, but until he gets rid of that no-contact jersey he should be considered out. Monitor his status prior to Sunday's contest but it does not look promising.
Burns will miss his eighth straight game since being injured in a collision on October 19. He continues to practice with the Sharks but is not ready to return to the lineup. He will likely return at some point during the Sharks upcoming road trip that starts on Sunday in Winnipeg.
