Johansson missed Friday’s practice with an illness and will not play this afternoon. Joey Anderson has been recalled from the AHL and will make his NHL debut. Johansson should be ready to return next Tuesday in Tampa Bay.
Johansson missed Friday’s practice with an illness, but head coach John Hynes is hopeful that he will be available to play vs. the Panthers. If Johansson can’t play, the Devils will need to recall a forward.
Fabbri has missed the first eight games of the regular season with a groin injury he suffered in the preseason. Fabbri has not played and NHL game since February 4th, 2017 because of two knee surgeries. He’ll stay with San Antonio through the weekend, but could return to the Blues and make his season debut sometime next week.
Eriksson Ek will not play on Saturday and will likely miss all of next week with a lower-body injury. Charlie Coyle will play centre and J.T. Brown will play on the third line while Eriksson Ek is out.
Eriksson Ek missed Friday’s practice with “soreness” and is considered a game-time decision for Saturday’s game vs. the Hurricanes. If Eriksson Ek does not play, look for Charlie Coyle to move to centre and for J.T. Brown to play on the right wing of that third line.
Hartman was moved to IR retroactively to September 21, so he is eligible to come off of IR for tonight’s season opener. Hartman had 11 goals and 20 assists (31 points) in 78 games between the Blackhawks and Predators last year and will start the season on Nashville’s fourth line.
Bogosian will be evaluated later today, but head coach Phil Housley called him day-to-day for now. Bogosian has had terrible luck with injuries during his career, so this comes as no surprise. Bogosian could miss the start of the season, which starts next Thursday.
The good news is that Fabbri’s lower-body injury is not related to his knee that cost him all of last season. Blues head coach Mike Yeo said that there is “no plan” for Fabbri right now, but he will take a couple of days off and see where he is at after that. There is still a chance that Fabbri is ready for the start of the regular season on October 4th.
Fabbri re-injured his knee in training camp last year and missed the entire 2017-18 season. The 22-year-old has averaged 19 goals and 25 assists (43 points) per 82 games over the first two seasons of his NHL career. Fabbri is expected to be ready for the start of the 2019 season and will be a middle-6 winger for a team that has improved a lot this offseason.
Hughes was the youngest player in NCAA Division-I in 2018 and the freshman played exceptionally well, finishing third in Michigan Wolverines scoring with 29 points (5G / 24A) in 37 games. Hughes also picked up three assists in seven games while representing the United States at the World Juniors. Hughes is considered one of the best skaters in this draft class and brings with him a great first-pass and offensive game despite his somewhat diminutive stature—5-foot-10, 178 lbs
Spurgeon has been sidelined since March 13th with a hamstring tear, but it looks like he will be ready to go for Game 1 in Winnipeg. Spuregon skated next to Carson Soucy on the second pairing and it looks like he’ll play despite maybe not being 100 percent. Spurgeon’s return is huge with Ryan Suter (ankle) on the shelf and comes in with 37 points (9G / 28A) in 61 games this season.
Foligno missed the final six games of the regular season, but was on the ice for Monday’s practice and is expected to be in for Game 1 against the Capitals. Foligno, who finished the season with 15 goals and 18 assists (33 points) in 72 games, will centre a line with Oliver Bjorkstrand and Josh Anderson on his wings.
The Rangers are “not counting” on having Zuccarello for the final three games of the season after he got hurt while blocking a shot in Carolina on Saturday. Zuccarello will undergo and MRI to determine the severity, but he’s likely done for the year.
