Manson missed Wednesday's game with an injury he suffered on Monday and unfortunately for the Ducks, the oblique issue will keep him out for roughly six weeks. This is a huge loss for a Ducks blueline that is running thin on experience.
Manson played just 6:14 TOI on Monday before leaving with an upper-body injury. With Manson out for Wednesday's game vs. the Wild, Andy Welinski will draw into the lineup and Jani Hakanpää will move up to play with Cam Fowler.
Francouz suffered a minor injury and is listed as day-to-day, so Hunter Miska has been promoted to the active roster to serve as Philipp Grubauer's backup in Los Angeles.
Blackwood was outstanding in the Devils’ season opener, stopping 35 of the 37 shots that he faced in the shootout loss to the Bruins. Boston dominated the game but Blackwood stood tall and kept the Devils alive. He will likely be under siege again this afternoon in the rematch.
Blackwood came into 2021 expecting to split time with Corey Crawford but could become a workhorse after Crawford retired prior to the start of the season. Blackwood performed well in 2020, going 22-14-8 with a 2.77 GAA and .915 SV%. He enters the season with a career .916 SV% in 70 appearances, so he should make for a low-end No.2/high-end No.3 fantasy netminder but draws a tough matchup vs. the Bruins on opening night.
Nelson was forced to leave Game 2 but did return. Despite being banged up, head coach Barry Trotz expects to have his No.2 centre in Game 3 on Friday. Nelson has had a terrific postseason, posting 15 points (7G / 8A) in 17 games.
