Duchene took part in the Avalanche's morning skate and was on a line with Ryan O'Reilly and P.A Parenteau which suggests that if he plays, he will not be on the fourth line like head coach Patrick Roy had originally indicated. Duchene has not played since March 29th, but is the Avalanche's top offensive threat and definitely boosts their chances at eliminating the Wild tonight if he is in the lineup.
The early word from the Avs is that Duchene is likely to return on Monday, but head coach Patrick Roy has not confirmed that. Roy said that if Duchene does play, he will likely play on the fourth line and power-play, but I find that hard to believe. The Avalanche will hit the ice for their morning skate shortly, so we will have word on Duchene's availability soon thereafter.
Duchene wasn't confirmed to return today for the Avs but with Patrick Roy calling the shots, a return tonight is entirely possible.
Duchene would add the extra scoring punch that the Avs could desperately use to easily push past the Wild. Instead, look for a Round 2 return from a knee injury at the earliest for the Avs' leading scorer.
Duchene was injured in a collision with his linemate Jamie McGinn on Saturday. This is a tough break for the Avalanche who lose their leading scorer just two weeks before the end of the regular season. Four weeks will have him returning around April 21, which will see him likely miss the majority, if not all of the first-round.
Monitor Seguin's status during pre-game warmups, but if he is unable to go expect Chris Mueller, who was recalled today, to slide into the lineup.
Duchene suffered the injury when he collided with line-mate Jamie McGinn. Duchene played just 32 seconds before retiring to the dressing room. The Avalanche have had a great season and will make the playoffs, but losing Duchene for an extended period of time would be devastating. We will update his status as soon as something is released.
With all the injuries in Detroit, they are desperate and have resulted to moving D-men up front. Smith says that he has not played forward since he was 15/16 and playing AAA on a line with Sam Gagner and John Tavares. Unfortunately for him, his linemates are likely going to be Cory Emmerton and Teemu Pulkkinen, a small step-down from Gagner and Tavares I'd say.
Petrovic who was just recalled lands on IR for the second time this season. He has been recalled on multiple occasions, but injuries have limited him to just seven games with the Panthers. Colby Robak was recalled on Saturday and will replace Petrovic.
Petrovic had no points in five games with the Panthers earlier this season, but then suffered an upper-body injury which cost him his spot with the big-club. He is back now with Erik Gudbranson out and has recorded two goals and 11 assists (13 points) in 43 games in San Antonio.
Dumba's demotion will allow him to develop at further at the junior level. He did not exactly dominate the World Junior Championships, so his return to the WHL is likely a good idea for the 19-year-old's development into an everyday NHL defenseman.
Petrovic was injured in Saturday's game vs. the Predators. Petrovic has played in the last five games since being recalled. He has been held off the score sheet, but had a plus-4 rating. He joins Dylan Olsen and Erik Gudbranson as injured Panthers defensemen. Expect Mike Mottau to slide into the lineup, unless the Panthers decide to recall another defenseman.
Seguin missed practice on Friday because of the flu, but his presence at the morning skate suggests that he is good-to-go and will be in the lineup tonight vs. the Red Wings. Seguin has two goals and two assists in his last two games and has totalled 41 points (21G / 20A) in 38 games.
Petrovic was the 36th overall pick in 2010. The 6-foot-4 defenseman skated in his first six NHL games with the Panthers last year. In 30 games with San Antonio this season, Petrovic has two goals and 11 points with a plus-6 rating.
You might remember the Maple Leafs trading the first round pick (that turned out to be Seguin) another first and a second to the Bruins for Phil Kessel. Since that trade there has been a lot of history between Seguin and the Maple Leafs. On top of that he was born 45 minutes away from Toronto in Brampton, Ontario. Since his four-goal game against Calgary on November 14, Seguin has just one assist in five games. He missed two games with the concussion, but will rejoin Rich Peverly and Jaime Benn on the Stars top line tonight.
Because of that, Seguin was not made available to the media. However, linemate Jamie Benn did say he is hopeful Seguin can return. “I think it would be a huge deal,” Benn said with a smile. “He’s a good player. He can definitely help us.” Monitor Seguin's status in warmups.
Seguin reportedly skated really hard for 45 minutes on Wednesday and is practicing again this morning, so there is definitely a chance that Seguin could return tonight. It is a big game for Seguin, who has a lot of history with the Maple Leafs and he is from nearby Brampton, Ontario. Monitor his status prior to puck-drop.
Seguin is not available to the media due to the Stars concussion protocol, at this time there is no official update. Skating this morning is a good sign, as he works his way back in an attempt to be in the lineup tomorrow vs. Toronto. Monitor his status tomorrow morning.
Seguin, who was injured in Friday night’s game against the Blackhawks at American Airlines Center, is expected to skate with the Stars Wednesday in Toronto. “He’s doing well. He did really well yesterday. He’ll be one guy that could skate tomorrow and there’s a possibility he could play in Toronto (Thursday),” said Stars coach Lindy Ruff. “It’s really encouraging.”