Thompson left Friday’s game vs. the Sharks with a lower-body injury after playing just 1:09 TOI. With Thompson sidelined for Saturday’s game, the Senators recalled Colin White from Belleville (AHL) and he will make his season debut tonight.
Ellis missed the first 38 games of the season after undergoing offseason knee surgery, but will play his first game of the season tonight in Vegas. Ellis, who is expected to skate on a pairing with Roman Josi, is coming off of the best season of his career, in which he registered 16 goals and 22 assists (38 points) in 71 games. Ellis is one of the better offensive-defensemen in the NHL and makes the Predators that much more dangerous, especially on the power-play.
Jaromir Jagr was unavailable for Tuesday’s game vs. the Maple Leafs so Hathaway’s recall suggests that Jagr won’t be available on Thursday. The heavy winger (6-foot-2 / 208 lbs.) has registered 11 goals and eight assists (19 points) in 18 games with Stockton this season.
This summer’s No.10 overall pick lasted seven games with the Panthers, registering one goal over that span. Tippett will return to Mississauga, where he had 44 goals 31 assists (75 points) in 60 games last season.
Ristolainen, who has had a slow start to the season, was not on the ice this morning and will not be in the lineup tonight in Dallas. With Ristolainen out, Taylor Fedun will be back in the lineup and Viktor Antipin will play on the top PP unit.
Simmonds missed Wednesday’s practice with a lower-body injury that he suffered on Tuesday when he was hit by a Shayne Gostisbehere shot. Simmonds was being re-evaluated on Wednesday, so monitor his status during Thursday’s game-day skate.
Tippett was the No.10 overall pick in this summer’s draft and tonight he will debut on the Panthers’ third line. The 18-year-old winger had 75 points (44G / 31A) in 60 games with Mississauga (OHL) last season and will play with Jared McCann and Jamie McGinn tonight.
Sanheim was a healthy scratch in the first game of the season, but will replace Brandon Manning in game No.2 of the season. Sanheim had some dominant games during the preseason and had 37 points (10G / 27A) in 76 games with Lehigh Valley (AHL) a season ago.
Deslauriers is a bruising winger who appeared in 42 games with the Sabres last season, picking up just two assists and 38 PIMS. He is a depth forward for the Canadiens.
Juulsen was a first-round pick of the Canadiens’ in 2015 and had a chance to crack the opening night roster this October. Juulsen, who had 34 points (12G / 22A) in 49 games with Everett (WHL) last year, had earned preseason praise from Claude Julien but will now likely start the year with St. John’s (AHL).
Ellis underwent knee surgery in June and is expected to miss the first three months of the season, at the very least. This is a huge blow to the Predators’ talented blueline as Ellis is coming off of a career-highs in goals (16) and points (38). With Ellis sidelined, look for offseason acquisition Alexei Emelin to play a more prominent role and for Matt Irwin to see regular playing time.
