Johnson has been out for just over seven weeks and he won’t play tomorrow, but next Thursday the Avalanche start a five-game road-trip and they are expected to get Johnson back at some point during that roady. Johnson had 23 points (12G / 11A) in 47 games before getting injured.
Ellis was in the Predators morning skate, but the Predators will evaluate him this afternoon before making a decision on his status for tonight’s game. Ellis has missed the last three games while the Predators take things slow with his return.
The Predators said they want to be cautious with Ellis, which is why he was held out of Saturday’s game and why he will not play tonight vs. the Devils. He remains day-to-day until the Predators believe he is 100%.
Ellis played just 11:29 in his return to the lineup on Thursday. He said he was 100%, but being scratched this afternoon suggests that he might have re-aggregated that lower-body injury.
Ellis practiced yesterday and skated with Seth Jones in today’s morning skate, so it looks like he could be back in the lineup tonight. There is no official word on his status, but expect coach Laviolette to update Ellis’ status shortly.
Braun has been out since January 19th, but it looks like he will be back in the lineup tonight in Nashville. Braun skated with Brenden Dillon this morning, which is a good sign that he will replace Scott Hannan this evening.
Predators GM David Poile said he expected to have Ellis back in the lineup in the last week of February or the first week of March. Ellis, who has been out since January 8th, has taken a little longer than expected, but he is finally making some progress according to Poile. With the addition of Cody Franson over the weekend, the Predators blue line is going to look really scary when Ellis returns.
Ellis has been sidelined with a lower-body injury since January 8th. His return to the Predators morning skate is a good sign that he is progressing well and close to being back in the lineup.
Ellis did not participate in the Predators morning skate, but he skated alone prior to the team’s practice session. Ellis has been sidelined since January 8th and will likely miss another week before returning.
Laughton will miss his sixth straight game with an upper-body injury, but his return to the ice for the morning skate is a good sign that Laughton is nearing a return and could be available for Saturday’s game vs. Toronto.
Braun missed the Sharks last game before the All Star break after breaking his hand last Monday. The injury will keep him out of the lineup until at least late-February, likely until early-to-mid March. He had 19 points (1G / 18A) in 47 games before getting injured.
Johnson rarely had been participating in practice recently and it was apparent he was was banged up. Monday's announcement filled in the blanks. He will be out until at least the middle of February, but could be out until mid-March.
Laughton will miss his fourth consecutive game with an upper-body injury that he suffered last Wednesday. There has been very limited updates on Laughton so there is no telling when he will be back. Look for him to return shortly after the All Star break.
Braun will be out for “weeks” according to coach Todd McLellan. Braun suffered an upper-body injury in Monday’s loss to New Jersey and will be missed on the Sharks’ blue line for at least a couple of weeks. With Braun out, San Jose recalled Dylan Demelo from Worcester (AHL).
Braun, who had appeared in all 47 games this season, left at the 6:48 mark in the second period of last night’s game vs. New Jersey. Expect a more detailed update on Braun’s injury in the next 24 hours.
The Sabres will sit Ristolainen tonight vs. the Red Wings and he will be replaced by Andrej Meszaros. Ristolainen has one assist and a minus-5 rating in his last eight games.
Laughton must have suffered the upper-body injury in the Flyers 1-0 loss to the Capitals last night. With Laughton out, Zac Rinaldo is expected to slide back into the lineup. Expect the Flyers to shuffle their lines with Laughton’s absence.
Ellis was injured in Thursday’s game vs. the Stars and will miss at least the next five games. He will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break and then a more detailed timeline will be released. The Predators did not recall a defenseman from Milwaukee for today’s game, so Anton Volchenkov must be ready to return.
Ellis left after playing just 11:16 TOI and did not return. Ellis had been playing really well, having registered two goals and three assists in his previous three games—5G / 13A, plus-12 in 40 games this season. If Ellis misses an extended period of time, it could open the door for veteran Ian White to make it back to the NHL.
Laughton missed Saturday’s game with an undisclosed injury, but will return tomorrow vs. the Senators. Laughton will centre the second line with Michael Raffl and Wayne Simmonds. He has two goals and three assists in 22 games this season.
