Laughton is dealing with some type of injury, but coach coach Berube would not specify what the nature of the injury is. With Laughton out, Zac Rinaldo will be back in the lineup.

Ristolainen was back paired with his usual partner Nikita Zadorov last night vs. the Panthers. He played 19:07 TOI and registered one shot in the 2-0 loss. The Sabres are back in action tonight in New York.

Ristolainen took part in the Sabres morning skate, but will miss his second straight game with the flu. Look for him to be back on Friday vs. Florida.

Ristolainen was left back in Buffalo so he will not be in the lineup tonight. He is listed as day-to-day.

There is an illness making its way around the Sabres locker room and it took Ristolainen victim last night. He is considered day-to-day.

Johnson missed Wednesday’s game with a head injury, but he has back on the ice for Avs’ practice on Friday and should play tomorrow. Karl Stollery, Johnson’s replacement on Wednesday was sent back to the AHL which is another indicator that he will play tomorrow vs. Dallas.

Johnson was injured in Tuesday’s game but was able to finish the game. The Avalanche are likely following concussion protocol with Johnson, so Karl Stollery has been recalled to play in Johnson is unable to go.

Laughton, 20, was the Flyers first round pick (20th overall) in 2012. He had registered 11 points (6G / 5A) in 13 games prior to yesterday’s recall. He will skate on the Flyers’ third line with Vincent Lecavalier and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.

Johansen missed Monday’s practice because he was “banged up”, but was on the ice for Tuesday’s morning skate. He will be in the lineup vs. the Red Wings. He comes into tonight with six goals and 14 assists (20 points) in 17 games.

Johansen has six goals and 14 assists and leads the Jackets with 20 points, and averages nearly 20 minutes of ice time per game.

The Flyers tried Chris VandeVelde on the top line on Thursday, but will have Simmonds there to start the game tonight. Simmonds is a natural RW who will shift to the left side, but playing with Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux should provide ample scoring chances for the big winger. Simmonds has cooled off after a hot start, but has six goals and three assists with a plus-10 rating in 13 games this season.

Couturier was not on the ice on Wednesday because of a stomach virus, but he is back out there today and should play tonight. The young centre has recorded three goals and two assists (5 points) in 12 games this season.

The Flyers are in action on Thursday so monitor Couturier’s status during tomorrow’s morning skate. If he takes part, he should play, if not his status will be in doubt.

Johnson left Sunday's game in the third period and did not return, but he was on the ice on Monday and will be in the lineup on Tuesday. This is good news for the Avalanche as their captain is showing no ill-effects of the injury he sustained last night. He has one goal and two assists in nine games this season.

Just three days after signing a three-year, $12 million dollar deal, Johansen will throw that Blue Jackets jersey on and lace em up tonight vs. the Sabres. He only has one practice and a gameday skate under him, so you can expect a little rust. With all the injuries in Columbus right now, the Jackets will lean heavily on Johansen and his linemates Nick Foligno and Cam Atkinson.

Simmonds will open the season on a line with Sean Couturier and Matt Read as he looks to build off of his career-year from a season ago. Simmonds had 29 goals and 31 assists and played a huge role on the Flyers PP, scoring 15 of his goals with the extra man. Despite starting on the third line, there is no doubt that he will be on the top PP unit.

Johansen joined the Blue Jackets for his first practice of the season on Wednesday morning and he reportedly did not look sharp at certain point of the skate. That is to be expected from a player who missed the entire preseason, but with all the injuries in Columbus right now, it would be surprising to not see Johansen in the lineup. Even a Ryan Johansen at 75% is likely still their top centre right now.

Simmonds is on the ice for the third straight day, so there is a great chance that he will be in the lineup for the season opener after being injured last week. He is expected to skate with Sean Couturier and Matt Read.

Johansen's status for Thursday's game is up in the air, but after spending Tuesday trying to get from Canada to Columbus, his presence on the ice is a positive sign for his availability tomorrow. There will be a ton of pressure on Johansen in the early part of the season, because of the contract dispute and the injuries Columbus is already dealing with.

Simmonds has been on the ice for the last two days which is a good sign that he will be in the lineup tomorrow vs. the Bruins. Simmonds is coming off of a career-year and appeared to be a candidate to replace Scott Hartnell on the Claude Giroux line, but it looks like he will start the year with Couturier and Read.