Letang has missed the last five games with an upper-body injury, but he will play tonight in Anaheim. Letang has registered two assists and 16 shots on goal in four games this season and will re-claim his spot on the top pair and power-play unit.
Heinen failed to record a point in seven games with the Bruins. Heinen played in the top-6 with regularity, but could produce offensively. With David Pastrnak ready to return from suspension, the Bruins will roll with Austin Czarnik instead of Heinen.
Rakell missed the first nine games of the season with an abdomen injury, contract holdout and work visa issue. However, he was back on the ice on Monday, centring the third line with Antoine Vermette and Chris Wagner on his wing. Rakell, who had 43 points (20G / 23A) in 72 games last year, was also featured on the second power-play.
Letang was on the ice for the Penguins’ morning skate, but will miss his fourth straight game on Thursday. HIs availability for the morning skate is a good sign though and he could be ready to return on Saturday in Philadelphia.
Crosby was a full-participant in the Penguins’ practices on Monday and Tuesday and will be a game-time decision on Tuesday. Crosby centred the top line and top power-play, so it looks like he will return tonight vs. the Panthers. Monitor Crosby’s status when warmups start at 6:30pm ET.
Crosby was cleared for contact on Monday and finished the practice with no limitations. It was a great sign that Crosby is nearing his season debut and head coach Mike Sullivan did not rule Crosby out of Tuesday’s game vs. Florida—he remains day-to-day.
Crosby missed the first six games of the season, but he practiced in a regular jersey on Monday and appears to be nearing a return. Being cleared for contact was the next step in Crosby’s recovery, so signs are pointing towards him potentially returning this week.
Heinen has yet to record a point in four games with the Bruins this season and tonight he will come out of the lineup and Ryan Spooner will be back in.
Dumba has one goal on five shots and a minus-2 rating in three games this season but it looks like will be be replaced by Mike Reilly in the lineup on Thursday. Don’t expect the young defenseman to sit for very long.
Letang was injured late in Tuesday’s game in Montreal and he will miss tonight’s game vs. the Sharks. Letang is considered day-to-day, but no other details have been released about his injury.
Letang left Tuesday’s game with an upper-body injury and did not return. The Penguins did not give much of an update on Letang, other than to call him day-to-day. Letang has had a difficult time staying healthy throughout his career, so add this to a lengthy list. Monitor his status during Thursday’s morning skate.
Rakell missed the first game of the season because of a contract holdout, but the Ducks were able to sign him to a six-year deal this afternoon. Rakell is imperative to the Ducks success as their second/third line centre. He is coming off of a career-year, having scored 20 goals with 23 assists (43 points) in 72 games.
Crosby took part in parts of the Penguins’ practice on Wednesday, albeit in a non-contact sweater. Crosby will miss the first game of the year, but his availability this morning is encouraging and suggests that he won’t miss an extended period of time.
Rust has been skating on his own, but finally got back into practice on Wednesday. With Sidney Crosby likely out of the season opener with a concussion, the Penguins could use Rust back in the lineup, but that seems unlikely at this point. Consider him day-to-day.
Jarry was set to start the season as Marc-Andre Fleury’s backup after Matt Murray suffered a broken hand in the World Cup of Hockey, but after they claimed Mike Condon this afternoon, Jarry heads back to the AHL to start the year. The 21-year-old was 17-13-3 with a 2.69 GAA and .905 SV% in 33 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last year.
Mantha made a strong case to make the Red Wings’ opening night roster, scoring three goals in five preseason games, but the Red Wings’ deep forward group will force Mantha to start the year in the AHL. The 22-year-old had 21 goals and 24 assists (45 points) in 60 games with the Griffins last season.
It has been a while since we’ve seen Crosby and concussion in the same sentence, but on Friday, Crosby’s old demons returned as he suffered a concussion in practice. It is normal to not have a definitive timetable when someone has a concussion, but it’s even more difficult when someone has had multiple concussions before. The Penguins will take every precaution with their captain, which obviously clouds his availability for the season opener.
Rust, 24, had a nice playoff run last year picking up nine points (6G / 3A) in 23 games on Evgeni Malkin’s wing. With Rust unlikely available for the start of the season, that leaves the door open for Scott Wilson to start the year with Malkin.
Hayes, 24, had an excellent rookie season and was among the breakout candidates heading into 2015-16, but he struggled for the majority of the year. He scored 14 goals with 22 assists, falling short of his 17-goal, 28-assist rookie campaign. Heading into 2016-17, Hayes remains an intriguing sleeper option given his great size and skill, but he will need to find a way to break into the Rangers’ top-6 if he’s going to have huge impact.
