Niederreiter has had himself a strong postseason, and he will be rewarded tonight as he swaps places with Matt Moulson. Nino has two goals and two assists while averaging just 13:16 in the first nine games of the playoffs.
The Blackhawks decided to sit Toews the rest of the regular season and make sure he was fit for the playoffs. ‘’I don’t feel like I lost anything,’’ Toews said. Toews generally is one of the last players to worry about making that adjustment. In 2012 he missed the final 22 games of the regular season with a concussion, then scored a goal 4:04 into the Hawks’ playoff opener against the Phoenix Coyotes. Toews was a plus-4 in the first two games of that series. If anything, it’ll be up to Toews’ teammates to follow his lead.
Toews skated in Chicago yesterday and coach Joel Quenneville said that everything went well. The Hawks are still hoping to have Toews back in the lineup for game 1 of the playoffs.
Niederreiter missed Thursday's game but will be back tonight vs. the Penguins. He has just on goal and one assist in his last 10 games.
Niederreiter left Sunday's game in the first period and did not return. He was able to practice, but the Wild will play it safe with him and rest him tonight with veteran Dany Heatley sitting in the press box the last few games. Niederreiter is day-to-day.
Originally the Blackhawks said that Toews injury was not that serious, but it will cost him at least the next two weeks. Reports are that Toews will be 100 per cent for playoffs, so you can't blame the Hawks for playing it safe and shutting him down when they have playoff spot locked up. The Blackhawks recalled Joakim Nordstrom on Wednesday, but there is no word how their lines will shakeout without Toews and Patrick Kane.
Toews was injured on Sunday and could miss Thursday's game. A number of Hawks players were absent at this morning's practice, so we will have a better idea of Toews' status on Thursday.
Toews was drilled by Penguins defenceman Brooks Orpik with 6:30 remaining in the second period on Sunday night. The two were going for a loose puck. Toews got up slowly and was seen holding his left arm on the bench before heading down the runway. Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville says he doesn't think the injury is serious, but the team would know more on Monday.
“I was pretty young,” said Nyquist, who was 14 at the time. “I’m not surprised, he was a great player.” Nyquist is on quite a roll. He has nine goals in his past six games and 20 goals in his past 24 games. He will continue skating on a line with Riley Sheahan and Tomas Tatar.
Nyquist added two goals to his total in last night's huge 3-2 win over the Maple Leafs. After starting the year in the minors, he now leads the Red Wings in goals with 19 and has added 16 assists for 35 points in 43 games this season. With tons of players out of the lineup, the Wings will continue to lean heavily on him down the stretch, you can as well.
Namestnikov was a minus-1 with four shots while averaging 9:28 TOI in four games with the Lightning during call-up. Getting Steven Stamkos back and shipping Martin St. Louis out, the Lightning send Namestnikov (a centre) down to recall a winger (Richard Panik) up.
Updating an earlier report, the original timetable was 6-8 weeks, but it sounds like that is worst case scenario. Expect him to land on IR and the Jets to call-up a centreman from St. John's (AHL).
This is a huge blow for the Jets. Scheifele is the Jets best two-way centre and this certainly hurts their chances at a playoff push, they are currently one-point out. With Scheifele out, this could force the Jets to be sellers at the deadline, rather than buyers.
Scheifele was hit by Calvin de Haan and appeared to suffer a knee injury. Scheifele did not return for the third period, but this could be a huge loss for the Jets if he misses a lengthy period of time. He will be re-evaluated Wednesday and the severity of his injury will reportedly alter how the Jets will approach the trade deadline.
Pearson, 21, has appeared in eight games with the Kings this season, recording one point (his first career NHL goal). Pearson has also played in 41 games with Manchester this season, recording 32 points (17G /15A) and 18 penalty minutes. His 17 goals with the Monarchs are tied for the team lead.
Namestnikov was the Lightning's 1st round pick (27th overall) in 2011. Tonight he will make his NHL debut on a line with J.T Brown and Nikita Kucherov, a line that played very well for Lightning head coach Jon Cooper when he was with Syracuse (AHL). Namestnikov has 13 goals and 17 assists (30 points) in 31 games with Syracuse (AHL) this season.
Pearson is eligible to play in tonight’s game against the Minnesota Wild, he took shifts alongside Colin Fraser with a rotating right wing during line rushes, which could be an indication that he won’t play. Pearson has recorded one goal and a minus-1 rating in six games with the Kings this season. He is third in points with Manchester having totalled 25 points (13G / 12A) in 30 games.
Nyquist has missed the last three games with a groin injury that he suffered on December 15. His return is important for a team who has been ravished by injuries.
With Nyquist out tonight Riley Sheahan will draw into the lineup. Nyquist is considered day-to-day but groin injuries usually keep a player out for 7-10 days.
There is no word on why Nyquist is absent from practice. It would be a terrible break for a team who is already down four forwards. We will get an update following the morning skate.
