'Canes activate Ward, send him to Charlotte for conditioning stint

Carolina Hurricanes' goalie Cam Ward has been removed from the team's Injured Reserved list and has been assigned to AHL Charlotte for a two-game conditioning stint.

Ward has had a forgettable season thus far as he has struggled mightily with injury.  In 19 games with the Hurricanes, Ward has a mediocre 6-7-5 record with an abysmal stat line of 3.15 goals against average and a .895 save percentage.

Ward played just 17 games all of last season due to injury.  His current lower-body injury has kept him out of the Hurricanes' lineup for the past 13 games - a period in which Anton Khudobin has shined since coming off his own conditioning stint with the Checkers.

The 29-year-old nerminder is a Stanley Cup winner and has a Con Smythe Trophy and NHL All-Star game appearance on his resume, and holds the Hurricanes' record for goaltenders with 220 wins and 21 shutouts.

According to reports on the Charlotte Checkers' official website, Ward will be between the pipes for the Checkers for both Friday and Saturday night's contests, both against the Lake Erie Monsters at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/canes-activate-ward-send-him-to.html

Cancuks' Santorelli gone for the season with torn labrum

Mike Santorelli's "Hometown boy makes good" story has come to a painful end.

The enigmatic Santorelli, who signed a tryout deal with the Vancouver Canucks this past offseason and worked his way to the zenith, centering brothers Henrik and Daniel Sedin on the Canucks' top line, has undergone season ending surgery on his shoulder.

Santorelli had bounced between Nashville and AHL Milwaukee his first three years in the league before being traded to the Florida Panthers, who waived him late last season, being picked up by the Winnipeg Jets on what was essentially a 10 game rental.  He became an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and signed on with Vancouver.

After consultation with our team physicians, we determined that Mike would require a procedure on his shoulder,” general manager Mike Gillis said in a prepared statement. “The surgery was successful and we expect a full recovery.”

The Vancouver native has potted ten pucks and assisted on 18 others in 49 games this season, placing him fifth on the team in scoring.  Needless to say, Santorelli has found a home with the Canucks and wishes to return next season, though he will be a free agent at the end of the season.

 

 http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/cancuks-santorelli-gone-for-season-with.html

Rangers' Dorsett eyes post-Olympics return

Derek Dorsett will most likely be back to being a pest to opponents of the New York Rangers following the Olympic Break.

Dorsett, who sports 103 penalty minutes in just 37 games, had his fibula broken attempting to block a Olli Maatta shot in the first period of the Rangers' loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 3rd - and it was originally projected that he could be back before the break, but the Rangers can afford to wait until after the Sochi games to bring their Little Ball of Hate back.

However, there is a question as to where the Rangers' resident agitator fits now that the team has traded for Dan Carcillo from the Los Angeles Kings.

Rangers' bench boss Alain Vigneault seems satisfied with the four lines he's rolling with now, and the team is hot, going 9-3-1 since Dorsett went down, his energy line of Carcillo and Brian Boyle being centered by Dominic Moore as productive as at any time during the season.

The Rangers have but three games remaining before the break, so Vigneault doesn't have to make a decision either way for at least a couple of weeks - but as long as his players stay healthy, Dorsett can continue to rehab.

 http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/rangers-dorsett-eyes-post-olympics.html

Zetterberg will return Friday night as 'Wings host Caps

As far as the National Hockey League is concerned, stars don't get much brighter than Alex Ovechkin - but when the league's leading goal scorer leads his Washington Capitals into Detroit on Friday night, they'll be face-to-face with HockeyTown's brightest star.

Henrik Zetterberg has skated the past two days and is expected to center the Red Wings' top line as both teams look to get back on track after taking ugly losses in each of their last matches.

The Red Wings are winless since Zetterberg tweaked his back against Montreal last Friday, and says that it's different from the herniated disc that kept him out of most of the month of December: “We’ve done everything we could so it doesn’t get worse and now just hopefully stay on this path and it keeps getting

better,”

After getting spanked by the Flyers in Philadelphia on Tuesday, the hot-and-cold Red Wings sit at 23-19-11, just one point behind the Ottawa Senators for 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, so getting their top player back give the team and their fans optimism, particularly heading into the Olympic Break...

...for if there is a team that would benefit for the three week shutdown to get their players healthy, it is the Red Wings.

“Had a good day today; it’s fun to skate again,” Zetterberg said. “Hopefully I’ll feel good tomorrow after the morning skate and we’ll go from there.”

Zetterberg is scheduled to play for the Swedish National Team in Sochi, so long as his back holds up, while teammate Johan Franzen has already been ruled out of the games with a concussion - bad news for Franzen, but hopefully good news for the Red Wings.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/zetterberg-set-to-return-friday-night.html

Winnipeg Jets' Postma nearing return

When Winnipeg Jets' defenseman Paul Postma started feeling pain in his leg last October, neither he nor the team had any idea how serious the issue would become - but now that he's over his bout with a dangerous blood clot in his calf, the Jets' are anxious to get him back into action.

But first, a conditioning stint with the Jets' AHL affiliate in St. Johns, Newfoundland - joining the Ice Caps on the last stop of their current five-game road trip against the Portland Pirates in Lewiston, Maine on Friday night.

Postma, who has played in just eight games this season, has been treated with blood thinners to help resolve the problem and was medically cleared for action just last week after being sidelined for three months - and although he's been practicing with the parent club, they felt that a conditioning assignment was needed to get their young blue liner up to speed.

The Ice Caps have confirmed that Postma has joined the team and practiced with them on Thursday, and it is anticipated that he will indeed play on Friday night.

Centerman Eric O'Dell could also be assigned to the Ice Caps during the Olympic Break as he has missed some time with the club due to the birth of his daughter in Ottawa.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/winnipeg-jets-postma-nearing-return.html

Red Wings' Franzen on shelf once again; will miss Olympic games

The Detroit Red Wings have been perhaps the NHL's most injury-prone team this season - and even when one of them returns to the lineup, it seems that they aren't there for very long.

Take Johan Franzen for example.  The oft-injured centerman returned last Sunday from a six week absence since taking a knuckle sandwich from Tampa Bay's Radko Gudas left him concussed, the night before his return stating "It's been three days now I haven't had any issues.  Hopefully I wake up tomorrow the same way - I hope to play."

Well, he woke up the same way, and he did play on Sunday against the Florida Panthers, logging nearly 17 minutes of ice time in the Red Wings' 5-4 loss to the Panthers, logging one helper and putting one shot on net - but that may be the last time HockeyTown's faithful see the rugged Franzen for a while.

"Any time it's a head injury - we've been through it a number of times, they're hard things," Red Wings bench boss Mike Babcock said on Tuesday while announcing Franzen's return to the IR. "Obviously thought he was ready and then found out he wasn't."

Adding insult to his injury, he won't be ready for the Sochi Olympics either, as Swedish National Team coach Par Mats announced on Thursday that Franzen will be left off the team due to the recurrence of his concussion symptoms.

There is no time table set for his return, but his sudden regression should compel the team to be cautious with their veteran forward, something that Babcock hinted at on Tuesday.

"He'll be out a few for sure, anyways, and he continues to work with doctors at U-M (University of Michigan); they'll figure out when he’s available."

In the interim, his spot in the lineup will be held down by forward Joakim Andersson, whom the team activated from injured reserve Tuesday.

 http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/red-wings-franzen-on-shelf-once-again.html

Slumping Canucks lose Tanev to broken thumb

The Vancouver Canucks are in a funk.  Their latest injury news doesn't help.

Though no one in the organization will confirm it, various media outlets are reporting that Chris Tanev, Vancouver's most consistent blue liner this season, has suffered a broken thumb and will be out of action at least until the league starts up it's post-Olympics schedule.

When questioned about the media speculation, Canuck's assistant coach and interim head coach Mike Sullivan was less than forthcoming, his reply a simple and stern, "No."

The Canucks, already down first line centerman Henrik Sedin, have lost three of their last four and have a record of just 4-8-2 since the calendar flipped to the new year, so the truth of the injury, whatever it is, could not come at a worse time, particularly considering that the Canucks start a five-game road trip on Friday night in Winnipeg...

...a protracted roadie that features games against the top four heavyweights in the Atlantic Division, with stops in Detroit, Boston, Montreal and finishing up their pre-Olympic's schedule in Toronto.

Sullivan may not have to confirm the severity of Tanev's injury, as their roster movement speaks volumes.

General manager Michael Gillis  announced that the team has recalled defenseman Frank Corrado from AHL Utica, who has a plus-one rating in six games with the Canucks this season.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/slumping-canucks-lose-tanev-to-broken.html

Update: Concussion forces Isles' Hamonic to IR

Concussions are one of the most confounding of all injuries in all of sports.

Symptoms can be as mild as a slight headache or as intense as unconsciousness or convulsions.  Sometimes, there's no symptoms present until days after the fact.  So when New York Islanders' team trainers pulled defenseman Travis Hamonic from the Islanders' 4-2 win at Dallas on January 12th, it was originally thought that he was suffering from the flu.

Hamonic at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday

But when rest and hydration weren't working to get Hamonic feeling better, they decided to send him back to New York for further testing.

That was nearly three weeks ago, and Hamonic is still dealing with the symptoms, so on Tuesday, the team placed him on their injured reserved list retroactive to the 12th and have recalled defenseman Matt Donovan from AHL Bridgeport to fill the roster spot.

"He's starting to progress a little bit but still not feeling well,” head coach Jack Capuano told beat writers after Tuesday afternoon's skate at Yankee Stadium. “It’s a little bit of a process with him and just take it as it goes.”

Of course, that meant that Hamonic missed his team's 2-1 loss to the New York Rangers at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night, but was at the outdoor venue for the team photo and was able to participate in the family skate.

“We don’t have any timetable for him,” Capuano added. “It’s a situation with him where we have to make sure he's 100 percent.”

Donovan, who arrived in Bridgeport and was sent immediately back to the city, has nine points and a minus-3 rating while averaging 24:57 of ice time in 47 games this season.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/update-concussion-forces-isles-hamonic.html

Donovan was sent from New York down to Bridgeport on Monday when fellow defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky was activated from the IR following a protracted stay on the list due to - you guessed it - a concussion.

Opinion: Thomas made a choice as an individual, now he must pay the price

Tim Thomas takes exception to many things, so it's not surprising that the often crotchety, outspoken and politically motivated former Bruin would take exception to someone being in his crease...

...and taking exception to a team with a four goal lead trying to pot one more, as long as they'd score six against him already.  So when Bruins' winger Carl Soderberg crashed the net with just seconds left in a rout at TD Garden on Tuesday night, he made a choice as an individual to smack him over the head with his stick.

Chop that wood, Timmy!

Thomas is revered throughout New England, stemming from his four years as the goalie at the University of Vermont and his seven years as the stopper on the Dirty Water ice.  People who bring championships to Boston instantly become icons and are given great amounts of latitude for behavior - and just about anything will be forgiven...

...unless that "anything" is swinging a thick, blunt goalie stick like an Headsman's axe at the head and neck of a current Bruins' player - or any player at all, for that matter - and it really doesn't matter what your excuse is.

“Nobody was really running into me, until the end there,” Thomas remarked after the game “Soderberg, the play before that, he did a pretty hard jab and then all a sudden the pucks up in the air, you’re catching it and his stick is in my throat."


"With less than a minute left in the game and they’re up by four goals, 6-2, I took exception to that." he continued, "But other than that, I didn’t notice. That’s the way the game is played nowadays. Guys are in and around the crease.”

Um, news alert, Timmy:  That's the way the game has always been played - and the fact that you didn't notice until the score was 6-2 says everything that Brendan Shanahan should need to know:  Your team was getting steamrolled, an opposing player crashed the net and you threw a fit.

In fairness, Thomas has always been a good teammate and was in all likelihood standing up for them by showing them that he's not going to stand for another team running the score up on them, but much like all the times that the equally crotchety New England Patriots' coach Bill Belichick runs up the score on his opponents, the message from the Bruins was clear:

You don't want us to run up the score, then stop us.

“We can’t stop play because there is 30 seconds left," Soderberg said after the game. "we have to try to score the whole game.”

That's Boston Bruins' hockey - you should know this.  Don't like it?  Then stop them, just don't do it by bashing one of their players over the head with your stick.

In January 2012, Thomas refused to visit the White House with the rest of his Bruins' teammates at the traditional meet and greet that President Barack Obama hosts with the winners of the Stanley Cup, issuing the statement:

"today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL."

Whacking Soderberg over the head with a blunt instrument was a choice you made as an individual as well - and while President Obama had no recourse as to allow you your right, the National Hockey League's Director of Player Safety doesn't have to be so politically correct.

Expect a phone call.

Leafs' Smith says return imminent from broken hand

Toronto Maple Leafs centerman Trevor Smith on Tuesday declared himself to be ready to return to the lineup "in the next couple of days.", less than six weeks after breaking his right hand blocking a shot against the Florida Panthers.

Smith was scheduled for a consultation with team physicians on Tuesday afternoon, the results of which have not been made public - but for his part, Smith feels almost ready to go.

Photo credit Gary Wiepert/AP

“I’ve done a lot of shooting the past couple of days and I feel confident with it,” Smith said after the Leafs' gameday skate, “The strength is good. I’m just working on a bit of contact and I’m just trying to feel comfortable. It feels good.”

The Maple leafs have been on quite a roll, posting an 11-5-3 record since that loss to the Panthers on December 17th,  the 14 points placing them right in the thick of the playoff race, currently a solid 4th seed in the Eastern Conference Standings.

Smith's estimation of his return period places him as a possibility of lining up against the Panthers on Thursday night - and if not then, perhaps on Saturday night when the Leafs' host the Ottawa Senators.

The 28-year-old has four goals and nine total points in 25 games played this season.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/leafs-smith-says-return-imminent-from.html

Despite tough words from Bordreau, Ducks' Sbisa lines up against Wild

Anaheim Ducks' coach Bruce Boudreau said on Tuesday morning that Luca Sbisa being activated from the Injured Reserved list was no guarantee that he would be in the lineup that evening against the Minnesota Wild.

"It isn’t like a normal year when he’d be a guy where you’d pencil in right now," Boudreau said to beat writers after the morning skate. "We’re playing pretty good. I think we’re pretty good defensively most nights. He’s not coming in to get anointed. He’s going to have earn a spot there as Mark Fistric earned a spot. Sat out 10 games in a row earlier on in the year, (now) he's earned his place."

Sbisa (right) returned to Ducks' lineup on Tuesday

That must have been one heck of a morning skate for Sbisa.

When the puck dropped, Sbisa was on the ice with Francois Beauchemen in the Ducks' top defensive pairing and Fistric was nowhere to be seen.

Boudreau's tough words in regard to the talented Sbisa perhaps gave way to an internal need to showcase him to teams that may be seeking a young defenseman with tons of upside.  Sbisa has talent, for which the team paid him handsomely for - but doesn't always play with effort.

The soon-to-be 24-year-old is coming off of a torn tendon in his hand suffered over two months ago - and Bordreau was forced to make a corresponding roster move, sending offensive minded defenseman Sami Vatenen back to AHL Norfolk - a move that the Ducks' bench boss seemed to be lamenting.

"The CBA allows you to send guys down that don’t have to clear waivers. He didn't have to clear waivers and he was the odd man out right now. He did a great job and I’m sure at some point he’ll be back."

Indeed he will, as the 22-year-old Vatenen scored six goals and had 14 points in the 39 games he played for the parent club, numbers that ranked 1st and 3rd, respectively, for the Ducks' blue liners.

Sbisa recorded just over 17 minutes of ice time in his return, taking two hooking penalties and earning a minus-one rating.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/despite-tough-words-from-bordreau-ducks.html

Bruins' Kelly in, Spooner reassigned to Providence

The matter of what to do with Ryan Spooner when Chris Kelly came off of the Boston Bruins' Injured Reserved list, was really much adieu about nothing.

Bruins' General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced on Tuesday that Kelly had been activated from the IR, and that the speedy rookie Spooner and defenseman Zach Trotman had been assigned to the team's AHL affiliate in Providence, Rhode Island.

Kelly returns for the Bruins on Tuesday night.

Kelly has been on the shelf since having his fibula snapped on a vicious slash at the hands of Pittsburgh Penguins' Pascal Dupuis in the Bruins' 3-2 win over the Pens on December 7th.  At the time of the injury, Kelly had played in 29 games centering the third line, scoring three times and helping on four others...

...Spooner taking over and playing admirably, his 11 assists in 22 games played revealing a weak part of his game to work on in Providence, that being his seeming focus on playmaking and passing the puck - which is well and good until one stops to consider that he took only 41 shots in those games, and average of less than two per game.

"When you look at the stat sheet he’s got a fair amount of assists because he’s a good playmaker, but right now he’s got to work – not only the D zone work – but he’s also capable of scoring some goals,” Bruins' bench boss Claude Julien said last week, “He’s got to find a way to get some of those goals, and get that zero off the score sheet. I think he’s very capable of doing that."

Julien knows what Spooner is capable of, and hopes that his offensive prowess emerges in his time down at the AHL Level.

“I’ve seen him in Providence take pucks to the net and score some nifty goals. For him it’s just a matter of gaining more confidence to take pucks to the net.” Julien said.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/bruins-kelly-in-spooner-reassigned-to.html

Kopecky to IR, Winchester on third line for Panthers

The Florida Panthers have moved left winger Tomas Kopecky to their Injured Reserved list while working centerman Jesse Winchester back into the flow after his return from injury.

Winchester, who had missed 14 games with a broken hand, showed little rust upon his return skating in Kopecky's spot on the wing along side Marcel Goc and Jonathan Huberdeau on the third line as the Panthers took down the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday.

Winchester has 14 points in 30 games

In 30 games this season, the gritty Winchester has found twine seven times and helped on an equal number - not bad for a guy that was considered a longshot to make the roster.

"My mandate doesn't change," Winchester said upon his return last week. "I work hard, have fun, try to be tough around their net and in the corners, and just do whatever I can in whatever role I have to help our team win."

In contrast to Winchester's fired up, everywhere-on-the-ice style, Kopecky has adopted a more defensive posture to his game this season, as his stat line of four goals and six assists will attest - even so, he has agreed to play center to Team Slovakia in the upcoming Sochi Olympics, that is, provided that his lingering shoulder injury has healed.

Kopecky's trip to the IR is most likely retroactive to January 18th, which means that if he's well enough, he could return for the Panthers' match at Boston on Tuesday night.  If not, Winchester will fill in - as he has stated, "I'll play whatever position except for goalie".

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/kopecky-to-ir-winchester-on-third-line.html

Zdeno Chara's day off

Coming into this season, Boston Bruins' coach Claude Julien noted that one of his goals for the long-term health of the team was to try and limit defenseman Zdeno Chara's ice time, slightly easing up on the soon-to-be 37-year-old's creaky old bones...

...but between injuries to his fellow blue liners and his stubborn insistence on skating as much as the bench boss would allow, Julien has had to resort to giving his captain a maintenance day or two.

"Maintenance day, day off for him," Julien said to reporters on Sunday. "He's a big man, he needs some time off - in our minds, not in his mind, but in our minds - so every once in a while, we force him to stay off."

Averaging over 25 minutes per match thus far in the 2013/14 season, he is actually on pace to exceed last season's average - a number that has spiked since partner Dennis Seidenberg was lost for the season with a knee injury.

Chara had no comment as he walked out of the arena in street clothes, but Julien laughed when asked if Chara was upset about being forced to take a day off.

"He's getting used to it now," smiled Julien, "He hasn't won a fight yet so when I tell him to stay off, he's getting the message now."

If "The Condor" is still steaming about being excluded from joining his teammates for practice on Sunday, he'll have the opportunity to blow off a little steam on Monday night at Nassau Coliseum when his Bruins take on the New York Islanders.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/zdeno-charas-day-off.html

Red Wings' Zetterberg on shelf again

The last time Henrik Zetterberg dealt with a back injury, he ended up missing 11 games.  The Detroit Red Wings hope that history doesn't repeat itself with his latest back issue.

The Red Wings' captain and leading scorer was a late scratch on Sunday against the Florida Panthers, the result of a heavy spill he took when he flipped over Montreal's Alexei Emelin in the opening frame of Detroit's 4-1 win over the Canadiens on Friday night - Zetterberg took a couple of shifts off after the spill but returned to the lineup in the second period.

Coach Mike Babcock confirmed that the issue had to do with his back, but wouldn't speculate as to whether it was related to his previous ailment.  "I just know it's a back thing." Babcock said in response to media inquiry, "So we'll see him tomorrow and know more tomorrow."

In the 11 games that Zetterberg missed previously, the Red Wings were a dismal 3-6-2 and dropped out of the conversation for leadership of the Atlantic Division.

With Zetterberg joining centerman Pavel Datsyuk on the shelf, the Red Wings are without their top two points leaders - the left winger leading the team with 16 goals and 28 helpers in 40 games while Datsyuk has 15 goals and 17 dimes in 35 games.

Centerman Johan Franzen returned to the lineup after dealing with a concussion and though Babcock would have prefered to ease him back into action on the wing, he instead took Zetterberg's place between Gustav Nyquist and Justin Abdelkader on the Red Wings' top line.

"When you're a winger and you got go in the middle it's great when you've played and you got tempo and you're in the kind of game shape you want to be. But that's part of life. Hopefully Zetterberg will be ready for the next game. If he's not, we'll go with the guys we got."

Detroit currently holds down the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and their next match is on Tuesday at Philadelphia.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/red-wings-zetterberg-on-shelf-again.html

Using Franchise tag on Graham could open can of worms for Saints, NFL

Is Jimmy Graham a tight end or a wide receiver? 

If the Pro Bowl pass catcher and the New Orleans Saints can't reach agreement on a new long-term deal, the team will reportedly use it's Franchise Tag on the unrestricted free agent, opening a can of worms that could have league-wide ramifications.

At issue is the projected salary for a tight end on the Franchise Tag versus what is projected for a wide receiver, a disparity of $4.5 million in favor of wide receivers - and though there has not been much conjecture on the subject as yet, if the tag is applied there could certainly be a battle as to what position Graham actually plays.

Selected as a tight end out of Miami in the third round of the 2010 draft, the 6' 7", 270 pound Graham is blessed with wide receiver speed (4.56) and is used much like a wide receiver in the Saints' record-breaking aerial attack, yet he has been selected to the Pro Bowl twice and was named the first-team All Pro tight end at the end of this past regular season.

"Isn't that what we drafted him as? Isn't that what he made the Pro Bowl as?" Saints' General Manager Mickey Loomis said last week. "That's what we see him as, a tight end. That's what makes him valuable."

Loomis may see him as a tight end, but according to a report on ESPN.com ,the Saints used him primarily as a wide receiver on almost 70% of his offensive snaps.

Regardless of how he is viewed by whom, Graham has proven his worth as a weapon in New Orleans and deserves Rob Gronkowski-type money at the very least, as his production is unmatched in the NFL since coming into the league.

Of his 301 receptions, 85% have gone for either a first down or a touchdown, with 41 touchdowns and 215 first downs.  Gronkowski has posted similar numbers but has been perpetually injured in his career, which spans the same time frame.

Gronkowski signed a six year, $54 million contract extension just prior to the 2012 season.

For his part, Graham is reluctant to the idea of the Franchise Tag, and according to several published reports he is on record as saying that if the tag is used on him, it would be "real unfortunate.".

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/using-franchise-tag-on-graham-could.html

Visnovsky ready to return for Islanders; Nabokov too

The New York Islanders have been one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference since the beginning of the new year, and now they're about to get healthier as well - particularly on the defensive end.

Defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky - out with a concussion since mid-October - has reportedly been cleared for action and could be activated for Monday's game at Boston.  To make room for Visnovsky on the roster, concussed defenseman Travis Hamonic will probably be placed on the IR, retroactive to January 12th.

Photo credit: Jim McIssac/LIN

Hamonic suffered his concussion at Dallas and was sent back to New York for evaluation.  Both he, Visnovsky and goaltender Evengi Nabokov have been skating with the team since returning from that road trip.

Nabokov, who has been out for three weeks with a quad strain, hopes to be activated for Wednesday's face off with the Rangers at Yankee Stadium.  He is by far the Islanders' best netminder, sporting a record of 9-8-5 with one shutout with a stat line of 2.88 goals against average and a .905 save percentage.

The Islanders are 8-4-1 since New Years' Day and have climbed back into contention as part of the logjam behind runaway leader Pittsburgh in the Metropolitan Division.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/vosnovsky-ready-to-return-for-islanders.html

Franzen set to return for Red Wings on Sunday

There may be no team that will welcome the Olympic break more than the long-injured Detroit Red Wings.

Every one of their top 12 scoring leaders have missed significant time with injuries in the Red Wings' 51 games thus far, including long stretches without captain Henrik Zetterberg and veteran centerman Pavel Datsyuk - but now Zetterberg has returned and Darren Helm, Daniel Alfredsson and defenseman Jonathan Ericsson rejoined the team last week...

...and while Datsyuk and his strained groin have not been cleared for action, General Manager Ken Holland announced on Saturday that centerman Johan Franzen has passed all of the concussion protocol testing and should be in the lineup when the 'Wings host the Florida Panthers on Sunday evening.

"I think it's three days now I haven't had any issues" Franzen confirmed on Saturday, "So hopefully I wake up tomorrow the same way.  I hope to play."

The veteran forward has been out of the lineup since taking a shot to the face from Tampa Bay tough guy Radko Gudas on December 15th, and while the prognosis at the time was that Franzen would miss only a few games, he has suffered from constant headaches and bouts of decreased mental acuity since.

Limited to just 30 games this season, Franzen has nevertheless scored nine goals and helped on 13 others, his 22 points fifth on the team.

As for Datsyuk, he has been skating and hopes to return to the lineup to get a few games in before heading to Sochi to play for the Russians in the Olympic games.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/franzen-set-to-return-for-red-wings-on.html

Stafford, Leino suffer upper-body injuries in Sabres' win

The Buffalo Sabres won just their second game in regulation on the road Saturday night, but lost two players in the process.

Energy line left wing Ville Leino and first line right wing Drew Stafford were both forced from the Sabres surprising 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, both with upper body injuries.  Leino took a hammer shot from Jack Johnson in the second period, but took one more shift before the trainers took him back in the room.

Stafford left in the third after just 12:17 of ice time compared with his season average of 17:41 over 46 games played - and interim coach (why don't they just give him the gig already?) Ted Nolan offered no updates, though he doubts either will be go to go on Monday night in Pittsburgh.

Nolan had no info on Leino or Stafford. Didn't seem too optimistic about either for Monday.
— Mike Harrington (@BNHarrington) January 26, 2014

The 28-year-old Stafford is a particularly heavy loss for the Sabres to incur, though his seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points don't tell his entire story.

"Drew is a proven player. He's played here for a while. I think he deserved all the respect a player of his magnitude deserves." Nolan said of Stafford's tough season offensively thus far, "He didn't disappoint. He competed, but it just didn't go in for him. Now the last few weeks the puck seems to be finding the back of the net."

It's not as if the Sabres are headed to the playoffs, sporting the worst record in the league and a full 21 points behind the current 8th seed in the Eastern Conference - but 26 of their 36 points have come since Nolan took over as temporary bench boss, the team is 10-14-6 in that span but 3-4-3 since the calender turned.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/stafford-leino-suffer-upper-body.html

Red Wings' Weiss on target for post-Olympic return

When Detroit Red Wings' centerman Stephen Weiss underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia, both he and the team hoped he would be able to rejoin the team when the league resumed it's schedule after the Olympic break.

Optimism his high in both camps that the target date is tangible.

"I'm really amazed at how fast this thing goes," said Weiss recently, "You go from feeling terrible to skating not long after that. I was walking on a treadmill about 10 days ago and now I've been on the ice five days in a row. It progresses pretty quickly."

The 30-year-old Weiss went under the knife on December 23rd after missing several games battling the ailment and seeking the opinion of a specialist in Philadelphia.  The prognosis was for a dull recovery in a span of six to eight weeks.

Weiss said he expects to begin participating in practice next week and that the projection for his return on the 26th of February is well within reach - good news for a Red Wings' team that is on the outside looking in at a playoff spot and fading fast as injuries have taken an immeasurable toll in HockeyTown.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/red-wings-weiss-on-target-for-post.html

Oilers' Ference suffers head injury

Edmonton Oilers' captain Andrew Ference left Friday night's match with the Phoenix Coyotes with an apparent head injury and did not return. There has been no word on how or when the injury occured to the diminutive defenseman, only that he should be considered day-to-day.

Ference has been embroiled in a heated exchange recently, not on the ice, but with Oilers' beat writer Robert Tychkowsi, who wrote recently:

"It doesn’t matter how good the forwards are, and the Oilers can rotate all the goalies they want; without an NHL caliber defense, none of it matters, the Edmonton blueline is a disjointed mix of skinny, inexperienced newcomers and veterans who are not quite capable of picking up the slack."

Frustration has obviously set in with the Oilers' faithful, as being the doormat of the Western Conference would dictate.  For his part, Ference sports a minus-six in the plus/minus standings and is the only Oiler to play in every game this season. 

His average ice time and penalty minutes are second most on the team - and at 34 years old, he is the elder statesman on a blue line that has surrendered a league worst 187 goals against in 53 games, their goaltending so beset with injury that the team is working on their 4th and 5th depth options.

"No team plays perfect." Ference responded,  "Even when you watch games with the top teams in the league, they still turn over the puck. Everybody makes mistakes, it’s a matter of what kind of layers you have and what kind of awareness you have on the ice, so that when you do make mistakes there’s back-up plans and there’s people there to cover up. The teams that are consistently playing well, they have that"

Ference is an unrestricted free agent after this season.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/oilers-ference-suffers-head-injury.html

Update: Lightning's Stamkos cleared for (light) contact

UPDATE:  Team physicians have cleared Stamkos for light contact, but have not dully cleared him for practice.  Stamkos was spotted wearing the yellow practice jersey at Saturday morning's skate.

"He's getting better every day, but there are lots of things that have to go on still.  He hasn't been cleared and he's still a ways away from being cleared. He hasn't done any battling. It's just the process that is slowly going on here. But, in saying that, when you take the minimum-maximum of what the injury was, he's closer to coming in at the minimum time frame than the maximum time frame, so that's good for all of us." - Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper

Original article:

The National Hockey League's best feel-good story is getting even better.

Tampa Bay Lightning centerman Steven Stamkos addressed the media on Thursday morning after skating with his teammates as they prepared to host the Ottawa Senators tonight at Tampa Bay Times Forum, and was even more upbeat than usual.

"I thought Today was the best it's felt," Stamkos said of his right leg. "That's a positive. Every day I've gotten on the ice trying to get a little better each time."

Stamkos' amazing recovery from a broken tibia suffered 10 weeks ago when he slid hard into the goal mount at TD Garden in Boston has been well documented, but Thursday he delved into the psychological hurdles that accompany the recovery from such a devastating injury.

"A lot of it is physical but a lot of it is mental as well, trying different things that you can trust the healing process is taking place." Stamkos remarked, "I have never had an injury like this, but I'd like to think that I'm ahead. I'm feeling good. I know I'm not 100 percent, but it's getting there."

Stamkos is honored that he was selected to the Canadian Olympic Hockey Team, particularly being injured - and listening to the passion in his voice tells one that he will be ready to play for his country, and even get a few "practice" games in before hand.

"February was a target date," Stamkos said of returning to the Tampa Bay lineup before taking off for the Sochi Games, "We've got a couple of games before the break and I'd love to be able to come back and play."

The Lightning have the Senators and Avalanche at home - where the team has unfortunately lost six straight - before heading out for a four-game roadie.  Stamkos most likely will be ready to return to the ice when the team returns to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 6th and then the Detroit Red Wings two days later before the league breaks for the Olympic Games.

 http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/update-lightnings-stamkos-cleared-for.html

Caps' Ovechkin to miss Friday night vs. Devils

The National Hockey League's leading goal scorer will miss his second consecutive game with a reported groin strain.

Ovechkin reportedly suffered the strain in the Capitals' dismal 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders on Sunday and sat out of Tuesday's shutout loss to Ottawa.  Washington is in a serious slump, having won just two matches since the ball dropped on New Years, sporting a 2-5-2 record in that span including their current six-game winless streak.

Obviously, losing Ovechkin is a blow no matter the record, but when the 28-year-old hit the ice on Friday morning, he took two laps and came right back off and into the room according to a report on NHL.com.

"He went out onto the ice, and then went off," Capitals bench boss Adam Oates told reporters after the skate, "I still haven't found out why he went out so fast. I don't know if it was because it was more serious than he thought or not healing."

The Capitals start a five-games-in-seven-nights road trip on Friday night in New Jersey, then take the red eye to Montreal for a Saturday faceoff, traveling to Buffalo, Columbus and Detroit to close out the month of January.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/caps-ovechkin-to-miss-friday-night-vs.html

Devils' Henrique will play against Caps on Friday

New Jersey Devils' centerman Adam Henrique will be in his usual spot between Ryane Clowe and Michael Ryder on Friday night when the Devils host the Washington Capitals at the Prudential Center in Newark.

Henrique left the Devils' Tuesday match with St. Louis with soreness in his left hand, the result of taking a David Backes drive off of the hand early in the second period.  The 23-year-old stayed in the match after the injury occurred and scored his 13th goal of the season later in the frame...

...and with his team comfortably in control of the game in the final period, Devils' coach Peter DeBoer pulled Henrique and sent him to the room for treatment, telling beat writers afterward that he didn't think the injury to his hand was all that serious.

Despite assurances from the bench boss, there was still a minimal amount of trepidation surrounding the injury as Henrique had gone under the knife early last season to have his left thumb repaired - and, as it turns out - the team sent him for xrays to make sure the thumb was ok before making any announcement as to his status.

The Devils' fifth-leading scorer was on the ice with his third line on Thursday morning and told reporters he was feeling fine.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/devils-henrique-will-play-against-caps.html

Stars' Eakin to be evaluated after hit to head

After Tyler Seguin and Janie Benn, there is a significant drop off in terms of scoring leaders for the Dallas Stars - Seguin checks in with 47, Benn with 45, then Cody Eakin with 26.

Regardless, the top-heavy Stars are floundering since the calender turned to 2014, losing six straight to start the new year - but they seem to have turned it around somewhat since, posting a 3-2-1 record in their past six games, including two consecutive blowout wins in their latest contests.

Eakin (20) with Jamie Benn

The muddling Stars can ill-afford an injury to one of their top scorers if they plan on keeping their brief winning ways going - so they have to have their fingers crossed when Eakin goes for an evaluation on Friday to determine if the 22-year-old centerman suffered a concussion after taking a hit to the head from Toronto's Colton Orr in Thursday night's 7-1 win over the Maple Leafs.

Eakin was forced from the game after the high hit from Orr in the third period, though Dallas bench boss Lindy Ruff indicated after the game that Eakin appeared ok, but with concussions, things are not always as they appear.

Eakin scored a goal before leaving the game, his 12th on the season to go along with 14 dimes.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/stars-eakin-to-be-evaluated-after-hit.html

Avs' Tanguay ready to return Friday night

Hockey players are tough.

They're rough and tumble, always have their linemate's backs and aren't afraid to drop the gloves and get into a scrap to inspire their team - physically, they may be the toughest competitors on the planet.

Psychologically, they are just as vulnerable as any other human being.

To hear players like Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos and Colorado's Alex Tanguay talk about coming back from a major injury reminds us that underneath the pads, head gear and brutish exterior, their psyche is just as frail - but they are Hockey players, and they will suck it up.

Tanguay addressed the media on Wednesday and shared some thoughts to that end, and also to confirm that he will be back in game action on Friday night in Sunshine, Florida as the Avalanche travel to meet the Florida Panthers.

"I'm nervous to see how everything's going to feel out there." The 34-year-old right winger remarked, "As much as you do in practice, you don't get the same checking and intensity as you do in a game."

Then added,  "But I'm excited to get back."

The Avalanche are excited to get him back as well.  The veteran winger scored three goals and helped on six others in 13 games before getting accidentally bulldozed by his own teammate in a game against the Montreal Canadiens and leaving the game with what was thought to be a knee injury - but the real problem was discovered during an ensuing MRI.

His left hip had sustained some damage, and given Tanguay's medical history - he had surgery on his right hip nine years ago - the nerves settled in as he feared another surgery was forthcoming.

But now both issues have been resolved to the point that Tanguay is going to give it a shot on the ice against the Panthers.

"It turned out not to be as good as we wanted. Now I seem to be in good enough shape to play, and hopefully I'll be good to go and be fully healthy until the end of the year." he said, adding "I'm happy now and I'll cross my fingers that it will go well."

 http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/avs-tanguay-ready-to-return-friday-night.html

Lattimore done with redshirt, ready to reward 49ers' faith

Marcus Lattimore knew he wasn't going to play in 2013, so he didn't even push the issue.

That didn't mean that he felt he couldn't.

Lattimore was selected in the 4th round of the 2013 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers despite suffering  a severe injury to his right knee in a game against Tennessee, tearing his ACL, MCL and PCL - so devastating and complete were the tears that his knee also dislocated.

But that didn't deter 49ers' coach Jim Harbaugh from taking a flyer on a kid that tore up the SEC as a freshman at South Carolina and improved each season, citing form over function and gaining style points for his hard-nosed running style - kind of like some dude named Frank Gore...

“Mentally was the biggest thing for me, understanding the offense,” Lattimore told 49ers.com of how Gore, the depth in the backfield and coach Tom Rathman helped him in his quest. “They showed me how to play the game, honestly. I’m real excited about next year.”

And now with his redshirt year coming to a close, Lattimore is remaining patient and working on the 49ers' agenda, not his own, even though he felt that he could have come off the team's non-football injury list and contributed - but his time with the team has been beneficial to his psyche and in the way that it has prepared him for his career in the NFL.

He also knows that the team is counting on his development and have big plans for him - figuring out early what it's going to take to find playing time once he does get into action.  “If you can’t protect the quarterback, you can’t play.”

Harbaugh thinks he's ready to do just that.  “I think this has been an outstanding year for Marcus. Tough at times, but I think great things will happen for him.”

Lattimore thinks so as well.

“Coach Harbaugh puts you in the mindset of when you were younger and you had so much fun playing the game. That’s how we play here. We have so much fun when we play. That’s what people tend to forget when they get into the NFL."

 http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/lattimore-done-with-redshirt-ready-to.html

McCarron to skip Senior Bowl; cites doctor's opinion

With NFL scouts having serious questions about Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron's arm strength, the Heisman Trophy runner-up needed a strong post-season All Star game to be considered a lock for the second day of the draft - or even the first - but that's not going to happen.

McCarron withdrew his name from the Senior Bowl roster on the advice of team physicians, explaining his decision to members of the Alabama Media Group, including Randy Kennedy of AL.com: 

"When it came time to decide, I asked the advice of our team doctors, who are some of the best in the country. They said I should stay out of the game and get my body back to 100 percent healthy."

At issue, besides the typical nagging wear-and-tear ailments were a mild hamstring injury, a sore shoulder and a toe that needed minor surgery after the Sugar Bowl.

Of course, there's always the Combine in Indianapolis coming up soon and also Alabama's Pro Day, which has yet to be scheduled - but to increase his draft stock, scouts were looking forward to seeing how McCarron performed against top talent and, more specifically, how his arm strength translated into tight-window throws that he will need to make in the NFL.

Seen as a highly intelligent and confident game manager, and with success in the Senior Bowl not always translating into success at the professional level, McCarron probably wouldn't be selected in the first or second rounds as a franchise signal caller, but would probably be seen as tremendous value in the third or fourth...

...finding his way to the field immediately with a team like Oakland or St. Louis but most likely will end up as a developmental prospect for teams with aging starters like in New England, Denver or Arizona - with the Patriots being an intriguing landing spot be as McCarron is most often compared to future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/mccarron-to-skip-senior-bowl-cites.html

Tampa Bay's Stamkos hopeful to get in a few games before Olympic break

The National Hockey League's best feel-good story is getting even better.

Tampa Bay Lightning centerman Steven Stamkos addressed the media on Thursday morning after skating with his teammates as they prepared to host the Ottawa Senators tonight at Tampa Bay Times Forum, and was even more upbeat than usual.

"I thought Today was the best it's felt," Stamkos said of his right leg. "That's a positive. Every day I've gotten on the ice trying to get a little better each time."

Stamkos' amazing recovery from a broken tibia suffered 10 weeks ago when he slid hard into the goal mount at TD Garden in Boston has been well documented, but Thursday he delved into the psychological hurdles that accompany the recovery from such a devastating injury.

"A lot of it is physical but a lot of it is mental as well, trying different things that you can trust the healing process is taking place." Stamkos remarked, "I have never had an injury like this, but I'd like to think that I'm ahead. I'm feeling good. I know I'm not 100 percent, but it's getting there."

Stamkos is honored that he was selected to the Canadian Olympic Hockey Team, particularly being injured - and listening to the passion in his voice tells one that he will be ready to play for his country, and even get a few "practice" games in before hand.

"February was a target date," Stamkos said of returning to the Tampa Bay lineup before taking off for the Sochi Games, "We've got a couple of games before the break and I'd love to be able to come back and play."

The Lightning have the Senators and Avalanche at home - where the team has unfortunately lost six straight - before heading out for a four-game roadie.  Stamkos most likely will be ready to return to the ice when the team returns to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 6th and then the Detroit Red Wings two days later before the league breaks for the Olympic Games.

 http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/tampa-bays-stamkos-hopeful-to-get-in.html

Henrique injures hand in Devils' rout of St. Louis

A hand injury to centerman Adam Henrique was about the only thing that went wrong for the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.

The 23-year-old Henrique was hit in the hand blocking a shot in the second period of the Devils' 7-1 rout of the St. Louis Blues, but notched his 13th goal of the season before exiting the game.  Coach Peter DeBoer kept Henrique out of the game but indicated afterward that he didn't believe the injury to be too serious.

The win was a much-needed shot in the arm for the unlucky Devils who have gone 4-1-3 in their last eight games - two of those overtime losses coming on their recent four game road trip - keeping New Jersey withing striking distance from the last playoff spot in the tightly contested Eastern Conference.

The team had previously announced that they would update Henrique's status on Wednesday, but opted out as it was a day off, and instead issued a statement that they would evaluate him on Thursday.

Tuesday night's win came in front of a sparse crowd at the Prudential Center in Newark, the result of a massive snowstorm that ravaged the northeast and caused the postponement of the Philadelphia Flyers' game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Henrique's next opportunity to play will be on Friday night when the Devils host the Washington Capitals.

Flames' Byron day-to-day with LBI

Calgary Flames centerman Paul Byron sustained a lower body injury in Monday night's loss to the San Jose Sharks, leaving the game after seeing just over six minutes of ice time.

There has been no update on the 24-year-old, but his status on Dailyfaceoff.com shows him as being a scratch for Wednesday night's game when the Flames host the Phoenix Coyotes.

Calgary is a full 20 points out of the final playoff spot in the tough Western Conference, having won just two of their past 13 games, but have a favorable schedule as they play their next five at home to close out the month of January.

Byron has two goals and eight assists in 25 games played this season and averages nearly 14 minutes of ice time per game.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/flames-byron-day-to-day-with-lbi.html

Backstrom, Harding still on shelf for Wild

To say that the Minnesota Wild are having goalie issues right now would be an understatement.

Netminder Niklas Backstrom revealed last week that he played a month of last season with a torn core muscle in his groin, a malady that he believes is the impetus for his latest bout with abdominal stiffness that has him on the shelf for the foreseeable future.

Backstrom hasn't played since giving up three goals on 17 shots in an cringe-worthy 4-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche a week and a half ago, and given the fact that he had been impressive in three straight wins before the Avs loss, it's probably safe to speculate that he's dealing with some lingering effects of the tear, suffered late last season.

He's received another round of cortisone injections on Monday in the effected area, which are just as cringe-worthy, in an effort to try and get back on the ice, which coach Mike Yeo hopes occurs Wednesday.

Top goalie Josh Harding isn't having any better time of it, Yeo telling reporters on Sunday that Harding missed practice as he continues the battle to stabilize the effects of the "minor adjustments" to his treatment for Multiple Sclerosis.  Harding has missed 13 of 15 games since the change in his treatment.

In their stead, Darcy Kuemper has fared well, going 4-2-0 with one shutout while posting workman-like 2.13 goals against average to go along with a .922 save percentage.  He will be backed up temporarily by Johan Gustafsson, recalled from AHL Iowa on Sunday.

 http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/backstrom-harding-still-on-shelf-for.html

Flyers' Voracek day-to-day with bad finger

The crappy weather ravaging the northeast on Tuesday may be a blessing in disguise for Philadelphia Flyers' high-scoring right winger Jakub Voracek.

Voracek was forced from Monday's shootout loss to the New York Islanders to get a finger taped and splinted after taking a nasty slash, playing just over eleven minutes of ice time - returning to the bench after receiving medical attention but seeing no further action.

The Flyers were scheduled to host the Carolina Hurricanes at Wells Fargo Arena on Tuesday, but with the city socked in by heavy snow, the game was postponed until Wednesday night.

Voracek had already been ruled out of the game by the time the postponement was announced, and it is hoped that the extra day would make the difference for Wednesday's makeup date.

The break could be just what the doctor ordered for the Flyers as a whole, who have played six games in nine days and have won just twice in that span.

If Voracek is able to go on Wednesday, he will look to improve upon his 14 goals and 21 assists, the 35 points good for third best on the team behind only Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/flyers-voracek-day-to-day-with-bad.html

Canucks' send Santorelli to shelf with shoulder sprain

Martin Hanzal is a one-man wrecking crew.

The 26-year old Phoenix Coyotes centerman pulled off an injury hat trick last Saturday, taking out Vancouver Canucks' captain Henrik Sedin with a cross check to the ribs, giving left winger David Booth a close shave with a high stick and cross-checking centerman Mike Santorelli following a faceoff when the two became entangled.

Photo credit: Mark Van Manen/PNG

Santorelli was spotted leaving the arena with his arm in a sling, and though the Canucks haven't confirmed reports, he is believed to have suffered a sprain to his right shoulder.

Losing Sedin and Santoreilli leaves Vancouver without tow of their top four scorers.

Sedin's team leading 40 points have come mainly on his 31 helpers while Santorelli's 28 have come on 10 goals and 18 assists while earning a plus-nine rating and eating up 18:34 in average ice time across 49 games played.

Santorelli has been placed on the team's injured reserved list retroactive to Saturday, meaning that he will be ineligible to play again until Sunday when, irony of ironies, the Canucks host Hanzal and the Coyotes.

 http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/canucks-send-santorelli-to-shelf-with.html

Stastny leads laundry list of Avalanche injuries

When Colorado Avalanche coach Patrick Roy addressed the media on Thursday morning, he conceded that his team has so many injured players that he needed his notes to make sure he didn't miss anyone.

"I have to bring my paper, we have so many guys on the injury list,"

Stastny will not suit up on Thursday night

Of immediate importance, Roy has at least four players with relatively fresh injuries that are listed as doubtful for Thursday night's match - defensemen Erik Johnson and Cory Sarich, centerman Paul Stastny and reserve goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

 

Both blue liners are dealing with back issues, Johnson with a better chance of playing with a designation of day-to-day while Sarich had an MRI on Wednesday morning, the results of which haven't made their way to the Avalanche - so in the interim, the team has recalled defenseman Karl Stollery from the Lake Erie Monsters as a backup plan in case the results indicate something serious.

 

The worrisome injury is that of Stastny, who suffered a leg injury on Saturday against the Minnesota Wild and has been listed as day-to-day, but was not able to participate in the Av's win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday - and Thursday doesn't look good either.

"It's still day-to-day" said Roy of Stastny, "but the target is Nashville" meaning that the bench boss expects his third leading scorer back on the ice against the Predators on Saturday.

The 28 year old has 13 goals and 21 helpers in 43 games, earning a plus-nine rating and averaging 18:32 in ice time per game.

The rest of Roy's comments can be seen here. 

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/stastny-leads-laundry-list-of-avalanche.html

Islanders' Hamonic on concussion protocol

The surging New York Islanders have lost their top defenseman to a suspected concussion.

It was originally thought that Travis Hamonic was suffering from the flu when he was forced from Sunday's 4-2 win at Dallas, but when the standard bed rest and hydration didn't relieve the symptoms, team trainers sent him back to the island to have him undergo testing for a concussion.

If the ultra-durable Hamonic is forced to miss any significant time, it could be a huge blow to an Islanders' team just starting to find traction after a miserable start to their season, winning seven of nine including streaks of three and four games.

Hamonic, who missed Tuesday's loss at Florida, will miss Thursday night's match at Tampa Bay as well - the first time in nearly two years that the big minute-eating blue liner has missed any time to injury.

In 46 games this season, the stay-at-home defenseman has scored one goal and assisted on eight others, sporting a minus-three rating while averaging just shy of 25 minutes per game.

Flyers' Gustafsson ready to return, but are Flyers ready for him?

Philadelphia Flyers' defenseman Erik Gustafsson feels that he is ready to return to the lineup after missing the last eight games with a sprained knee - but there's a problem.

The Flyers are on a roll, winning seven of those eight matches, including steaks of four and their current streak of three straight, their only loss a hard-fought loss at Colorado last Thursday - and as superstitous as bench bosses can be, Coach Craig Berube may not want to mess with the chemistry of the lineup at the present.

Gustafsson is reportedly skating well and could be back in the lineup as soon as Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but Andrej Meszaros has worked very well in his stead, allowing the Flyers the opportunity to keep the blue liner on the shelf to assure a full recovery.

 In 20 games this season, Gustafsson has notched two goals and five assists, with a plus-four rating while eating up almost 17 minutes per game.  Meszaros has an almost identical stat line in 24 games played.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/flyers-gustafsson-ready-to-return-but.html

Blue Jackets' Comeau on IR with MCL sprain

The Columbus Blue Jackets have lost left winger Blake Comeau for a period of four-to-six weeks after being diagnosed with an MCL sprain.

The rugged winger suffered the injury in Thursday morning's practice and was assisted off the ice by the team's training staff.  According to reports, Comeau whiffed on a check and slammed hard into the boards.

No update on Comeau, but looked pretty bad. #CBJ Ryan Craig (lower body) could play Friday if cleared. #CBJ could go w 7 d-men, as well.
— Shawn Mitchell (@smitchcd) January 9, 2014

The Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) is a fibrous tissue that connects the bottom of the femur and the top of the tibia that, when injured, can be torn partially (mild sprain) or completely (severe sprain) - and usually involves damage to the ACL and meniscus.

Assuming from the time frame given for recovery, Comeau probably suffered a severe sprain but no injury to the ACL, which would have probably invovlved a longer recovery period and probably surgery.

Comeau has been every durable, playing in all 43 games, finding twine three times and helping on eight goals while averaging 12:22 of ice time per contest.

 http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/blue-jackets-comeau-on-ir-with-mcl.html

Flyers' Read reportedly dealing with concussion

When it comes to concussions, things are not always as they appear.

Philadelphia Flyers' centerman Matt Read was held out of the team's match with the Colorado Avalanche last Thursday as "a precaution" after suffering what was termed an upper-body injury on New Years' Eve at Calgary, and was considered a game-time decision for the Flyers' game at Phoenix on Saturday.

Read hasn't played since, and left practice on Saturday after falling ill just minutes into the session, prompting the team to place Read on the league's concussion protocol, though there was no evidence on replays that suggest he took a shot to the head.

Flyers' General Manager Paul Holmgren addressed the media in regard to Read's status on Wednesday night, claiming that the symptoms of concussion didn't initially manifest themselves, but that things are now different.

“He’s not doing too good, It’s safe to say he has symptoms of a concussion. Initially, he passed all the tests that are required by the protocol. Right now, he doesn’t feel right. It’s all likely concussion related,” - Holmgren

Read is getting neither better, nor worse according to Coach Craig Berube, and missed his fourth straight game on Wednesday night.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/flyers-read-reportedly-dealing-with.html

Zajac fine, Elias doing well says Devils' GM

New Jersey Devils' General Manager Lou Lamoriello had much to say on Wednesday - sharing injury news with beat reporters.

Perhaps the best news of all was that there is nothing wrong with ace centerman Travis Zajac after news broke that the 28 year old had missed practice, causing a bit of trepidation amongst Devils' faithful.

"Resting. That's all. No issues," Lamoriello quipped.

Lamoriello wasn't being that forthcoming, so when the subject of Zajac arose with Coach Pete DeBoer, he qualified the GM's statement. "Just a personal day.", he said.

Right. Do a little shopping, have lunch with some friends, maybe catch a movie - and, of course, cause wide-spread panic when beat writers notice he's absent from practice...besides, there's enough anxiety surrounding the status of left winger Patrik Elias, who has now missed three straight games with what the team is calling "General body soreness".

"Patty is going to be day to day before he gets on the ice.  He's doing extremely well, but all of it is still off-ice activity. Until he gets on the ice we won't really know what the time frame is. Is it a little longer? We hoped it would've been shorter, but quite frankly I think we're fortunate with the way it occurred that it isn't worse. I really believe that. I'm looking at it on the positive side of it that we know it's short term." - Lamoriello

Elias was injured on a hit from Pittsburgh's Tanner Glass on New Years' Eve and hasn't played since.  Originally it was feared that Elias had injured his head and/or neck, but it turns out the 37-year-old winger just doesn't heal as well as his younger version would have.

Elias is one of just a handful of Devils that is a consistent producer in the scoring column, joining the apparently ageless Jaromir Jagr atop New Jersey's stat sheet, trailing Jagr by 10 points despite missing 11 games thus far in the season.

The boss also shared updates on young centerman Jacob Josefson, who contracted some sort of virus on the team's trip to Buffalo, right winger Damien Brunner's knee injury and defenseman Peter Harrold's fractured foot.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/zajac-fine-elias-doing-well-says-devils.html

Update: 'Wings Datsyuk scratched for Thursday's match with Sharks

Groin injuries seem to be all the rage in Hockeytown.

With defenseman Danny DeKeyser returning from a groin and centerman Darren helm a game-time decision due to the same affliction, news now breaks that Pavel Datsyuk is dealing with a sore one himself.

Coach Mike Babcock gave Datsyuk a maintenace day on Friday of last week, then scratched him from the lineup against the Stars in Dallas on Saturday night, hoping that whatever was ailing him would work itself out during the five day break the team had between the trip to Dallas the trip to San Jose for Thursday night's match, but no dice.

“It doesn’t look like Pavel’s going anytime soon.”, Babcock quipped after Datsyuk skated for the second day in a row on Wednesday.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/update-wings-datsyuk-scratched-for.html

Av's Ryan O'Reilly day-to-day with freak shoulder injury

From the "We're not kidding" department: Colorado Avalanche left winger Ryan O'Reilly will miss Wednesday night's game against the Ottawa Senators due to a group hug gone awry.

O'Reilly jammed his shoulder while joining a group hug during the celebration of linemate Paul Stastny's third period goal in the Av's 4-3 home loss to the Calgary Flames on Monday night.  The team has listed him as day-to-day with a sore shoulder.

In all seriousness, the Avalanche can ill-afford to lose O'Reilly for any extended time, as he is tied with centerman Nathan MacKinnon for 4th on the team in scoring with 28 points.  In 42 games played, the 22-year-old has 14 goals and a matching number of helpers.

A candidate for the Lady Byng Trophy, presented annually to the player best exhibiting sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct while maintaining a high level of play, O'Reilly has spent no time in the sin bin and sports a plus-three rating while averaging a solid 19:26 of ice time.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/avs-ryan-oreilly-day-to-day-with-freak.html

Blackhawks' Khabibulin has rotator cuff surgery; may be done

Nikolai Khabibulin may have played his last National Hockey League game.

The Chicago Blackhawks' 40-year-old relic hasn't played a meaningful game since mid-November when he suffered a groin injury against the Nashville Predators and had apparently been dealing with a rotator cuff injury in his shoulder as well - and while the groin was coming along, the shoulder never did.

Subsequently, the Russian who went by the nickname "The Bulin Wall", underwent surgery this week to repair the shoulder, and will miss at least four months.

"One of those things where you try to rehab it to avoid surgery," Blackhawks' General Manager Stan Bowman said. "With him being out with the groin, he could work on it the last six weeks or so. It just never got better to the point where it wasn't going to heal without surgery."

Khabibulin could concievably return for the post-season, but chances are that he is done for the season and perhaps for his career.

In his stead, Antti Raanta has been more than serviceable behind Corey Crawford - bordering on spectacular, in fact - with a sterling 11-1-3 record with one shutout and with a save percentage of .911 and goals against average of 2.27.

If this is indeed it for Khabibulin, he will finish his career with a regular season record of 333-334-97 with 46 shutouts and a stat line of .907/2.72, saving his best for the playoffs where he went 39-31 with six shutouts, sporting a .917 save percentage and a 2.40 goals against average, winning a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/blackhawks-khabibulin-has-rotator-cuff.html

Flyers' Raffl knocked cold in Denver; considered day-to-day

Hits don't have to be dirty to turn a player's brains into a bowl of oatmeal.

Philadelphia Flyers' left winger Michael Raffl doesn't remember anything about the hit that Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog laid on him Thursday night in Denver, but from the video replay and the opinion of Flyers' coach Craig Berube, he feels it was a clean hit.

“The puck came around the boards and I just tried to poke it back, a reverse play,” Raffl told reporters. “I just remember coming up from the ground. I saw the video."  The 25-year old went on to remark that he didn't have any headaches and actually feels good.

“I didn’t expect to feel this good - no problems at all. I think I’ll be fine.”

Raffle skated with the team on Saturday morning but was held out of Saturday night's game in Phoenix against the Coyotes as a precaution until the team returned to Philadelphia on Sunday - and hopes that he can be back in the lineup on Tuesday night in New Jersey.

He has been productive for the Flyers as he has two goals and 11 points in 29 games, sporting a plus-two rating and averaging 13:13 of ice time per game.

 http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/flyers-raffl-knocked-cold-in-denver.html

Wild's Spurgeon hits shelf with LBI

All of the little nicks and dings that Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon has been playing through lately seems to have caught up with him.

The Wild have placed the demure blue liner in the Injured Reserved list with what is being classified through the ambiguous catch-all "Lower-body injury". 

Yeo confirms Spurgeon will be out a few weeks. No specifics on Harding other than not feeling well. Prosser takes Spurgeon's spot #mnwild
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) January 4, 2014

Spurgeon has been a beast as late,as he has logged over 27 minutes of ice time the past few games - venturing into Chara-esque territory, but averaging 21:34 over his 43 games.  The 24-tear-old has scored one goal and helped on 11 others and has earned a plus-six rating while accumulating just 10 penalty minutes on the season.

As for picking up the slack, Jonas Brodin will be bumped up to play alongside Ryan Suter and Nate Prosser will move up to the Wild's second pairing.

"Pross, I liked his game," Yeo said. "He's shown in the past that he can provide the kind of stability and defensive game that we need to go up against top lines. It’s a great opportunity for him."

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/wilds-spurgeon-hits-shelf-with-lbi.html

Canucks' Luongo on the shelf again

Roberto Luongo had zero time to react.

When Los Angeles Kings captain Dustin Brown had his skates clipped out from under him just as he tucked the puck in the Canucks' goal and given a shove by Vancouver Canucks centerman Mike Santorelli, he spun, suspended in mid-air, his legs whipping into the head and chest of the veteran goalie Luongo...

...the force of the impact knocking Luongo backwards, his legs trapped beneath him.  Brown was immediately helped to his skates by his celebrating teammates while Luongo lay prone in the crease, his head and shoulders across the red line.

"My foot got caught under me as he was accidentally running me over.  Luckily this time, the pain went away. It was a tough call. Hockey is a fast game and that's what we want to do to the opposing goalie too – crash the net and create havoc." - Roberto Luongo

Luongo was checked out by team trainers and stayed in to finish the match, which the Canucks' eventually lost, but it came to pass that the hit caused some sort of injury, as the veteran netminder was nowhere to be seen Sunday night in Anaheim, backup goalie Eddie Lack between the pipes.

Gillis confirms Luongo injury from Brown collision. Nature of ailment not clear yet but could be longer than day-to-day. Higgins has flu.
— Ben Kuzma (@benkuzma) January 6, 2014

The nature of the injury has not been disclosed, but one can only assume from Luongo's statement that it can be classified as a lower-body injury, specifically to a leg or a foot.  Perhaps a little more disturbing for the Canucks and their fans is the fact that no one came to Luongo's aid as he lay sprawled in the crease - seems that Canucks' coach John Tortorella has a bigger problem on the team than whatever Luongo's injury is.

http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/canucks-luongo-on-shelf-again.html

Boston Bruins on Paper: California Dreaming or Golden State nightmare?

"Find an excuse to let one of these off the chain, and I personally guarantee you the bad guys won't even want to come out of their caves."

Robert Downey Jr.'s character was speaking of the Jericho Missile in the movie Iron Man, then he launched one and all manner of holy hell broke loose - horrible beatings, espionage, intrigue and, of course, in the end the good guys win...

...Torey Krug isn't some mythical super hero, but when he finds an excuse to let one of his patented "Krug Missiles" off the chain, the bad guys generally find themselves scrambling.

Only four Bruins have taken more shots than the demure rookie blue liner, who ranks sixth on the team in scoring, his two goals on Saturday night leading Boston to a 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets at TD Garden, and also making him the sixth Bruin to score double digit goals on the season.

Krug is one of a trio of Bruins' defensemen whose shots elicit fear and loathing from the opposition in the attacking zone, joining veterans Zdeno "The Condor" Chara and Johnny "Rocket" Boychuk whose blue line bombs leave nothing but a vapor trail and bruises in their wake.

The win was the second straight for the Bruins, raising their record to 28-12-2, the 58 points good for a 4 point bulge for first place over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic Division and remaining within three points of the Pittsburgh Penguins - who are running away with the Metropolitan Division - for top spot in the Eastern Conference...

...which is important, given that Boston is about to engage in a swing through California starting on Tuesday in Anaheim - a three-game gauntlet that includes the Pacific Division leading Ducks, their cross-town rivals Los Angeles Kings on Thursday and finishing up on Saturday in San Jose against the Sharks.

What makes this Cali-stretch most difficult is the fact that the teams have combined for only six regulation losses on their home ice, with Los Angeles suffering five of those.  The Sharks are 15-1-3 in San Jose and the Ducks are a ridiculous 16-0-2.

So, the Bruins have their work cut out for them, as all three offer different challenges - but certainly are in no position to dictate terms to the Boston, so long as the Big Bad Bruins bring their physical game.

Anaheim is strong on both ends of the ice, ranking #3 in the NHL in both shot accuracy and goals scored, and defensively offer up the eighth rated defense in terms of goals allowed - so there's little need for explanation for their 65 points which leads the Pacific Division and is just one point shy of the Western Conference leading Chicago Blackhawks.

The Kings lead all of the NHL in goals allowed and their goaltending is #2 in save percentage - and normally one would expect that with All World stopper Jonathan Quick between the pipes, but this season it's been mostly due to their backups as Quick has been on the IR since early November with a grade-two groin sprain, but returned on Saturday night to earn a 3-1 victory over San Jose...

...the Sharks sporting the fourth rated goals against average and lead the league in shots on goal, but also have lost their sensational scoring rookie Tomas Hertl for the rest of the regular season at least - so it is imperative for the Bruins to bring their physical defensive game with them to the west coast, along with the same 60 minute effort that helped them flatten the Jets on Saturday afternoon to take advantage...

...and Krug breaking out of a personal-worst 11 game scoring skid couldn't come at a better time - as well as the conclusion of tough-guy Shawn Thornton's suspension, the 14th and 15th games of which are at Anaheim and Los Angeles, respectively, meaning that he will rejoin the team in San Jose - humbled, but hopefully rested and ready to lay some legal licks on the slick skating Sharks.

But it doesn't end there, as the three game whirlwind through the Golden State is just the beginning of a stretch that sees the Bruins playing seven of nine on the road, with trips to Dallas, Chicago, Philadelphia and the Island on the itinerary before the Bruins get any extended home cooking.