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Merry Christmas to all who are celebrating the holiday. The NHL is taking their usual three-day break so there will be no games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The big problem right now in the NHL is the COVID outbreak which has infected so many teams, none more so than the Calgary Flames who have 16 players and 11 members of their coaching and training staff in isolation.
The Province of Ontario, which is home to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators, have announced that arena capacity has gone down from 100 percent to 50 percent. That will have a big effect on the bottom line for both teams as well as the league as players salaries are based on 50 percent of all revenues. Hopefully, it is a short-term situation that will be resolved once the COVID numbers go down.
Enjoy the upcoming holidays!
NOTE: As of Friday afternoon, all Calgary, Colorado and Florida games have been postponed due to COVID. As of Sunday evening, the NHL and NHLPA decided that all games this week that involve any cross-border travel, will be postponed.
WEEK OF DECEMBER 20-26
2 Games - Arizona, Buffalo, Columbus, Dallas, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Vegas, Washington,
1 Game – Chicago, Los Angeles, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York Islanders, Seattle
0 Games - Anaheim, Boston, Calgary, Carolina, Colorado, Detroit, Edmonton, Florida, Montreal, Nashville, New York Rangers, Ottawa, San Jose, St. Louis, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg
INJURIES
Artemi Panarin is day-to-day with a minor lower-body injury suffered Wednesday. (Click here to see the rest of the injury list.)
ANAHEIM
Games this week
None
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Ducks play three games in four nights so look for John Gibson (if healthy) to play twice with Anthony Stolarz playing once...Gibson is currently out with a lower-body injury but took some shots in practice Wednesday...If Gibson is unable to go, Stolarz should get an extra start with Lukas Dostal playing once...The Ducks are atop the Pacific Division standings with 39 points in 31 games...Jakub Silfverberg ended a nine-game pointless drought Wednesday with an assist. He has only one goal in 25 games but does have 10 helpers...Stolarz has been outstanding as the Ducks backup with a 6-2-1 mark to go with a 2.13 GAA an a .932 save percentage...Max Comtois has been out since Nov. 11 with a hand injury that required surgery but he is very close to returning to action and should do so this week.
ARIZONA
Games this week
@ Seattle, vs. Tampa Bay
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Coyotes have lost six in a row and eight of their last nine games...There is a definite lack of scoring on the team as Clayton Keller leads with seven in 28 games...As a whole, the Coyotes have only scored 50 times in 28 contests...Christian Fischer is day-to-day after suffering an upper-body injury Wednesday...Jakob Chychrun missed all week with an upper-body injury and the Coyotes could make him wait a little longer and play after the Christmas break...Liam O’Brien has 50 penalty minutes in just 20 games, giving the Coyotes some grit in their lineup...Congratulations go out to Janis Moser who made his NHL debut on Wednesday...The defenseman had a shot on goal in 18:56 of action.
BOSTON
Games this week
vs. Carolina
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Bruins, like many teams in the NHL at this time, have a COVID outbreak as seven players are sidelined including Brad Marchand, Craig Smith, Patrice Bergeron, Jeremy Swayman, Trent Frederic, Anton Blidh and Oskar Steen...The Bruins were forced to call up a bunch of players including goaltender Kyle Keyser Thursday...Steen was recalled on an emergency basis Tuesday only to be placed on the list Thursday...Coach Bruce Cassidy returned behind the bench Monday after being out two weeks in COVID protocol...I’ve been disappointed with the offensive output from defenseman Matt Grzelcyk this season as he has only one goal and six points in 26 games...I thought he and Charlie McAvoy would be fighting it out once again to see who would be the top blueliner on the power play but there is no question that it is McAvoy.
BUFFALO
Games this week
vs. Columbus, @ Columbus
Tired: @ Columbus (Thursday)
Rested: None
Notes
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was outstanding this week in place of the injured Malcolm Subban and should get both starts...Luukkonen is 2-2-1 with a 1.96 GAA and a .939 save percentage...Casey Mittelstadt (upper body) is month-to-month after undergoing surgery a week ago...Robert Hagg may not require surgery but he is also month-to-month with a lower-body injury after getting hurt in Tuesday’s game...Alex Tuch (shoulder) has missed the entire season after undergoing off-season surgery and could return as early as this week...He will give the Sabres some much-needed scoring...Rasmus Dahlin has been picking up the pace and showing everyone why he was the first overall pick in 2018...He has five goals and 17 points in 29 games.
CALGARY
Games this week
None
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Flames were scheduled to play four times this past week but all games were postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak that has thus far infected 30 players, coaches and support staff...There is no guarantee that the Flames will play this week, in fact, it is likely they will not return until after the Christmas break...The coaching staff, including head coach Darryl Sutter are in protocol as are 18 players...It is a worse breakout than hit the Canucks last season but with everyone being vaccinated, the symptoms are mild at worst and mostly asymptomatic...Hopefully the Flames will be able to start playing again after Christmas.
CAROLINA
Games this week
@ Boston
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Hurricanes have six players in COVID protocol, including Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Jordan Staal, Andrei Svechnikov, Ian Cole and Steven Lorentz and this had a huge effect on Thursday’s game against Detroit as they dressed only 16 players...Aho and Jarvis needed to take an ambulance from Vancouver to Seattle to get back in the United States and the Hurricanes then got them home from there...Jack Drury made his NHL debut on Thursday and scored, so congratulations go out to the rookie...Tony DeAngelo finally returned to the Carolina lineup on Thursday after being out since Nov. 28, going on the COVID protocol list...He scored on Thursday, giving him five goals and 20 points in 21 games as the Hurricanes have easily replaced the departed Dougie Hamilton offensively for Carolina.
CHICAGO
Games this week
vs. Dallas
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Blackhawks are 4-3-0 in the month of December, winning three games in overtime or a shootout...Caleb Jones first of the season was the overtime winner Wednesday as Chicago upended Washington 5-4...His brother Seth has 23 points in 28 games this season, second on the Blackhawks in points, one behind Patrick Kane...Brandon Hagel is having a nice season with eight goals (second-best on the Blackhawks to Alex DeBrincat’s 16) and 14 points in 25 games...After a shaky start to the season, where he lost his first five games and seven of his first eight, Marc-Andre Fleury has won eight of his last 11 decisions and is 9-10-0 with a 2.85 GAA and a .913 save percentage. He is Team Canada’s top goaltending choice at this time for the Olympics.
COLORADO
Games this week
None
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
All Colorado games have been postponed...Kuemper is one of five Avs currently on the COVID protocol list, as is Devon Toews, Andre Burakovsky, J.T. Compher and Cale Makar...If Kuemper is unable to go, Francouz will get a pair of starts with Justus Annunen getting one...Dustin Smith was the emergency backup goaltender Thursday as Kuemper was pulled from the lineup just before the start of the game...Nathan MacKinnon had an assist Thursday, giving him a nine-game points streak as the Avs were forced to use only 16 skaters rather than the 18 allowed, due to players testing positive late in the day.
COLUMBUS
Games this week
@ Buffalo, vs. Buffalo
Tired: None
Rested: vs. Buffalo (Thursday)
Notes
The Blue Jackets play the Sabres in both games this week...If there is any rough stuff, look for Andrew Peeke or possibly Max Domi to be involved...Elvis Merzlikins started the season like a house on fire but the fire has been extinguished of late as he is 11-7-1 with a 3.06 GAA and a .911 save percentage after he was pulled Thursday against the Oilers...Jakub Voracek has only one goal in 28 games but does have 21 assists. He took the rare penalty of playing without a helmet as he is supposed to head right to the bench when that happens and he continued to play...Domi has 15 points in 18 games, the best points-per-game on the team...Patrik Laine has been out of the Columbus lineup since Nov. 3 with an oblique injury and has been out since then, also dealing with the passing of his father...He has been skating and could return after Christmas.
DALLAS
Games this week
vs. Minnesota, @ Chicago
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Stars play three games in four nights this week so look for Jake Oettinger to play twice and Braden Holtby once...Dallas finally fixed their crowded goaltending situation as Ben Bishop has had his NHL career ended by knee problems while the team put Anton Khudobin on waivers. Khudobin was not claimed and was sent to the Texas Stars of the AHL...The Stars have had a few players ill of late but not with COVID and that is a relief...Alexander Radulov and Roope Hintz are expected to return on Dec. 17 while Miro Heiskanen will sit out Friday’s game with a non-COVID illness...Riley Damiani scored the lone goal in his NHL debut Tuesday and was sent back to the minors on Thursday. Congratulations are in order on the achievement...Tyler Seguin has only seven goals and 11 points in 26 games.
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DETROIT
Games this week
None
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Red Wings got the only unvaccinated player in the NHL, Tyler Bertuzzi back this week after he missed five games in COVID protocol. He has one assist in the two games since his return...Lucas Raymond had a pair of assists Thursday and still leads the Red Wings with 27 points in 30 games...At the start of the season, it was thought Raymond would get a cup of coffee in the league before going to Grand Rapids of the AHL to work on his game and get him used to the North American style of play but as of now he is a leading contender for the Calder...The Red Wings added a couple of players to the COVID protocol list as Robby Fabbri and Michael Rasmussen were placed on the list Tuesday...Fabbri inked a three-year extension with the Red Wings this week...Vladislav Namestnikov scored his 100th career NHL goal on Dec. 10...Congratulations on the milestone.
EDMONTON
Games this week
None
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Oilers play three games in four nights so expect to see Mike Smith (if healthy) play twice with Mikko Koskinen playing once...Otherwise Stuart Skinner could get the call twice with Koskinen still playing once...Devin Shore and Ryan McLeod are in COVID protocol as is coach Dave Tippett and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins...Zach Hyman is day-to-day with an upper-body injury...Jesse Puljujarvi snapped out of a slump with a pair of power play goals Thursday as well as an assist...He has 10 goals and 23 points in 28 games...The Oilers snapped a six-game losing streak with a win over Columbus Thursday...Connor McDavid had a pair of points Thursday while Leon Draisaitl had one, to give him a one point lead in the NHL scoring race, over Draisaitl and Ovechkin.
FLORIDA
Games this week
None
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Panthers sent goaltender of the future Spencer Knight to Charlotte of the AHL Thursday after he gave up eight goals on 38 shots to lowly Ottawa on Tuesday...The netminder struggled after starting the season at 4-0-0, going 2-4-0 since Nov. 8, giving up 27 goals in five starts and parts of two other games, on 214 shots. He will need to get his confidence back, but don’t forget he is only 20...Jonas Johansson, who was picked up on waivers from Colorado this past week, will back up Sergei Bobrovsky for now...COVID is going through the teams as Radko Gudas, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, Brandon Montour and Ryan Lomberg are in protocol along with Frank Vatrano and Aaron Ekblad...The Panthers called up Cole Schwindt, Grigori Denisenko, Matt Kiersted and Chase Priskie from the minors.
LOS ANGELES
Games this week
@ Vegas
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Jonathan Quick continues to have a great comeback season as he stopped 41-of-42 shots Thursday in a 4-1 win over Florida...He is 8-5-4 this season with a 2.03 GAA and a .935 save percentage after a couple of rough seasons in the Kings net and has taken over the top job from Cal Petersen in net...Drew Doughty was placed on the non-roster/COVID-19 list Thursday...Alexander Edler is on the injured reserve list with a lower-body injury after suffering the injury Saturday...The Kings are hanging in, in the Pacific Division, but need to pick things up as the surprising Ducks are tops in the division and most pundits picked them to finish last...Adrian Kempe leads the Kings in goals with 11.
MINNESOTA
Games this week
@ Dallas
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Wild have no injuries at this time...Still, they managed to lose in a shootout to lowly Buffalo on Thursday...The Wild are in first place in the Central, three points up on surprising Nashville and the St. Louis Blues and four points better than Colorado...The Wild are not scoring on the power play this season as they are 24th with a 17.0 percent success rate...Last year they were at the bottom of the standings for the first half of the season before exploding in the middle of the year. They are hoping for more of the same this season...Jared Spurgeon is back on the sidelines with a lower-body injury...Kirill Kaprizov has 33 points in 29 games to lead Minnesota while Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno, a couple of energy players, lead in goals with 13 apiece.
MONTREAL
Games this week
None
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Canadiens play three games in four nights in the New York area...Expect to see Jake Allen play twice with Sam Montembeault playing once...Carey Price is getting closer to a return and could be back after Christmas...The Canadiens loaned Mattias Norlinder back to Frolunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League after it was determined that the move would better his development...Josh Anderson was expected to be out two-four weeks when he suffered an upper-body injury on Dec. 2 but now it looks like eight weeks is more realistic...Christian Dvorak is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury...Look for Brendan Gallagher and Sami Niku to return to the lineup this week as they are both out of COVID protocol.
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NASHVILLE
Games this week
None
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Predators are red-hot, winning six-straight games as only a postponement in Calgary being a blip in the last two weeks... Juuse Saros has been outstanding with a 14-8-1 mark to go with a 2.23 GAA and a .925 save percentage as the Predators are tied for second in the Central, just three points behind Minnesota...Filip Forsberg had a pair of goals and one assist Thursday to give him 13 goals and 21 points in 20 games...The Predators have been hit by COVID with seven players on the list including Ryan Johansen, Ben Harpur, Mikael Granlund, Philip Tomasino, Michael McCarron, Matt Luff and Nick Cousins and yet they continue to win...If you need penalty minutes, Nashville brought up Mathieu Olivier from Milwaukee...Last season Olivier had 70 penalty minutes in only 30 games, to finish fifth in the NHL despite playing 18 games less than anyone ahead of him.
NEW JERSEY
Games this week
@ Pittsburgh
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Devils play the back end of back-to-back games against Pittsburgh this week...If there are any fisticuffs, expect Mason Geertsen to be involved as he has 41 penalty minutes in just nine games this season...The Devils have four players in COVID protocol with Jesper Boqvist, Christian Jaros, Nico Hischier and Ryan Graves on the list...Jesper Bratt is having a great season with eight goals and 24 points in 28 games...Jack Hughes has five goals and eight points in 11 games as injuries have taken a toll on his season...The Devils picked up Jon Gillies from St. Louis for future considerations and is now backing up Mackenzie Blackwood with Jonathan Bernier out of action with a lingering hip problem.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Games this week
vs. Washington
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Islanders lost Kyle Palmieri Thursday with a lower-body injury but it really shouldn’t hurt any fantasy manager as he has only one goal and seven points in 24 games...Mathew Barzal is currently the only Islander player on the COVID list...Semyon Varlamov stopped 40 shots in a 3-1 win over Boston Thursday...It was his first win of the season as he is 1-5-1 with a 2.99 GAA and a .900 save percentage...Noah Dobson saw his three-game points streak come to an end on Thursday...It was a big night Thursday for Anders Lee who picked up an assist, his first of the season in 20 games...He has eight goals including four in his last five games...Zach Parise scored his first goal in an Islanders uniform Saturday, the 394th of his NHL career.
NEW YORK RANGERS
Games this week
None
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Rangers only play once this week...They are in a three-way tied for the lead in the Metropolitan Division with 41 points, tied with Washington and Carolina...Artemi Panarin left Wednesday’s game with a minor lower-body injury...Sammy Blais had his season-ending knee surgery on Wednesday to repair a torn ACL...Kaapo Kakko scored twice Wednesday to give him five goals and 10 points in 25 games this season...Igor Shesterkin has been out of the lineup with a lower-body injury since Dec. 3 and could return this week as he has been practicing...Adam Fox has 31 points in 29 games this season while Chris Kreider has 17 goals with 10 coming on the power play.
OTTAWA
Games this week
None
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Senators are in contention for the top pick in the 2022 Draft (and that would be Shane Wright) as they have 19 points in 27 games, third worst in the NHL...Drake Batherson has been the Senators top offensive threat this season with nine goals and 28 points in just 22 games...He had his six-game points streak end on Thursday. He had 12 points in the six games and has scored four points in two of his last nine contests...Anton Forsberg has taken over the net in Ottawa and is 6-5-0 with a 3.09 GAA and a .909 save percentage this season...Nikita Zaitsev is day-to-day with a lower-body injury...Josh Norris leads the Senators with 14 goals while Brady Tkachuk leads the NHL in penalty minutes with 56.
PHILADELPHIA
Games this week
vs. Washington, @ Pittsburgh
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Flyers have Morgan Frost on the COVID protocol list at this time...James van Riemsdyk is on a four-game point streak but has only five goals and 11 points in 28 games...Congratulations go out to Jackson Cates who scored his first NHL goal Thursday in his fifth NHL game...Oskar Lindblom doubled his season totals on Tuesday with a goal and an assist...It was finally a big night for Cam Atkinson as he had the hat trick and chipped in with an assist Tuesday...The former Blue Jacket leads the Flyers with 12 goals and has 19 point this season...Derick Brassard (lower body) and Ryan Ellis (lower body) are both on the sidelines with Brassard possibly back this week while Ellis is still out indefinitely...Joel Farabee is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a shoulder injury suffered on Dec. 1.
PITTSBURGH
Games this week
vs. New Jersey, vs. Philadelphia
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Penguins play the second game of back-to-back contests against New Jersey on Tuesday...Sidney Crosby saw his seven-game points streak come to an end this week but quickly picked up a pair of assists Tuesday against Montreal to give him 17 points in 16 games...Evan Rodrigues has nine goals and 22 points in 28 games after his three-point effort in a 5-2 win over Montreal...Bryan Rust has been out of action since Nov. 24 and was skating this week before practice with Jake Guentzel who is also week-to-week with an upper-body injury...Evgeni Malkin took part in practice this week as he is making good progress. Malkin is still wearing a non-contact jersey and has been out of action all season after undergoing off-season knee surgery.
SAN JOSE
Games this week
None
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Sharks play the second-half of back-to-back games in Vancouver on Tuesday...Look for Jacob Middleton to be involved if there is any rough stuff as their usual player to take care of that, Evander Kane, is in the minors...Timo Meier has 29 points in 25 games to lead San Jose while Tomas Hertl has 14 goals...Kevin Labanc is going to be out three months as he needs shoulder surgery...The Sharks terminated the contract of Joel Kellman as he is expected to return back to his home country of Sweden...James Reimer has been terrific this season with a 9-5-1 record to go with a 1.99 GAA and a .936 save percentage...The Sharks have lost both games this week.
SEATTLE
Games this week
vs. Arizona
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Kraken may not get their second game of the week in as the Flames are in COVID-19 protocol (It was postponed Friday afternoon)...The Kraken are sitting deep in the basement of the Pacific with 23 points as the Canucks have reeled off six straight wins to move to 30 points...Jordan Eberle continues to lead Seattle in goals and points with 12 and 19 respectively as Jaden Schwartz also has 19 points...Philipp Grubauer has been the number one goalie for Seattle this season, as he should be, and has a 7-12-3 mark with a 3.29 GAA and a .882 save percentage which are not great numbers...Chris Driedger was outstanding Tuesday, stopping 33 shots in a 3-1 win over San Jose while Grubauer gave up three goals on only 18 shots in a 4-1 loss to Anaheim the next night...There could be a goaltending battle in Seattle.
ST. LOUIS
Games this week
None
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Blues are tied for second in the Central with Nashville, three points behind the Wild...James Neal has been out of action since Nov. 22 with an upper-body injury and tweaked his injury in practice on Thursday...Klim Kostin could be ready to return to the lineup on Sunday as that is the first day he is eligible to return from long-term injured reserve...David Perron (upper body) is eligible to return against Ottawa Tuesday as he has already missed nine games...Jordan Binnington was cleared from COVID protocol on Thursday and was back on the ice practicing...The Blues made a nice move when dealing for Pavel Buchnevich in the off-season (giving up Sammy Blais and second-round pick in 2022) as he has 11 goals and 25 points in 27 games.
TAMPA BAY
Games this week
@ Vegas, @ Arizona
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Lightning are tied with Toronto atop the Atlantic Division standings as well as the NHL standings after Thursday’s 2-1 win over Ottawa, a revenge win as the Senators beat them 4-0 on Saturday...Nikita Kucherov (lower body) practiced for the second straight day on Wednesday and is a few weeks away from returning...Brayden Point is also back practicing but in a non-contact jersey...Steven Stamkos has 13 goals and 34 points to lead the Lightning in both categories...Victor Hedmon is having his usual great season with seven goals and 30 points as he has to be in the conversation for the Norris with Adam Fox, Cale Makar, Aaron Ekblad and Roman Josi...Andrei Vasilevskiy is 16-4-3 with a 2.10 GAA and a .928 save percentage.
TORONTO
Games this week
None
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Maple Leafs play only one game this week...Jason Spezza saw his six-game suspension reduced to four games by Commissioner Gary Bettman...Toronto had its game on Thursday against Calgary postponed...Morgan Rielly has been great since inking his eight-year contract extension and is on a four-game points streak...He has four goals and 26 points in 30 games this season...Auston Matthews scored a pair Tuesday and has a 10-game points streak including six multi point games...He has 20 goals and 33 points in 27 games and once again looks to be the favorite to win the Rocket Richard Trophy...Petr Mrazek has returned to the lineup after missing so much action with a recurring groin injury and should spell Jack Campbell the rest of the way.
VANCOUVER
Games this week
None
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Canucks have won six straight games under new head coach Bruce Boudreau and are trying to get back in the Pacific Division race...They currently have 30 points and trail the Edmonton Oilers by four points for fourth place in the division despite still being in seventh place...Thatcher Demko has been outstanding of late as Boudreau has used him in five of his six games behind the bench...Demko is 13-11-1 with a 2.63 GAA and a .919 save percentage...Brock Boeser scored twice in Thursday’s win over the Sharks and has nine goals and 17 points in 28 games...The Canucks currently have four players in COVID protocol including Tucker Poolman, Luke Schenn, Juho Lammikko and Brad Hunt...Brandon Sutter has yet to play this season after suffering the effects of COVID from last season.
VEGAS
Games this week
vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Los Angeles
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Golden Knights are closing in on the top spot in the Pacific Division after such a slow start as they are three points behind the Anaheim Ducks after a 5-3 win over New Jersey Thursday...Max Pacioretty saw his six-game goal-scoring streak come to an end on Thursday but he has been on fire with 12 goals and 19 points in 12 games...He missed 17 games with a fractured foot early in the season but you wouldn’t know he had any problems with the way he is currently playing...Shea Theodore missed Thursday’s game for an undisclosed reason...Dylan Coghlan played in his place and opened the scoring with his second of the season...It was a power play effort...Chandler Stephenson continues to lead the Golden Knights in points with 29 as he had a four-assist effort and a three-assist game back-to-back on Dec. 12 and 14.
WASHINGTON
Games this week
@ Philadelphia, @ New York Islanders
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Lars Eller is on a four-game point streak and has five goals and 14 points in 23 games...Alex Ovechkin scored on the power play Wednesday and it was the 274th goal with the man-advantage in his career, tying Dave Andreychuk for the all-time record...Ovechkin is tied for second in NHL scoring with 46 points, one in arrears of Connor McDavid...Anthony Mantha has not played since Nov. 4 and underwent shoulder surgery the next day...He was moved to the long-term injured reserve list this week and there is currently no timetable for his return...Tom Wilson (upper body) is still out of action but has been participating in practice, albeit in a non-contact jersey...The Capitals finally welcomed Nicklas Backstrom back to their lineup on Wednesday after he missed the first 28 games with a lingering hip problem.
WINNIPEG
Games this week
None
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Jets continue to tumble down the Central Division standings as they are fifth, five points behind fourth place Colorado who have a game in hand...Neal Pionk returned to the lineup after missing three games, two because of a suspension and the third one due to a concussion...The play of the Jets may have played into Paul Maurice’s decision on Friday to resign as the head coach...Dave Lowry will take over on an interim basis...Blake Wheeler finally scored his first of the season on Dec. 10 but later in the contest suffered a lower-body injury that is expected to sideline him for weeks...He was in the midst of a hot streak with a goal and 10 points in a five game points streak, giving him 17 points in 22 games...David Gustafsson was recalled from the minors where he has seven goals and 16 points in 23 games, while Ville Heinola was sent to the Manitoba Moose.
