Nashville blueliner P.K. Subban took a step forward in his recovery from an upper body injury (that is believed to be a herniated disc) as he took part in their optional morning skate today, reports Adam Vingan of The Tennessean. However, GM David Poile acknowledged earlier this week that his return will be closer to three weeks instead of the two that the team was hoping for. He was placed on IR on January 1st so Poile’s comments would suggest he’s still likely another 10 or so days away from returning.
Subban has been out of the lineup since December 15th and the Preds have won just five of their 12 games in his absence. Through 29 games this season, the 27 year old has seven goals and 10 assists but also has a team-worst -11 plus/minus rating. If healthy by then, Subban will be Nashville’s lone representative at the All-Star Game.
Other injury news from around the league:
- Flyers defender Mark Streit is hopeful that he can return from a sprained left shoulder on Saturday, notes CSN Philly’s Tom Dougherty. Streit has missed the last 12 games heading into tonight and is currently on long-term injury reserve. When he’s fully healthy and ready to play, Philadelphia will have to make a roster move to get back under the cap before they can activate him back onto their active roster. Prior to the injury, the 39 year old was off to a strong start with 16 points in 31 games. For comparison, he had just 23 points in 62 contests last year.
- While he will remain in the lineup, Detroit left winger Tomas Tatar is dealing with lingering shoulder issues and told reporters, including Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News (Twitter link), that he will likely require surgery at the end of the season. Tatar has underperformed this year (this issue likely has something to do with it) with nine goals and 10 assists through 41 games but still sits tied for fourth overall in team scoring with rookie Anthony Mantha.
- Tampa Bay will be getting their starting goaltender back earlier than expected as Ben Bishop has been activated off injured reserve and will start tonight against the Sabres, reports Bryan Burns on the Lightning’s team website. Bishop has missed the last nine games with a lower body injury and the team has struggled without him, winning just three of those contests with Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes while they’ve also dropped out of a playoff spot in his absence.
- Stars captain Jamie Benn expects to return to the lineup tonight against the Red Wings, he told Mark Stepneski of Stars Inside Edge (Twitter link). He has missed the last four games with a foot injury and has 34 points (10-24-34) in 38 games this season. Mike Heika of the Dallas News adds that Benn is expected to play on the top line alongside Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza.
- Calgary right winger Troy Brouwer has been given the green light from doctors to return to the lineup tomorrow against New Jersey, notes Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson (Twitter link). Brouwer has been out since breaking his finger on December 23rd. Through 36 games this year, the 31 year old has 17 points (8-9-17).
- Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf is expected to return tonight against Colorado, reports Kyle Shohara on Anaheim’s team website. He has missed the last four games after sustaining a lower body injury on January 1st. He’s expected to reprise his role on a line alongside Corey Perry and Rickard Rakell. The 31 year old has had no issues putting up assists this year as he leads the team with 25 but on the flip side, he has scored just five times through 38 games.