It appears that Adam Boqvist has some work to do to get back into the lineup for the Blue Jackets. Although he had been dealing with a lower-body injury, the defenseman has actually been a healthy scratch for the past two games, notes Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription link). The 21-year-old was one of the key pieces coming back to Columbus as part of the Seth Jones trade over the summer but he has yet to take a step forward, logging just over 17 minutes a game in his first five contests while being held without a point. Now, he’ll have to bide his time and for another opportunity to suit up.
More from around the league:
- Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram is out for tonight’s game versus San Jose, relays Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now. He took an elbow to the head from Vancouver’s Bo Horvat early in Thursday’s game and did not return. While Byram cleared concussion protocol at the time, this development will force them to reassess his situation and he has been placed on injured reserve. Ryan Murray will play in place of the youngster.
- Blues winger Kyle Clifford has been removed from COVID protocol, reports Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link). The veteran has played just twice this season and went into the protocol at the beginning of the month. Defenseman Torey Krug and goaltender Ville Husso remain on the list and unavailable to St. Louis.
- Islanders center Casey Cizikas did not participate in practice today due to a non-COVID illness, mentions Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). New York isn’t back in action until Monday so it’s quite possible that the 30-year-old doesn’t wind up missing any game action.