Earlier this morning, NHL deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman reported that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen would be a game-time decision for tonight’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed Ristolainen’s expected absence was due to injury concerns, not trade-related reasons.
In addition to today’s rivalry matchup, Ristolainen’s availability may affect Team Finland in the upcoming Four Nations Face-Off. Friedman suggests that the Flyers would like Ristolainen to participate if he is healthy; however, his current condition may prevent him from playing, becoming a more pressing issue.
Finland has already lost defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Jani Hakanpää to various injuries, and the potential loss of Ristolainen would further diminish their chances. Ristolainen has scored two goals and recorded 15 points in 54 games this season while averaging 20:31 of ice time for the Philadelphia Flyers. He is currently the highest-scoring active defenseman on Finland’s roster.
Other injury notes:
- In another potential scare for Team Finland, the Carolina Hurricanes announced forward Mikko Rantanen wouldn’t be in the lineup this afternoon due to a lower-body injury after taking a shot off the foot in Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Wild. Thankfully, it doesn’t sound like Rantanen will miss the 4 Nations Face-Off based on a report from Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff. He’s only mustered one goal and one assist through his first six games with the Hurricanes but he’s still arguably Finland’s top offensive talent.
- According to David Dwork of The Hockey News, the Florida Panthers will be without forward Mackie Samoskevich tonight due to an upper-body injury. It’s not expected to be a long-term issue as Dwork noted he’s only considered day-to-day. The second-year product of the University of Michigan has scored eight goals and 17 points in 48 games for the Panthers this year.