Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Morning Player Notes in the Draft (Feb 21)

Ahead of the Ducks' game against the Coyotes, one of two games on Monday night, they made rough & tumble forward Jared Boll into a healthy scratch again, shortly after returning to the lineup on the weekend. Boll has been in and out of the lineup quite a bit this season and with the Ducks in the thick of the division hunt, they will continue to operate like they are chasing a playoff spot down.

The opening night of Week Twenty was not good on the PIM pool at all, as only five teams registered a minor penalty, including Troy's team, who was missing Boll for the night.  Only 10 minutes registered in two games doesn't reflect very well on the weekly average.

The Arizona Coyotes had to resort to giving Marek Langhamer his NHL debut on Sunday night against the Ducks, after Mike Smith had to leave the game under the concussion protocol in the 3rd period.  There hasn't been any update on Smith, as to whether he has or hasn't suffered a concussion, as he was likely taken off by a league spotter to go to the quiet room with less than five minutes to go in the game.  If he gets the all clear, he could be back in net before too long, but if not, the Coyotes will have to do another recall, as Louis Domingue is also hurt with a lower-body injury.

Smith has been a big fixture on Marcie's rise up the standings in the last few weeks and as much as he did get credit for the win last night, a concussion could be problematic for her side, as that will keep him out for at least a week and possibly longer.

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