Wednesday Morning Bytes

The details remain sketchy, but Ron Hainsey did not make the trip to Pittsburgh with his fellow Thrashers teammates for last night's game against the Penguins. Hainsey suffered a leg injury on Monday and did not play at all in the third period of that game against the Capitals. There is no word at all about the severity of the injury, but this is now added to the long list of injuries that Dennis' pool team has suffered this season.

Well, there is one injury and one scratch to report from Colorado this morning. Ruslan Salei, the Box 12 defender, sat out of the Avs game against the Wild because of a foot injury. There was no word on how the injury occurred and no news on the severity. Consider Salei day-to-day for now. Not getting dressed for the Avalanche last night was Darcy Tucker. Tucker's move to the press box was precautionary, as he was feeling some stiffness in his back during the morning skate.

The Red Wings didn't dress Tomas Holmstrom on Tuesday night, as he suffered an apparent knee injury on Sunday. Holmstrom believed he skated over a crack and got his skate caught, causing the knee to twist awkwardly. He doesn't believe the injury is too serious and he should only miss minimal action because of it.

That flu bug is quite a nasty one again this season, isn't it? On Tuesday night, Mike Comrie fell victim to the flu and wasn't able to play against Buffalo in the Senators' 4-2 win. There was no indication that this virus that Comrie has contracted is as potent as some that have caused players to miss upwards of four games. I would expect to see Comrie dressed for their next game.

Well, it looks to me that the scratching of forwards is not exclusive to the younger players, as Steven Reinprecht fell victim to the lure of the press box, sitting through the Coyotes' game against the Sharks on Tuesday night. Joining Reinprecht upstairs on Tuesday was Nigel Dawes, who was acquired at the deadline for New York. Figuring into the line-up for the Coyotes was tough guy, Brian McGrattan, who has been spending the better part of the season in the minors.

The Canucks coaching staff have declared that Jannik Hansen is now fit to play with the team, after healing a broken finger, but with the team on the roll that it's on, they don't necessarily want to disrupt the chemistry they have, just to fit one player back in. Hansen isn't likely expected to be in the line-up until an injury occurs or the team needs a bit of a shake-up.

Much like Kurtis Foster in Minnesota, Brian Pothier only played in one NHL game in his return after his lengthy absence from injury. Pothier sat out on Tuesday night, which would have made for back-to-back nights, but that wasn't much of a worry for the Capitals, as Mike Green returned from his one-game absence after a bout of the flu. Pothier may be worked back into the line-up slowly, making sure he gets his timing back at a reasonable pace, as they likely don't want to rush him into 100% action, especially in the race in the Eastern Conference.

Click here to see an updated injury page.