Morning Player Notes in the Draft (Mar 9)

The return of Pavel Datsyuk to the Red Wings lineup on Tuesday meant that Teemu Pulkkinen returned to the press box, as they swapped spots again before the game against the Blue Jackets.  Pulkkinen, a prolific scorer in his days in the AHL, has not been able to transfer those skills to the NHL quite yet, but he still keeps a spot in the active roster with the big club.  Unless there's another injury or illness or major cold streak, I can't see him drawing back into the lineup any time soon.

When you're a Red Wings fan, the mock draft may consist of players on teams that you may like... just saying, Kristy & Don.  Nevertheless, the reigning champs are back in the lead for the Mover & Shaker this week, sharing the two night lead with 12 points, despite Pulkkinen's absence.

Despite a win against the Dallas Stars last night, whatever playoff hopes the Montreal Canadiens have are slowly fading away, getting water-boarded by injuries in these recent weeks.  We can now include Lars Eller to that list, as he missed out on Tuesday night's game against the Dallas with a lower-body injury.  He's currently listed as out day-to-day right now, but we'll wait for further details and get them to the blog, if they're of any Earth-shattering nature.

Stacey M.'s team is down in the the bottom four after Tuesday night's action, but is staying afloat, away from last place at the moment.  Her team's 411 points is 10 points better than 26th and 27th, but it's a slippery slope with all these injuries.

Jaroslav Halak was credited with the win for the Islanders, last night against the Penguins, but not before having to leave with about five minutes to go in the game, thanks to a lower-body injury.  There is supposed to be an update later on this afternoon, so if there is anything significant, like time to be missed, it will drop on the blog later on.

Dale B.'s team has dropped significantly to some cold streaks this season and now finds itself down in 14th place in the standings.  His 7 points in the first couple nights of play is a good sign, but if Halak is on the shelf for a while, that could halt his ascent in the standings quickly.

Tampa defender Anton Stralman was under the weather for Tuesday night's game against the Bruins and didn't dress, but it sounds like it is a minor issue and he is expected to be back in the lineup before too long.  The Lightning hit the ice again on Friday night, home to Philadelphia, giving the Swedish blueliner enough time to recover.

For Derek & Dan, they've made up 3 minutes in the PIM pool, but Stralman is good for a minor here and there.  Stralman might be able to make that up on Friday, I'm sure.

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