Morning Player Notes (Nov 20)

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Marco Scandella left last night's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins after blocking a shot in the 2nd period and didn't return to the game.  There was no indication on where he blocked the shot on his body and there was still no update in the morning for his condition, but we're keeping our eyes peeled on this one.

This is only the start of the bad news for Stacey C. in this blog post, but it may or may not be all that bad, given that shot blocks could only be bruises.  Here's hoping that's all that it really is, no one wants to see long-term injuries.  Scandella has been okay for Stacey's team, 5 points in 21 games is nothing to sneeze at from the back end.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have had a strong start to the regular season, leading the Metropolitan Division, and in doing so, they've had to remain sharp.  Oliver Bjorkstrand has been very inconsistent this season, 4 points in 19 games, so he found his way back up to the press box as a healthy scratch against the Maple Leafs on Monday night.  This was his second trip up to the box to watch the game from above and he's probably skating on thin ice going forward, if his game doesn't improve.

Jeremy didn't really miss him last night, as his team posted a pool-high 14 points on Monday night, getting an early leg up on the Mover & Shaker race, 5 points better than his closest competitor.  Already, he has moved up five spots, from 15th to 10th.

Dallas Stars number one keeper Ben Bishop got the start against the Rangers, but was unable to finish the game, not returning to the game after the 2nd intermission, dealing with a lower-body injury, related to some soft tissue damage.  The Stars have said that he is day-to-day right now, unsure of how much time he will miss or whether or not he will miss their next game, Wednesday night in Pittsburgh.

If this is a long-term injury, it would be a pretty big hit to the team, as he currently ranks 44th overall in hockey pool scoring, 5th among all goalies to date.  Clayton, last week's Mover & Shaker, has relied heavily on his 1st round pick and he's certainly hoping that it isn't long-term.

We're waiting on the official injury news on Florida Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck, as he suffered an ugly lower-body injury last night against the Ottawa Senators, having to be carted off the ice on a stretcher after falling awkwardly into the end boards and his right leg bending in a way that it really shouldn't.  The Panthers will likely have an update here in the next day or two and no one expects it to be good.

And here is the worse news for Stacey's team, as he could be without one of his top forwards, 14 points in 18 games, for the long-term or up until the end of the Week Nine Waiver Draft.  Stacey is likely holding his breath, hoping that he won't have to drop him, but it certainly looks likely today.