Morning Player Notes (Feb 7)

The New York Rangers have admittedly given Neal Pionk a lot of responsibility this season and after coming back from a minor lower-body injury, he hasn't quite readjusted to the extra workload, so on Wednesday night, the team decided to give him a night off, opting to make him into a healthy scratch.  It doesn't sound like it is anything too serious, but the team is just looking out for his development into an everyday NHL defenseman.

Pionk has been fairly good for Troy's team this season, posting 20 points in 46 games, but has slowed down somewhat in recent weeks and the injury was certainly a part of it all.  Troy's team hasn't gotten off to a good start this week, losing ground in the weekly scoring and in the overall standings, now 8th and only 1 point ahead of 9th.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Penguins coaching staff confirmed that goalie Matt Murray was put under observation for an upper-body injury, not concussion related, but it sounds like it will be enough to sideline him for at least one game, tonight's game in Florida. The Penguins have recalled Tristan Jarry for backup duty, while Murray sits on the shelf, listed as day-to-day right now.

There have been a crazy amount of players taken in Week Eighteen to have already found their way to the injury page and Murray, the 1st pick of that draft, is now on the shelf, only having made one start.  Scott can't be too pleased about that, since he probably wants to see his team out of last place.