Morning Player Notes (Mar 6)

It was quite the game in Boston, a rough and tumble affair between the Bruins and the Hurricanes and it really went off when Marcus Johansson got popped with an open-ice hit from Michael Ferland in the 1st period.  It was a clean hit, but it jarred Johansson pretty badly and he had a hard time getting to his feet.  The team sent him to the hospital for some tests, but as of right now, there wasn't much coming back on it.  The initial thoughts are not positive, but we have been pleasantly surprised before, I suppose.

Wilton hasn't had a whole lot of luck with Johansson this season, only collecting 28 points in 52 games between New Jersey and Boston.  I don't imagine there will be much for good news going forward, but we shall see.  Wilton's team has gotten off to a good start this week, posting 8 points in the first couple of nights.

Ferland did have to atone for his big hit on Johansson, having to answer to David Backes, as you can see above in the picture.  Ferland suffered an upper-body injury in the tussle and went immediately to the dressing room after the fight, tried to return once, but ended up not returning at all.  There's no word on how bad the injury is or what it really is for that matter.  Carolina doesn't play again until Friday, so we might have to wait on word.

Chelsea has had a decent return since picking up Ferland in the last player swap, collecting 8 points in 14 games since activation, but it really hasn't had a real effect on her standing overall, still sitting in 22nd place, 8 points behind 21st and only 5 points clear of 23rd.

Another injury due to a blocked shot... New Jersey Devils forward Jesper Bratt was hurt on Tuesday night, suffering an undisclosed injury after getting in front of a shot.  Bratt left the game in the 2nd period, not to return.  There was no word on his status after the game, so we'll be watching for anything worse than a day-to-day issue.

For Jeremy's team, Bratt has been fairly decent this season, picking up 33 points in 51 games this season, but that has only gotten Jeremy's team so far in the standings, comfortably sitting in 19th place.  Jeremy's only real hope is in the shootout, where his team ranks 4th in the standings there, but Bratt is 0-for-2 in attempts this season.

There's some concern for New York Islanders goaltender Robin Lehner, after he collided with Ottawa's Brady Tkachuk in the 3rd period of last night's game.  Lehner had to leave the game with an undisclosed injury (officially), but it is believed to be a head injury, nonetheless.  There was no clarifying update on his condition, but the team has already called up Christopher Gibson for the backup role, but we don't have a timetable for a return for Lehner.

More bad news for Chelsea's team, which is probably indifferent to the news, since it really hasn't been competing too much in the overall standings since Week One, where it finished in its peak position of 5th.  Chelsea's goaltending has been the team's saving grace and without Lehner, could be in jeopardy of dropping a bit further in the standings.