Nathan Horton (C, FL) – More friendly fire landed Nathan Horton on the DL with a broken left leg caused by a slapshot from teammate Dennis Seidenberg during a 2-1 OT loss against the New York Islanders on Jan. 21. Expect Horton back at the end of February.
Jack Hillen (D, NYI) – Shot blocking is an admirably high risk expectation of players nowadays and unfortunately, it earned Jack Hillen six-to-eight weeks on the IR with a broken jaw and damaged teeth. An Alex Ovechkin slapshot caused the damage during a 7-2 Washington Capitals blowout over the New York Islanders on Jan. 26.
Tim Jackman (RW, NYI) – Fighting also has its risks and Tim Jackman found that out firsthand when Ottawa roughneck Matt Carkner gave him a couple of quick pops after the first period buzzer during a Dec. 31 tilt. Carkner earned a double-minor for roughing, the New York Islanders wound up losing 3-2 in a shootout and Jackman wound up with a broken orbital bone that will keep him out of the lineup until early February.
Ottawa Senators' Mike Fisher, left, celebrates his first-period goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins with teammates Chris Campoli, right, and Nick Foligno (71) during an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Nick Foligno (LW, OTT) – Shot blocking also claimed Nick Foligno, who sacrificed his lower leg to deflect a Marc-Andre Bergeron slapshot during a 3-2 OT win over the division rival Montreal Canadians on Jan. 30. The resulting broken leg will have Foligno out of action for the next six-to-eight weeks.
Mike Ribeiro (C, DAL) – During a particularly chippy 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Jan. 6, Mike Ribeiro ended up cracking his trachea by a high stick from by former teammate Christopher Higgins. After an emergency tracheotomy that same night, Ribeiro has been taking part in drills as of late albeit while sporting a throat protector for this extremely rare injury. The Quebec-born winger of Portuguese descent is shooting to back with the Dallas Stars by Feb. 9.
WAIVER WIRE FLYERS
Brandon Yip (RW, COL) – After Milan Hejduk went down with a knee injury, Brandon Yip got bumped up to the Colorado Avalanche’s second line. Currently skating alongside fellow rookies Matt Duchene and T.J. Galiardi, Yip has 13 points through 17 games following his Dec. 19 callup. More recently, he’s racked up nine points in the past ten games.
Benoit Pouliot (LW, MON) – The old adage that a change of scenery helps players thrive coming off being traded definitely applies to Benoit Pouiliot, who came over from the Minnesota Wild after being swapped straight up for Montreal Canadian and fellow left winger Guillame Latendresse on Nov. 23. Currently skating on the second line with burners Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta in addition to logging major time on the second power play unit, Pouliot has lit the lamp nine times in the past twelve games through Jan. 30.
Guillame Latendresse (LW, MIN) – The Minnesota Wild has also benefitted on the other side of this trade as Guillame Latendresse has rebooted his career since coming over from Montreal. Despite a slow start in this new environment, Latendresse caught fire for the middle two weeks in January, putting up 12 points in a seven game span including a hat trick and four-point game in different contests.
Even though he’s been slowed down by a recent bout with the flu, Latendresse is back on track with second line teammates Martin Havlat and Kyle Brodziak in addition to going out with the Wild’s second power play squad, getting two points in the past three games through Jan. 30.
Danius Zubrus (RW, NJ) – Coming back off missing 30 games after being felled by a broken kneecap, hulking forward Danius Zubrus was put on the first line alongside scoring dynamos Zach Parise and Travis Zajac when the New Jersey Devils suited up against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 29. New Jersey won 5-4, the ZZP line was responsible for a whopping eleven points with Zubrus kicking in a goal and a pair of helpers. Always a streaky player, recent reports find him skating in practice on a line with Rod Pelley and former Waiver Wire rookie find/recent healthy scratch Niclas Bergfors. Proceed with caution but a well-rested and versatile Zubrus is well worth taking at least a short term flyer on.
Josh Bailey (LW, NYI) – Even though the New York Islanders have been scuffling a little bit in trying to secure a playoff slot, the team’s younger core of players has been rising to the occasion throughout the season. Josh Bailey has been the latest young’un to answer the bell, finishing January at a point-a-game clip, finishing with 13 points in 13 games skating manning the left wing on a line with sparkplug Kyle Okposo and trying to jumpstart the slumping John Tavares.
Brian Elliot (G, OTT) – As stated above, Pascal Leclaire’s woes go beyond freakish injuries this year as his latest setback coincides with the Ottawa Senator’s latest winning streak. As fortunate as the Sens have been to get elite forwards Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson back from injury, backup netminder Brian Elliot has stepped up big and been a rock between the pipes, winning seven games in a row through Jan. 30, posting one shutout while stopping 191 of 199 shots.
