- Ansar Khan of MLive: Red Wings Eric Cole is done for the season, and his career is in jeopardy with a spinal cord contusion.
“I consulted with a few doctors last week and I’ve been advised not to play the remainder of this season,” Cole said Wednesday. “Just really disappointing and I was looking forward to be a part of the playoff run here and helping this team make a run to the (Stanley) Cup and I’m not going to be able to do that.
“Doctors feel that right now there’s just a little too much risk for me to be playing so just going to have to wait and see how things go down the road.”
Cole broke his neck in 2006 after Brooks Orpik hit him from behind.
“It stems back from my neck injury in 2006 and when I ran into the player in the Arizona game, I bruised my spinal cord,” Cole said. “A spinal contusion is something that you have to let heal and obviously, a pretty serious occurrence. Something that at this time they feel I need to be looking out for my well-being as a person, not just as a hockey player.”
- Ansar Khan of MLive: Red Wings Justin Abdelkader didn’t rule himself out of tonight’s game against the Canadiens. He didn’t break any bones in his right hand after blocking a Marco Scandella shot on Saturday.
“Doing better slowly here,” Abdelkader said. “Just one of those things, it’s going to take time, but hopefully you just keep getting better each day.
“Today was kind of (the) first step into that stage, skating today and that was big,”
- Jessica Rusnak: Canadiens Max Pacioretty won’t play in their final two regular season games and will be reevaluated next week. The Canadiens won’t say what the injury is. Renaud Lavoie: Coach Michel Therrien on Pacioretty: “He’s getting better. It’s a good news.”
- Erik Erlendsson: Lightning’s Victor Hedman will be returning to the lineup. Bryan Burns: Hedman could play in both of their final two games. Lightning coach Jon Cooper on Hedman: “He’s inching toward a return. Whether that’s tomorrow or Saturday, we’ll determine that tomorrow.”
- Aaron Portzline: The status for Cam Atkinson is not known for their final two games as he was clipped by teammate Alex Wennberg’s skate as they were coming off the bench after they won last night. His hand/wrist required 10 stitches.
- Jon Rosen: Kings Tanner Pearson will have x-rays early next week. Pearson and Andrej Sekera won’t play in their final two games.
- Chuck Gormley: Tom Wilson (head) and Eric Fehr (upper-body) didn’t take part in the Capitals morning skate yesterday. Jay Beagle (upper-body) did take part. Alex Prewitt: Beagle on missing the playoffs: “I’d have to lose a leg.”
- Sarah McLellan: Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said that Shane Doan is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
- Lou Korac: Blues Alex Steen, Vladimir Tarasenko and Robert Bortuzzo didn’t take part in their option practice yesterday.
- Derek Willis: Flames coach Bob Hartley said that Lance Bouma is day-to-day.
