Even in victory, there is a cost to be paid. On the heels of last night’s win, one of the major areas of concerns for fans was the status of captain Rick Nash.
The winger had disappeared from the bench midway through the third period, and many were concerned for his status.
In his post-game press conference, head coach Scott Arniel shared that Nash had a “minor” lower body injury, and had been taken out of the game as a precaution since the match was well in hand.
Today, the news after practice is a bit more concerning – Nash, Derek MacKenzie, and Nikita Filatov were all listed by the club as having “minor” injuries sustained in the blowout win, and the coaching staff is now considering holding them out of Friday’s match against the Avalanche to allow them to get healthy for the match against the pacific division leading Kings on Wednesday to start the team’s West Coast trip.
If that’s the case, while Andrew Murray is ready to return to the lineup, at least one more forward would likely be recalled – keep an eye on the team’s moves tomorrow morning after the pre-game skate. Nothing sounds serious enough to warrant major concern (Filatov skated this morning, and both he and MacKenzie finished the game yesterday without needing to be pulled out), but even with their own injury issues at the moment, Colorado is not a team to be taken lightly.
In better news, Ethan Moreau will be traveling with the team on the West Coast trip, and could return to the lineup in time for the game against the Predators on the 22nd or the Islanders on the 24th. That’s great news for the team’s depth, though it once again raises the question of what to do about Kyle Wilson, who practiced with Voracek and Brassard today in place of the injured Nash.