Day four of the road trip brings the first game of the excursion, as the Predators play the first of two games against the Blue Jackets (tonight at 6 p.m. CT).
The original plan of a six-game road trip was altered after two games in Dallas were postponed. The Predators flew to Columbus Tuesday and logged a full team practice yesterday. None of the five players on Injured Reserve - Mattias Ekholm, Ryan Johansen, Mathieu Olivier, Brad Richardson and Luca Sbisa - participated. Richardson skated on Thursday morning, however.
Earlier in the week, Preds Head Coach John Hynes provided a pair of updates on Johansen and Ekholm.
On Johansen: "He's with us on the trip, he's going to skate with the extra guys today and he will not be ready for the Dallas series, I can tell you that far in advance. Then, I think we just have to see how he progresses throughout the week and see where he's going to be after Columbus."
On Ekholm: "Mattias is not on the trip with us right now, so he'll obviously be out for Dallas and Columbus, and then we're going to re-evaluate. He's home, he's got work to do, he's back with the trainers out there and we'll see how he's progressing. He has progressed nicely, so I would say for this week he's out, and we'll probably have more information when we get back on Saturday night or Sunday for the trip to Detroit [next week]."
The Preds held a full morning skate on Thursday. Below is a projected lineup based on the session:
Projected Lineup: Predators at Blue Jackets
Vanderbilt Health Projected Lineup: Richardson (IR) Participates in Thursday's Morning Skate
© Nashville Predators
