Day: March 6, 2012

The Connecticut Whale released their clear day roster, signifying the players eligible for the AHL playoffs and one name noticably absent was that of veteran forward Sean Avery.

Per Larry Brooks on Twitter, Avery has not played since January 27th, and was told not to report to practices. 

Forward Brandon Dubinsky has reportedly suffered a hand injury after fighting Ryan Carter in the first period of tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devil.  Dubinsky took several punches in the fight, and left the ice under his own power and went straight to the lockerroom.

While he did appear to be favoring his hand, there’s also some concern that he may have been shaken up by one or more of the punches he received in a relatively one-sided fight.

It appears that captain Ryan Callahan will be back for the Rangers after a three game absence.  Callahan injured his foot blocking an Ilya Kovalchuk shot in the 2-0 win over the New Jersey Devils on February 27th.

In his absense, the Rangers have gone 2-0-1 and have moved into the top spot in the league with 91 points.  According to Katie Strang of ESPN, Callahan will participate in warm-ups and will be a game-time decision.

Steve Eminger will return to the Rangers line-up tonight, in place of Anton Stralman.  Eminger hasn’t played since the 2-0 loss to Pittsburgh on February 21st, and has been a healthy scratch in six straight games.  He had earlier missed seven weeks due to injury, but did manage seven starts before being sent to the sidelines.

Eminger will replace Stralman, who struggled in the 4-3 win over the Bruins.  Stralman has been a steady contributor on the second pair this season, after signing as a free agent in October.