Blue Jackets' Johnny Gaudreau: Dealing with illness

Vlasic missed Friday's game against Carolina due to an illness, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports. The illness held Vlasic out of the lineup for the first time this season. The Sharks play in Pittsburgh on Saturday before entering their All-Star break.

Wilson (lower body) was absent from practice Saturday, per Samantha Pell of The Washington Post. Wilson didn't play Thursday after suffering a lower-body Tuesday against Colorado. It appears that his status is in question for Sunday's contest in Toronto. Wilson has played in just eight games this season, logging two goals and an assist.

Karlsson notched an assist, two shots on goal and two hits in Friday's 4-1 loss to the Rangers. Karlsson continues to be effective in January -- he's picked up four goals and four helpers through 11 outings this month. The 30-year-old helped out on a Phil Kessel tally in the second period Friday. Karlsson has 11 goals, 23 assists, 95 shots on net, 28 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating through 50 contests overall.

Wilson (lower body) won't play until after the All-Star break, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports. Wilson, who sat out Thursday's contest against Pittsburgh after getting injured Tuesday versus Colorado following a shot block, will miss at least the next two games. The Capitals return from the break Feb. 11 in Boston. Wilson has supplied two goals, one assist, 13 shots on net and 33 hits in eight appearances this season. Anthony Mantha stands a good chance to stay in the top-six forward group of the Capitals until Wilson is able to return.

Toews won't play Thursday versus the Flames due to an illness. Toews' absence likely means Luke Philp draws into the lineup, while Jason Dickinson could be in line for more ice time. The Blackhawks' next game is Saturday in Edmonton, but it's unknown if Toews will be healthy enough to play in that contest.

Philadelphia 76ers star guard James Harden decided to try a new form of defense late in the third quarter of the contest between the Sixers and Denver Nuggets on Saturday afternoon. With just under two minutes remaining in the quarter, Harden was seated on Philly's bench and jumped directly onto...

Fleury will defend the blue paint during Saturday's home game versus Buffalo, Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Fleury played well in his last start Thursday against Philadelphia, turning aside 28 of 30 shots en route to a 3-2 win. He'll try to secure a second straight victory in a matchup with a red-hot Sabres squad that's won five straight games.

Ovechkin scored a power-play goal Thursday in a 3-2 shootout win over the Penguins. He stood, unmoving and straight-legged, in his office in the left circle until the pass arrived for a one-timer. Opponents have known it's coming from that spot since 2005, but Ovechkin still scores at will. It was his 32nd snipe this season (50 games) and 812th of his career. So far, Ovie is on pace for his 10th 50-goal season.

Murray is considered questionable for Saturday's game against the 76ers due to a left hip sprain. Murray was listed as managing a knee injury for Wednesday's game in Milwaukee, making it appear that he was likely resting more than anything. However, the addition of a left hip sprain suggests there is more uncertainty surrounding his status leading up to Saturday. The team should supply more information on his status come game day. Bruce Brown (knee), who was also added to the injury report ahead of Saturday's contest as questionable, could draw another start if Brown can play and Murray is unavailable.

Lillard posted 30 points (10-20 FG, 2-9 3Pt, 8-9 FT), four rebounds and three assists across 37 minutes during Saturday's 123-105 loss to Toronto. The 30-point effort on 50 percent shooting from the field and 88.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line actually amounts to an off night for Lillard, who has been as hot as any player thus far in January. Lillard was coming off a 60-point performance heading into Saturday and saw his scoring average for the month drop to 33.9 points per game after the 30-point outing. In addition to scoring at a prolific rate in January, Lilllard is supplementing his points production with averages of 7.7 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 triples and 1.1 steals.

The NHL continues to draw attention for Pride Night celebrations around the league as teams and players make a decision not to wear the themed uniforms. In the latest example, the New York Rangers elected not to wear pride-themed jerseys or use rainbow stick tape in warmups prior to their game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night.

Rubio chipped in five points (2-7 FG, 1-2 3Pt), three rebounds, seven assists and one steal over 17 minutes during Thursday's 113-95 victory over the Rockets. Rubio continues to play a limited role off the bench and has not scored more than nine points in any of his games. However, he was able to dish out a season-high seven assists in the win. The fact he remains limited even with Donovan Mitchell (hamstring) sidelined tells you everything you need to know about his role moving forward. The Cavaliers want to have him up and running come the playoffs, meaning he could be locked in at no more than 20 minutes per night, at least for the foreseeable future.

Rubio has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Thunder due to left knee injury management. Rubio played 17 minutes off the bench and totaled five points (2-7 FG), seven assists, three rebounds and one steal during Thursday's win over the Rockets. However, the veteran forward is coming off a lengthy rehab following ACL surgery and will take the second night of Cleveland's back-to-back set off to rest his left knee. Donovan Mitchell (groin) is doubtful for Friday's contest, so it looks like Darius Garland and Caris LeVert will operate as the Cavaliers' starting backcourt, while Raul Neto and Cedi Osman could see increased roles off the bench.

Bolt signed a minor-league contract with the Brewers on Friday and received an invitation to major-league spring training, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. Bolt slashed .326/.385/.526 in Triple-A last season, though he was never able to put it together in the majors, where his numbers dropped to .198/.259/.330 across 116 plate appearances with Oakland. Milwaukee already has plenty of outfield talent at the major-league and minor-league levels, so Bolt will likely serve as organizational depth.

Collins chipped in 16 points (7-13 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), five rebounds and one steal across 34 minutes during Saturday's 120-113 loss to the Clippers. Collins scored 16 points in the loss, bringing his streak of double-digit scoring to eight consecutive games. While that seems nice on the surface, during that span he has scored no more than 19 points in any one game, adding very little in terms of defensive numbers. He is the 65th-ranked player this season but has fallen outside the top 90 over the past month. It would appear that any hopes of him being a top-50 player have gone by the wayside, with managers better off tempering expectations somewhat.

There was plenty of physicality on display Thursday night when the Minnesota Wild hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. So much physicality that, at one point, three separate fights took place within a 16-second time frame in the first period. Just minutes before the first brawl, the Flyers took a 1-0 lead...