RALEIGH -- Carolina Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner will not make his return to the lineup tonight against the Boston Bruins after missing 15 games with a concussion. Skinner went through the morning skate and did stickhandling drills with the assistant coaches afterwards, but the staff is being cautious before allowing his return.

"If there's any question mark or any uncertainty, we want to make sure he's 100 percent," Hurricanes coach Kirk Muller said. "He had another workout today. We have back-to-back games here, so hopefully we will get him ready for tomorrow (at Washington)."

Here are tonight's projected lineups:

BRUINS

Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Nathan Horton
Tyler Seguin - Patrice Bergeron - Rich Peverley
Daniel Paille - Gregory Campbell - Shawn Thornton
Benoit Pouliot - Chris Kelly - Jordan Caron

Adam McQuaid - Joe Corvo
Zdeno Chara - Johnny Boychuk
Brad Ference - Dennis Seidenberg

Tuukka Rask took the morning skate and is the likely starting goaltender. Tim Thomas did not skate.

HURRICANES

Jiri Tlusty - Eric Staal - Tuomo Ruutu
Patrick Dwyer - Brandon Sutter - Andreas Nodl
Jerome Samson - Jussi Jokinen - Alexei Ponikarovsky
Anthony Stewart - Tim Brent - Brett Sutter

Tim Gleason - Bryan Allen
Jay Harrison - Justin Faulk
Derek Joslin - Jamie McBain

Cam Ward will start in goal for Carolina, with Justin Peters serving as the backup.

The Hurricanes will be without forward Chad LaRose, who sustained an upper-body injury in practice. Jerome Samson has been recalled from the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League.

FLYERS
Scott Hartnell - Claude Giroux - Jaromir Jagr
Danny Briere - Maxime Talbot - Jakub Voracek
James van Riemsdyk - Brayden Schenn - Wayne Simmonds
Harry Zolnierczyk - Sean Couturier - Matt Read

Braydon Coburn - Kimmo Timonen
Andreas Lilja - Andrej Meszaros
Marc-Andre Bourdon - Matt Carle

Sergei Bobrovsky will start in goal with Ilya Bryzgalov serving as the backup.

HURRICANES
Jiri Tlusty - Eric Staal - Tuomo Ruutu
Andreas Nodl - Brandon Sutter - Patrick Dwyer
Alexei Ponikarovsky - Jussi Jokinen - Jerome Samson
Brett Sutter - Tim Brent - Anthony Stewart

Tim Gleason - Jamie McBain
Jay Harrison - Justin Faulk
Jaroslav Spacek - Bryan Allen

Cam Ward will start in goal with Justin Peters serving as the backup.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Buffalo Sabres will have a key piece back in the lineup tonight when they face the Carolina Hurricanes.

Defenseman Tyler Myers returns after missing 19 games with a broken wrist, suffered Nov. 19 against Phoenix.

Because Myers was able to skate during his absence, his conditioning should not be a major factor in his ability to log important minutes -- he's second on the team with an average ice time of 21:39 per game.

"We're hoping he can lead our (defense) in ice time tonight," said Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff. "We're not going to hold back. The goal is to get him right back in the groove and play him plus-20 minutes."

Myers had just 6 points through 19 games at the time of the injury, and had been a healthy scratch in November for the first time in his career. The 21-year-old defenseman said he's focused on physical play as a key part of making his return successful.

"I think a lot of it is the mental side of the game," Myers said. "When I play physical, it gets me into the game more. It's hard to specify, but now that I've figured out that it does happen, I need to do it every night."

Here's how the rest of the Sabres' lineup -- as well as the Hurricanes' -- could look tonight:

SABRES
Thomas Vanek - Jochen Hecht - Jason Pominville
Nathan Gerbe - Derek Roy - Drew Stafford
Zack Kassian - Luke Adam - Brad Boyes
Matt Ellis - Paul Gaustad - Patrick Kaleta

Tyler Myers - Brayden McNabb
Robyn Regehr - Jordan Leopold
Mike Weber - Marc-Andre Gragnani

Ryan Miller will start in net, with Jhonas Enroth the backup.

HURRICANES
Jussi Jokinen - Eric Staal - Tuomo Ruutu
Drayson Bowman - Brandon Sutter - Chad LaRose
Jiri Tlusty - Tim Brent - Alexei Ponikarovsky
Andreas Nodl - Brent Sutter - Anthony Stewart

Tim Gleason - Jamie McBain
Jay Harrison - Justin Faulk
Jaroslav Spacek - Bryan Allen

Cam Ward will start in goal, with Justin Peters the backup.

For more on tonight's game, check out the preview here.

Here's how the lineups could look tonight when the New York Islanders visit the Carolina Hurricanes at the RBC Center:

ISLANDERS
Matt Moulson - John Tavares - Kyle Okposo
Brian Rolston - Frans Nielsen - PA Parenteau
Matt Martin - Josh Bailey - Michael Grabner
Tim Wallace - Marty Reasoner - Nino Neiderreiter

Steve Staios - Mark Streit
Andrew McDonald - Travis Hamonic
Mark Eaton - Milan Jurcina

Evgeni Nabokov
Anders Nilsson

HURRICANES
Jiri Tlusty - Eric Staal - Zac Dalpe
Alexei Ponikarovsky - Jussi Jokinen - Tuomo Ruutu
Drayson Bowman - Brandon Sutter - Chad LaRose
Andreas Nodl - Tim Brent - Anthony Stewart

Tim Gleason - Jamie McBain
Jay Harrison - Justin Faulk
Bryan Allen - Derek Joslin/Jaroslav Spacek 

Cam Ward
Justin Peters

Here's how the lineups could look tonight when the Carolina Hurricanes play host to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the RBC Center:

MAPLE LEAFS
Joffrey Lupul - Tyler Bozak - Phil Kessel
Clarke MacArthur - Tim Connolly - Nazem Kadri
Nikolai Kulemin - Mikhail Grabovski - Matt Frattin
Darryl Boyce - David Steckel - Joey Crabb

Dion Phaneuf - Carl Gunnarsson
Luke Schenn - Keith Aulie
Cody Franson - Jake Gardiner

James Reimer
Jonas Gustavsson

HURRICANES
Jiri Tlusty - Eric Staal - Zac Dalpe
Alexei Ponikarovsky - Jussi Jokinen - Tuomo Ruutu
Drayson Bowman - Brandon Sutter - Chad LaRose
Andreas Nodl - Tim Brent - Anthony Stewart

Tim Gleason - Jamie McBain
Jay Harrison - Justin Faulk
Derek Joslin - Bryan Allen

Cam Ward
Justin Peters

Here's how the lines could look tonight when the Carolina Hurricanes play host to the Ottawa Senators at the RBC Center:

HURRICANES
Drayson Bowman - Eric Staal - Chad LaRose
Alexei Ponikarovsky - Jussi Jokinen - Tuomo Ruutu
Jiri Tlusty - Brandon Sutter - Patrick Dwyer
Andreas Nodl - Riley Nash/Tim Brent - Anthony Stewart

Tim Gleason - Jamie McBain
Jaroslav Spacek - Bryan Allen
Jay Harrison - Justin Faulk

Cam Ward
Justin Peters

SENATORS
Colin Greening - Jason Spezza - Daniel Alfredsson
Nick Foligno - Kyle Turris - Erik Condra
Kaspars Daugavins - Zack Smith - Chris Neil
Matt Carkner - Zenon Konopka - Bobby Butler

Erik Karlsson - Filip Kuba
Chris Phillips - Sergei Gonchar
Jared Cowen - Brian Lee

The Senators arrived in Raleigh overnight and didn't have a morning skate or media availability, but it's possible Alex Auld gets the start after Craig Anderson played Thursday against Florida.

Jason Labarbera will start in goal for Phoenix, after Mike Smith left the game Tuesday night against the Florida Panthers with a lower-body injury. Whether not Smith will dress as the backup is to be determined.

The Hurricanes have recalled center Riley Nash from the American Hockey League's Charlotte Checkers to replace Tim Brent, who suffered an injury during practice Tuesday. The game will mark Nash's NHL debut.

Jeff Skinner, who is out with a concussion, has been placed on injured reserve, retroactive to Dec. 7.

Here are the projected lineups for when these two teams meet Wednesday night at RBC Center:

HURRICANES

Drayson Bowman - Eric Staal - Chad LaRose
Alexei Ponikarovsky - Jussi Jokinen - Tuomo Ruutu
Jiri Tlusty - Brandon Sutter - Patrick Dwyer
Andreas Nodl - Riley Nash - Anthony Stewart

Tim Gleason - Jamie McBain
Jaroslav Spacek - Justin Faulk
Jay Harrison - Bryan Allen

Cam Ward
Justin Peters

COYOTES

Ray Whitney - Martin Hanzal - Radim Vrbata
Mikkel Boedker - Daymond Langkow - Shane Doan
Raffi Torres - Boyd Gordon - Kyle Chipchura
Taylor Pyatt - Cal O'Reilly - Lauri Korpikoski

Adrian Aucoin - Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Keith Yandle - David Schlemko
Michal Rozsival - Derek Morris

Jason LaBarbera
Mike Smith

RALEIGH, N.C. -- After six consecutive starts by Roberto Luongo, the Canucks will turn to Cory Schneider in goal against Carolina. Here are the projected lineups for both teams as they get set to meet Thursday night at RBC Centre.

VANCOUVER

Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Alexandre Burrows
Chris Higgins - Ryan Kesler - Jannik Hansen
Mason Raymond - Cody Hodgson - Maxim Lapierre
Aaron Rome - Manny Malhotra - Dale Weise

Dan Hamhuis - Kevin Bieksa
Sami Salo - Alexander Edler
Keith Ballard - Andrew Alberts

Cory Schneider
Roberto Luongo

CAROLINA

Jiri Tlusty - Eric Staal - Patrick Dwyer
Alexei Ponikarovsky - Jussi Jokinen - Tuomo Ruutu
Drayson Bowman - Brandon Sutter - Chad LaRose
Andreas Nodl - Tim Brent - Anthony Stewart

Tim Gleason - Jamie McBain
Jaroslav Spacek - Justin Faulk
Derek Joslin - Bryan Allen

Cam Ward
Justin Peters

A difficult season for the Carolina Hurricanes is becoming more problematic.

Forward Jeff Skinner, the Hurricanes' leading scorer, and defenseman Joni Pitkanen have been diagnosed with concussions and will be out of the lineup indefinitely.

Skinner took a big hit last Wednesday from Edmonton defenseman Andy Sutton and has missed the past two games. Pitkanen had been injured one night earlier in Calgary, leaving the game in the second period.

"We sent Pitkanen back home off the road trip, and he went to the doctor a few days ago," Carolina General Manager Jim Rutherford said Wednesday. "In Jeff Skinner's case, he saw the doctor today. We didn't know for sure until he was diagnosed with one."

The news couldn't be much worse for Carolina. The team is 15th in the East and just 1-5-1 since Kirk Muller replaced Paul Maurice as coach Nov. 28.



Skinner, the 2011 Calder Trophy winner, has been one of the bright spots for Carolina, with 12 goals and 12 assists in 30 games. Pitkanen leads the Hurricanes' defensive corps in scoring with 12 points in 21 games. He also leads the team in average ice time per game at 22:35.

Rutherford said there is no timetable for the return of either player.

"We just follow whatever the doctor tells us," he said. "You can't project when a player would return."

The chance of trading for players to offset the injuries looks bleak. Rutherford already had been pursuing trades prior to the latest injuries.

"There aren't any forwards out there on the trade market that could come in here and make a difference in our team," Rutherford said. "I know first-hand because I've been on the phone for three weeks, not only looking with a potential injury, but because we're a team that's potentially short a couple forwards to be one of the good teams.

"We just have to work together as a team and work our way out of the situation we're in and deal with the present."

The team already has addressed Skinner's roster spot by recalling forward Drayson Bowman from the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League. Bowman, who played Tuesday in Toronto, has 3 points in 35 NHL games spread across the last three seasons.

"We've got guys in the system we've been developing," Rutherford said. "We've talked about bringing younger players in, and that's where we will look to."

With no timetable for the return of Skinner or Pitkanen, Rutherford plans to be patient. He acknowledged that the two players could potentially be out of the lineup for a long stretch.

"Could be -- and if it is, it is," he said. "This is a real serious thing to deal with."

The Hurricanes also are shorthanded by the loss of defenseman Jay Harrison, who has missed the last nine games with an upper-body injury. Backup goaltender Brian Boucher has been out the past four games with a lower-body injury.

The Hurricanes next play Thursday, when they host Vancouver.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby, who was held off the scoresheet Thursday against Washington for the second time in six games this season, is still finding his comfort level following his long absence with post-concussion symptoms.

"Some things are right where they need to be, other things aren't as consistent," the Penguins captain said. "Some things aren't near where they need to be. It's doing it over the course of the season."

After scoring twice in his first game back, Crosby hasn't found the net in the Penguins past five games.

"Finishing is one thing that takes a lot of focus,” he said. “You've got a split second to put a shot where you want to and you've got guys on you. It takes time getting into those areas and comfortable. That's something I want to improve on. I know it's going to take some time getting back into things."

The Penguins will turn to backup goaltender Brent Johnson tonight against Carolina. He will be looking for his second win of the season (1-3-2).

Carolina coach Kirk Muller did not confirm a starter in goal.

Here’s a look at the projected lineups for both teams in their matchup Saturday night at RBC Center:

PITTSBURGH

Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Pascal Dupuis
James Neal - Evgeni Malkin - Steve Sullivan
Matt Cooke – Jordan Staal – Tyler Kennedy
Craig Adams – Richard Park – Arron Asham

Brooks Orpik - Paul Martin
Matt Niskanen - Deryk Engelland
Robert Bortuzzo - Simon Despres

Brent Johnson
Marc-Andre Fleury

CAROLINA

Jeff Skinner - Eric Staal - Tuomo Ruutu
Alexei Ponikarovsky - Jussi Jokinen - Chad LaRose
Jiri Tlusty - Brandon Sutter - Patrick Dwyer
Anthony Stewart - Tim Brent - Andreas Nodl

Bryan Allen - Tomas Kaberle
Tim Gleason - Justin Faulk
Joni Pitkanen - Derek Joslin

Cam Ward
Brian Boucher