Sabres' Johan Larsson: Likely to play Thursday

Larsson will be a game-time decision for Thursday's game against the Canucks, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports. Larsson missed Wednesday's practice for a maintenance day and said he's feeling fine Thursday.

Analysis:

It doesn't sound like Larsson's ailment (if indeed there is one) is bothering him too much, so he'll be a good bet to play Thursday in Vancouver. Larsson had to step up in the wake of superstar Jack Eichel's ankle injury, and he's done an OK job at it so far, posting two assists but also a minus-2 rating while averaging 18:50 of ice time. He's worth monitoring for value while Eichel remains sidelined, but will likely lose all of that value once the young star returns.