On the shelf with a neck injury since Dec. 20, Calgary winger Alex Tanguay will likely return to the lineup tonight against the San Jose Sharks.
“He slept well last night. He had a good breakfast this morning and he came to the rink and he was good this morning,” head coach Brent Sutter told the Flames website. “In all likelihood, he’ll play tonight.”
Tanguay’s missed the last 15 games with a neck injury that was rumored to be a concussion. The 32-year-old told reporters it wasn’t, but failed to elaborate on exactly what the ailment was.
“I don’t want to elaborate on it too much,” Tanguay told the Calgary Herald. “But it’s a problem that I have with my neck. As far as I’m concerned, it’s been pretty frustrating throughout this whole process.
“But it is what it is. I haven’t been told I have a concussion, so that’s a good, positive sign.”
Sounds like Sutter will ease Tanguay back into the lineup with the hopes of working him back up to his usual 18-plus minutes per night. Tonight, the winger will play alongside Blair Jones and Tom Kostopoulos in what amounts to fourth-line duty.
“Conditioning is certainly going to be an issue when you miss a month,” Tanguay said. “For the most part, you don’t do a whole lot ... but I’ve been working extremely hard.
“I know I’m going to have to work hard over the course of the break and over the course of the next few weeks but I’m hoping that I can use my experience to find a way to help the team.”