Brett Ritchie has missed some time lately. The official word is that it was an “upper-body infection that caused inflammation,” which could be everything from a bad cold to a flu or something else that we’ll never know, because NHL teams don’t violate HIPAA very often these days. Either way, Ritchie missed four games before returning against Columbus, and now we’re receiving word that, in Devin Shore’s stead, Ritchie will be getting some scoring-line time alongside Jason Spezza:
• Brett Ritchie moved up to the second line with the Jasons (Spezza & Dickinson). Monty said "Ritchie has done a lot of good things this year and it's time to reward him with an opportunity for more minutes and an opportunity to provide offense.