Canucks' Ballard Returns From Back Injury: Keith Ballard returned from a back injury and saw over 10 minutes of ice time Thursday night against the Ducks. (Updated 4/26/13)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/21/13).
Fantasy Analysis
Keith Ballard had sat out the previous game with a minor back injury. He skated as a winger on the fourth line in Thursday's loss but failed to see an increase in scoring opportunities. (Updated 4/26/13).
04/28/2013 01:08 Yakupov has hat trick in Oilers' romp over Canucks
Nail Yakupov scored his first career hat trick and the Edmonton Oilers closed out their season with a 7-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
Keith Ballard had another disppointing season for the Canucks in 2011-12, finishing with just seven points (1 G, 6 A) in 47 games. Aside from the occasional healthy scratch, he also missed significant time due to a concussion and a neck injury. Both issues appear to be a thing of the past, though, as Ballard was able to return for the CanucksÂ’ first-round playoff loss to the Kings. His lofty contract ($4.2 million) will keep him in the mix for a spot in the CanucksÂ’ top six on the back end, but Ballard will need to produce to hold on to the No. 5 or No. 6 spot in the defensive rotation. Forget about his glory days in Florida, Ballard is a long way from reaching those type of 30-point years that used to seem a given. (Updated 8/14/12)
