Markstrom and Gudas aim for Ottawa as Schmid takes the net

Akira Schmid gets the net against Vancouver tonight, and that's the right call. Jacob Markstrom skated this morning, but there's no reason to rush a goalie who left his last start after one period.

Paul Maurice said he'd expect Markstrom and Radko Gudas "to be able to play in Ottawa" on Tuesday. That's the date to circle.

Status board

• Jacob Markstrom (G): day-to-day. Left Monday's game in Buffalo after the first period, with 9 saves on 11 shots. Back on the ice Thursday morning.
• Radko Gudas (D): day-to-day, lower body. Misses a second straight game tonight after taking a knee hit in Buffalo.
• Aleksander Barkov (C): lower body, out six to eight weeks as of Oct. 6. No surgery needed.
• Brad Marchand (LW): lower body, out six weeks as of Oct. 9. Three weeks off the ice, then three weeks back on it.
• Jonah Gadjovich (LW): long-term injured reserve after upper-body surgery.

The crease

Cooper Black came up from Charlotte to back up Schmid, so Markstrom isn't even dressing tonight. Good. One rough period in Buffalo doesn't need a hero comeback two days later.

"Both are making improvements," Maurice said. Markstrom skating is the first box checked. A full practice is the next one, and Florida has until Tuesday to get there.

The blue line

Gudas is the bigger lineup problem tonight. Maurice called him "purely day-to-day" and said he's walking around fine and "he'll be on the ice soon." Saturday is possible, but Tuesday sounds more likely.

Until he's back, the bottom pair is eating minutes it wasn't built for, and Vancouver will go looking for those shifts.

The long ones

Barkov and Marchand are the absences that shape the month. Both timelines run into the second half of November, so the middle six keeps doing top-six work until then.

Pabs' read: Schmid until Markstrom is cleared, then Markstrom back in Ottawa. If he's in net Tuesday with Gudas on the ice in front of him, this was a one-week scare. If either one slides past Ottawa, start worrying.