REPORT: Phillips will play tomorrow

RDS is reporting that Saint John Sea Dogs forward Zack Phillips will return to the lineup tomorrow as his team faces the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors in the first game of the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup.

Phillips was injured in the later stages of the Sea Dogs’ double-overtime victory during Game Four of the President’s Cup final against the Gatineau Olympiques. He would go on to miss Games Five and Six of the final as well with the upper-body injury.

The return of Phillips should give Saint John’s offense a big boost heading into tomorrow’s Memorial Cup opener. He’ll likely return to the top line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Stanislav Galiev.

Now the question becomes how effective can Phillips be if he is still hurting a bit? Patrick King of Rogers Sportsnet goes into detail on that.

Word is Phillips will be healthy enough to play, but there's a difference between being dressed and actually making an impact. The Sea Dogs will still have plenty of scoring punch with the likes of Jonathan Huberdeau, Michael Kirkpatrick, Stanislav Galiev and Nathan Beaulieu, but will no doubt be missing a key cog -- even if Phillips plays sparingly. His timeframe for a full recovery may be Saint John's biggest worry heading into the tournament.

In 67 regular season games, the Fredericton native recorded 38 goals and 57 assists. In 12 playoff contests he added nine goals and 15 helpers.

Phillips played well in the Top Prospects Game and a follow up performance in the Toronto area could give his draft ranking a boost.

Steven Anthony's status remains a mystery. Jason Cameron will miss the tournament with a bruised kidney.

Photo Credit: Marc Henwood/Station Nation