Ruutu, who went through Thursday's workout, might be recovered enough from a knee sprain to play Monday at Philadelphia. Yawney blamed the media for dwelling too much on the injuries, suggesting his healthy players could be using them as an excuse for poor play. ''You guys give them all the excuses in the world, with the people who are missing,'' Yawney said, ''but the fact of the matter is, this is the NHL and you're paid to play. It's a privilege to play in the National Hockey League. It's not a player's right.'' That was the point Yawney hoped he made with Thursday's workout.