Edmonton will get back a key player on their blueline tonight as they get set for their Game Seven matchup against Anaheim as Oscar Klefbom has declared himself “100 percent ready to go tonight”, writes Marc Ciampa of the Oilers’ team site. He missed the last game due to an upper body issue.
On the other side, Ciampa notes the Ducks will have center Nate Thompson in their lineup. His status was in question after the team recalled Sam Carrick from AHL San Diego on Tuesday. Defenseman Kevin Bieksa’s situation isn’t as clear though, as head coach Randy Carlyle is listing him as a game-time decision. Bieksa suffered a lower body in the series opener against the Oilers and has been out of the lineup since then.
Other injury notes from around the hockey world:
- Although there was speculation that Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko needed surgery, that isn’t the case, notes Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. While the forward noted that he has been playing through an undisclosed injury, he expects it to heal over the coming weeks with rest. On a similar note, Alex Steen’s broken toe that he played through also won’t require going under the knife.
- Colorado blueliner Tyson Barrie will miss the rest of the World Championships with a lower body, Team Canada announced via Twitter. The exact nature of the injury is unknown but the Avalanche added (Twitter link) that he is expected to fully recover for his offseason workouts. The defenseman was off to a torrid start on the scoresheet, leading all defenders in scoring with seven points through four games. Although the Canadians won’t be able to replace him on the roster, they will certainly benefit from the late addition of Colton Parayko, who was added into a vacant roster slot yesterday.
- Coyotes winger Tobias Rieder also will miss the remainder of the Worlds after sustaining a lower body injury against Russia on Monday. Fortunately for Arizona, the injury isn’t believed to be too serious, reports ArizonaSports’ Craig Morgan. Rieder is expected to undergo further testing in the coming days. It’s the second straight year that a lower body injury has ended his tournament early as back in 2016, he suffered a knee injury against Canada in the preliminary round.
- Still with the Worlds, USA (and Chicago) forward Nick Schmaltz may be ready to return to the lineup on Saturday against Latvia, notes NHL.com’s Brian Hedger (Twitter link). He was also injured on Monday on a hit from Sweden’s Gabriel Landeskog and was held out of their game against Italy today, which they won 3-0.