Six games are on the NHL schedule this evening, including a big tilt between the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, two teams that look like they may be contenders in the Pacific Division for years to come. In the entire league, there is no race as tight as the one in the Pacific, where first and fifth are separated by just seven points. It’s Anaheim currently sitting in that seventh spot, meaning a win tonight could help them climb up the standings. As they and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.
Atlantic Division
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled top prospect Nick Robertson after Ilya Mikheyev left last night’s game with a non-COVID illness. Robertson, 20, has been limited by injury again this season but has eight points in his nine minor league contests. If he gets into the lineup tomorrow, it would be his first NHL game of the year.
- The Buffalo Sabres have sent down winger Brandon Biro after he made his NHL debut versus the Montreal Canadiens. Biro skated 13:30 of ice time in his debut, registering one hit in the Sabres’ shutout loss. Biro, 23, is a former Penn State Nittany Lion and has nine goals and 36 points in 39 AHL games this year.
Metropolitan Division
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Mark Friedman from his conditioning stint, where he played two games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Friedman has played in 12 games for Pittsburgh this season, recording four points in the process.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated starting goaltender Elvis Merzlikins off of injured reserve, and in a corresponding move assigned goaltender Jet Greaves to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Greaves, 20, has split time between the Monsters and the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings this season, and he has a save percentage of .898 in the AHL and .907 in the ECHL.
Central Division
- The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled Jakub Galvas from the minor leagues, according to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago. The 22-year-old defenseman has played in five games this season for Chicago, and 32 for the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. Selected in the fifth round in 2017, this is his first season in North America.
- The Colorado Avalanche have activated Jacob MacDonald and assigned him to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. MacDonald, 28, has been out since December 12th with an upper-body injury and has played in seven games for the Avalanche this season.
- The Nashville Predators have recalled veteran depth defenseman Matt Tennyson from the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Tennyson has three points in four games for the Predators so far this year and has 14 points in 40 AHL games. Tennyson is a veteran of 169 NHL games, having first appeared in the league with the San Jose Sharks in the 2012-2013 season. In a corresponding move, center Nick Cousins has been placed on injured reserve.
Pacific Division
- The Vancouver Canucks have brought up winger Phillip Di Giuseppe from Abbotsford of the AHL. The 28-year-old didn’t see any AHL action last season but has spent all of this season in the minors, notching 11 goals and 21 assists in 35 games.
- A day after Dmitry Zavgorodny terminated his KHL contract with Sochi, the Flames have assigned the winger to Stockton of the AHL, per CapFriendly. The 21-year-old started the season with the Heat, getting into six games before heading overseas where he got into ten games, picking up three assists.
This page will be updated throughout the day