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Injury Notes: Bergeron, Sharks, Scandella

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Matt Porter of the Boston Globe reports that Boston Bruins’ captain Patrice Bergeron will not play in tomorrow’s game against the St.Louis Blues. Bruin’s head coach Jim Montgomery shares that Bergeron is dealing with both lower and upper-body “issues”.

As the Bruins continue on one of, if not the all-time best, regular seasons of all time, Bergeron has continued to be an important piece of the puzzle. Although his scoring is technically down this season, the Bruins center has put up 57 points in 74 games. Not only has Bergeron continued his above-average point production, but he has also still played extremely well on the defensive side of the puck. On a three-year stretch of having more takeaways than giveaways, the veteran center has 62 and 52, respectively.

Capping off a historic season, the Bruins will only play two teams within the playoff picture out of their remaining six games. Record books aside, the team has an important job to do come playoff time, and having a rested Bergeron will be a major component in the team realizing that goal.

Other notes:

  • The San Jose Sharks released some injury updates today, as Curtis Pashelka, a Sharks beat writer, relays that forward Oskar Lindblom should return this week, and; unfortunately, Alexander Barabanov will likely be out for the remainder of the season. Now in his sixth NHL season, Lindblom currently has 15 points for the Sharks in 73 games played. Coming into his own in San Jose, Barabanov has reached a new career-high, scoring 15 goals and 32 assists with the Sharks this season.
  • As the team finished today’s game against the Nashville Predators, the St.Louis Blues announced that defenseman Marco Scandella will be out with a lower-body injury. Unfortunately for the Blues and Scandella, he was only recently activated from the team’s long-term injured reserve on February 20th of this year. In only 19 games played this season, the defenseman has scored two points total.

Central Notes: Morrissey, Meyers, Smith, Stienburg

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After missing last night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, Winnipeg Jets’ defenseman Josh Morrissey is expected back Sunday according to John Lu of TSN. As the Jets look to hang onto the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference, Morrissey is projected back into the lineup as the team faces off against the New Jersey Devils next.

Playing in the best statistical season of his career, Morrissey is likely to finish top five in Norris voting after this season. With 69 points in 73 games, Morrissey is fourth overall in scoring by a defenseman in the NHL this year. Unfortunately for his team, they have slipped further and further back into the Western Conference playoff picture.

Since the trade deadline, the Jets have gone 7-7-1, holding their spot as the last wild-card team in the West. As the season concludes, the Jets hold a two-point advantage over the Calgary Flames and a three-point lead over the Nashville Predators. The Jets will play both teams this upcoming week, and having Morrissey back in the lineup will help their odds considerably in those matchups.

Other notes:

  • The Colorado Avalanche have sent down forward Ben Meyers to their AHL affiliate Colorado Eagles. Bennett Durando of the Denver Post explains that Meyers was initially called up in case of an emergency, but the Avalanche will not need him in the lineup tonight as they take on the Dallas Stars. In 38 games played in the NHL throughout his young career, Meyers has scored two goals total.
  • As the Arizona Coyotes continue to move players up and down from the minor leagues, the team has announced that forward Nathan Smith will be returned to their AHL affiliate Tuscon Roadrunners from an emergency loan. Smith has played a majority of this season in the AHL, scoring 11 goals and 14 assists in 58 games for the Roadrunners. In the NHL, unfortunately, he has been unable to find the scoresheet in four games played this season.
  • The Colorado Eagles have announced they have signed former 63rd overall pick of the 2019 NHL draft, Matt Stienburg to an AHL tryout contract. Playing four seasons at Cornell University, the forward has scored 20 goals and 26 assists in 73 regular-season collegiate games. Thankfully for Stienburg’s benefit, the Eagles have already clinched a playoff position and will be a valuable asset in helping his team on the quest for the Calder Cup.

Adam Boqvist Out, Jacob Christiansen In

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Team reporter for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Jeff Svoboda, reports that defenseman Adam Boqvist will be sitting out of tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins with an illness. Replacing him in the lineup will be 23-year-old defenseman, Jake Christiansen.

Although this season is entirely lost for the Blue Jackets, there will still be some pride to be found in each of their remaining games. For example, tonight, they will have the opportunity to postpone the Bruins’ quest for the President’s Trophy. Unfortunately for Columbus, they will be without one of their top-scoring defensemen.

In 40 games this season, Boqvist has scored five goals and 17 assists, leading all Blue Jackets defensemen in scoring. Becoming the primary powerplay quarterback ever since the injury to Zach Werenski, Boqvist has accrued nine assists when the opposing team is down a man. A valuable piece coming to the Blue Jackets from the Seth Jones trade back in 2021, Boqvist has proven he can be a valuable piece to build around on Columbus’ back end.

Prospect Notes: Pickering, Hildeby, Gratton

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After his season came to its conclusion with the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports Owen Pickering will be joining the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins for the rest of the 2022-23 season. Pickering signed an entry-level contract with the Penguins last summer, ending after the 2024-25 season.

Last season, for the Broncos, Pickering scored 33 points in 62 games, en route to being selected 21st overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2022 NHL Draft. Following up on last year’s performance, Pickering will finish his junior career on the tails of a nine-goal, 36-assist performance over 61 games this season.

Unfortunately for the Penguins and Pickering, the WBS Penguins only have eight games remaining this year, and will not make the playoffs as they currently sit in last place in the AHL’s Atlantic Division. As he officially joins an organization that is severely lacking in prospect depth, Pickering will have some added pressure moving forward in hopes of becoming the player the Penguins need him to be.

Other prospect notes:

  • Jumping over across the pond, the Toronto Marlies announce that goaltender Dennis Hildeby will be joining the team after his season finished for Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League. Drafted 122nd overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, this will be Hildeby’s first taste of action in North America, coming off an 11-9 performance with a .918 SV% and a 2.26 GAA in the SHL.
  • Mark Divver, a contributor at the NHL, reports that Tyler Gratton of Penn State University has entered the transfer portal. Already playing four seasons at Penn State, Gratton has played 123 regular season games, scoring 20 goals and 14 assists. An alternate captain for the team last season, Gratton will spend his final year in the NCAA for a team other than the Nittany Lions.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Ondrej Pavel

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March 30th, 4:22 PM: Pavel will join Colorado’s AHL affiliate Colorado Eagles for the remainder of this season. The entry-level contract will be a 2-year deal, ending after the 2024-25 season. Pavel will earn a salary of $950K in the NHL, and a salary of $82.5K in the AHL.

March 30th, 4:18 PM: Shortly after signing top goal-scorer Jason Polin from the Western Michigan University Broncos, the Colorado Avalanche have dipped back into NCAA free agency, signing Ondrej Pavel from the Minnesota State Mavericks. The length and financial information of the deal have not yet been disclosed, but we will update you as that comes in.

With only four picks within the first three rounds of the next three drafts, the Avalanche are looking to fill in their prospect depth through the collegiate level. The 22-year-old forward just finished his third season playing at Minnesota State, scoring a total of 18 goals and 23 assists in 94 regular season games. Most importantly, Pavel helped Minnesota State reach the 2021-22 National Championship, losing to the Denver University Pioneers.

Not only can Pavel generate a fair amount of offense, but he is also coming from a program that prides itself on its play from the defensive side of the puck. This season, Minnesota State’s goals-against average was fourth in the nation at 2.08. Coming from a team that demands solid two-way play from everyone, Pavel could become a valuable piece in Colorado’s bottom six, if not more.

Snapshots: Wisconsin, Sabres, Perunovich, Krys

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The Wisconsin Badgers have announced the hiring of new head coach Mike Hastings. Most recently, Hastings had been the head coach of the Minnesota State Mavericks.

Since he took over as head coach during the 2012-13 season, Hastings led Minnesota State to eight appearances in the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament, topping out in a finals appearance against the eventual champion Denver University Pioneers last season. In total, Hastings will leave the state of hockey with a 299-109-25 record. In Wisconsin, he will be replacing the vacancy left by NHL veteran Tony Granato.

Since Granato took over for Wisconsin before the 2016-17 season, the team went 105-129-16, ending up in the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament one time in 2021. As the Big Ten already features top teams such as the University of Michigan Wolverines and the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, it appears that Wisconsin is looking to turn the corner and become a competitive team once again.

More from around hockey this afternoon:

  • Bill Hoppe, a beat writer for the Buffalo Sabres, gave several updates on some key injuries to the lineup before tomorrow night’s game against the New York Rangers. As top prospect Devon Levi looks to make his NHL debut, Hoppe writes that forwards Tage Thompson and Jordan Greenway, as well as defenseman Mattias Samuelsson could all see their return to the lineup the same night. Currently, the Sabres sit five points back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with nine games remaining in the regular season.
  • Speaking with St.Louis Blues head coach Craig Berube today, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports that St.Louis defenseman Scott Perunovich will finish his season with the Springfield Thunderbirds, the Blues AHL affiliate. Since being activated from LTIR on February 20th of this season, Perunovich has scored one goal and 10 assists for the Thunderbirds in 17 games.
  • Contributor for the NHL, Mark Divver reports that now-former Brown University captain Luke Krys will be transferring to Providence College for the 2023-24 NCAA season. In his 92 games playing at Brown, Krys scored nine goals and 29 assists, wearing a letter in his final two seasons.

Philadelphia Flyers Recall Samuel Ersson

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Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer announces that the Philadelphia Flyers have recalled goaltender Samuel Ersson from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In unfortunate news for the Flyers, the callup was required because Carter Hart will miss some time with a lower-body injury.

In his first year of action in the NHL, Ersson has been a mixed bag. On the positive side, Ersson is 6-1 after eight starts, including one 28-save shutout against the high-scoring Buffalo Sabres. On the other hand, Ersson holds a save percentage of .898 and a scoring chance save percentage of .862. Separating out the team statistics versus the goaltending statistics, the Flyers may simply be playing better at times their young goaltender has started.

In the AHL so far this season, Ersson has fared much better than last year. On a Lehigh Valley team looking to sneak into the playoffs, Ersson has a record of 21-14-1, with a save percentage of .904 and a goals-against average of 2.70. Only playing in five games last year, coupled with his usage in the NHL this year, Ersson has clearly been given more trust within the Flyers organization.

Snapshots: Clarke, O’Reilly, Rousek

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Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News reports that Los Angeles Kings’ prospect Brandt Clarke will take home Player and Defenseman of the Month honors for the month of March in the Ontario Hockey League. In just nine games, playing for the Barrie Colts, Clarke put up an extremely impressive 11 goals and 11 assists, all while carrying a +/- of 16.

Drafted eighth overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, Clarke has spent the majority of his last four seasons playing in Barrie, while also spending one season for HC Nove Zamky of the Slovak Extraliga on loan. The young defenseman has now suited up in 143 OHL games, scoring 40 goals and 118 assists. Clarke has primarily been commended for his ability as a defenseman to create the rush and join in with it.

This season, Clarke was able to suit up in nine games for the Kings earlier in the season, scoring two assists during his time. Averaging over two points a game in the OHL this season, Clarke should be expected to earn a full-time job with the Kings next season.

More from around the league this afternoon:

  • After speaking with the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Sheldon Keefe, this morning, Mark Masters of TSN passes on that center Ryan O’Reilly is unlikely to return to Toronto this week. This is still within the timeline that the Maple Leafs initially gave, as they stated O’Reilly would be out for four weeks with his injury. Getting off to a dismal start to the year with the St.Louis Blues, O’Reilly picked up his play a bit, scoring three goals and two assists after eight games in Toronto.
  • After scoring one goal and one assist in his first-ever game in the NHL, Buffalo Sabres’ forward Lukas Rousek will be returned to the team’s AHL affiliate Rochester Americans. Drafted 160th overall in 2019, the Sabres forward has scored 49 points in 62 games for Rochester and seemed to translate that talent to the NHL in the team’s loss to the Montreal Canadiens. As Rochester is in the midst of a playoff hunt coming down the wire, expect Rousek to be a big part of that.

Blake Lizotte Suspended One Game

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2:25 PM: The NHL Department of Player Safety has suspended Lizotte one game for his infraction. As was expected, the suspension mirrors the punishment received by Greer for his cross-check on Hoffman, and the punishment means Lizotte will be unavailable to coach Todd McLellan for the Kings’ game tonight against the St. Louis Blues.

10:00 AM: During last night’s win against the Winnipeg Jets, Los Angeles Kings forward, Blake Lizotte, was given a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for cross-checking Jets’ defenseman Josh Morrissey. The two had been battling across the ice, and Morrissey would leave the ice after the incident, requiring 10 stitches on his face, with another eight on the inside of his mouth.

This morning, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced that Lizotte will indeed have a hearing for the incident from Saturday night. The event from Saturday night’s game was very similar to the cross-check delivered to Mike Hoffman of the Montreal Canadiens by Boston Bruins’ forward A.J. Greer. It is worth noting that Greer was handed a one-game suspension for his cross-check.

Lizotte, now in his fifth year in the NHL, has not been suspended once throughout his career. Through 70 games during the 2021-22 season, Lizotte accrued a total of 28 PIM, while this year, in 72 games played, already has 54 PIM. Aside from earning more time within the penalty box, Lizotte has become a key depth forward for Los Angeles, scoring 10 goals, and 20 assists for 30 points, a new career high.

New Jersey Devils Send Down Akira Schmid

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As Mackenzie Blackwood makes his way back into the lineup for the New Jersey Devils, the team had a difficult choice to make in the net. The team announced today that goaltender Akira Schmid will be sent down to their AHL affiliate Utica Comets. With nine games remaining in their regular season, the Comets are coming close to making the playoffs in the AHL’s North Division with a record of 31-23-6.

After a difficult start to his NHL career last season, Schmid has rebounded significantly this year. Playing on a top team in New Jersey, the goaltender has a record of 8-5-2, with a .918 SV% and a 2.24 GAA, including one shutout as well. Even the underlying numbers bode well for Schmid, with a Goals Against Percentage Minus of 86, and a High-Danger Scoring Chance Save Percentage of .855, Schmid has improved a considerable amount in his second year.

Drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft, Schmid will be able to log important minutes for a competitive team in Utica. As the Devils have now clinched a playoff spot, they will now have the luxury of all three top goalies on their depth chart playing important hockey into late April.

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