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Washington Capitals Recall Zachary Fucale

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Following up on an earlier report from Tom Gulitti of the NHL announcing that Darcy Kuemper is out with an upper-body injury, the Washington Capitals have recalled goaltender Zachary Fucale from their AHL affiliate Hershey Bears. Fucale was last recalled to the Capitals on an emergency loan back in December of 2022, also filling in after Kuemper sustained an injury.

So far this season in the AHL, Fucale has managed to produce a record of 19-10-2, with a .899 SV% and a 2.57 GAA. Leading a Bears team that looks poised to make the playoffs, Fucale’s win totals are good for the sixth highest in the minor leagues. In his absence, goaltender Hunter Shepard will likely receive much of the starting minutes between the pipes.

Fucale’s only action in the NHL in his career came last year with the Capitals, posting a 1-1-1 record, with a .924 SV% and a 1.75 GAA. Famously, Fucale became the first goalie in team history to record a shutout in his first-ever start, stopping all 21 shots in the team’s victory against the Detroit Red Wings.

Devils Notes: Wood, Bastian, Blackwood, Foote

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Before the New Jersey Devils play against the Florida Panthers tonight, the lead reporter of the team, Amanda Stein, gave some important updates from the team’s practice earlier this morning. As the Devils begin a weekend back-to-back against the Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning, Stein reports that forwards Miles Wood and Nathan Bastian have not made the trip to Florida with the team.

Wood, one of the many upcoming free agents on the Devils’ roster, will miss his second straight game. After only playing three games during the 2021-22 season, Wood has again become a steady depth player for the Devils this year. Playing in his seventh season in New Jersey, Wood has reached the double-digit goal mark five times, with a career-high 19 goals coming during the 2017-18 season.

Much like Wood, Bastian has not played in the last few games for the Devils, having missed since the March 12th game against the Carolina Hurricanes. After being selected by the Seattle Kraken during their expansion draft, Bastian found his way back to New Jersey last year after a mid-season waiver claim. In his first full year back with the Devils, Bastian has also provided some depth scoring for the team, putting up six goals and six assists in 39 games played so far this year.

Other notes:

  • Although he’s been one of the more injury-plagued goalies the last several years, Stein also mentioned that goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood was practicing with the team this morning. Having not played since the team’s game against the Winnipeg Jets on February 19th, Blackwood will still be out of the lineup tonight, however; it is good news to see him back out practicing with the team. In 17 games played this year, Blackwood has a record of 8-5, with a .900 SV% and a 3.04 GAA.
  • Lastly, Stein mentions that forward Nolan Foote was also seen practicing with the team before their game in Sunrise. Drafted 27th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, Foote has yet to crack the Devils’ lineup in a meaningful way. Playing only 16 games over the last three seasons, Nolan has scored a collective four goals and two assists for New Jersey. As he has played most of his games in the AHL, he has a career mark of 39 goals and 40 assists in 128 games played in hockey’s highest minor league system.

Mason Marchment To Sit Out For Dallas Stars

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Saad Yousuf of The Athletic reports that Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment will be out of tonight’s game against the Vancouver Canucks with an upper-body injury. Yousuf also mentions that Marchment has been flown back to Dallas, which likely means he will not play in the team’s upcoming games against the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames.

After signing a 4-year, $18MM with Dallas this past summer, Marchment has been primarily playing on a line with Tyler Seguin. One of the major themes heading into the trade deadline was that the Stars were looking for another top-six forward to play on that line. After addressing the issue by acquiring Max Domi from the Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas is now back to square one after losing Marchment.

After scoring a career-high 47 points in 54 games last season for the Florida Panthers, Marchment has become a valuable piece of the Stars’ forward unit, producing 31 points in 67 games so far this year. Enjoying a 7-2-1 record in their last ten games, the Stars have lengthened their lead as the top team in the Central Division. Heading into play Tuesday night, they sit three points ahead of the second-place Minnesota Wild, with the same amount of games played.

Luke Glendening Returns For Stars

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Mike Heika, a Senior Staff Writer for the Dallas Stars reports that forward Luke Glendening has been activated from injured reserve, and will play in tonight’s game against the Vancouver Canucks. Glendening has been out of the lineup since the Stars’ game against the Minnesota Wild on February 17th.

Scheduled to hit free agency at the conclusion of this season, Glendening is in the midst of a year to forget. Playing in a total of 56 games for the Stars, Glendening has only managed to put up four points this year. The saving grace of the matter is that Glendening has still thrived in the faceoff dot in Dallas, winning faceoffs at a 58.8% clip for the team.

After adding both Evgenii Dadonov and Max Domi since Glendening has been out of the lineup, it will be interesting to see how the Stars employ him throughout the rest of the year. Averaging over 12 minutes so far this season, the Stars may feel they will only need to use Glendening in important faceoff situations. However, Domi is also enjoying the best faceoff percentage of his career with a 53.7% rate between the Stars and Chicago Blackhawks.

 

Penguins Milestones: Guentzel, Heinen

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Very early into the Pittsburgh Penguins game against the Montreal Canadiens, Jake Guentzel scored 21 seconds into the game, which is the 400th point of his career. Guentzel now has 189 goals, and 211 assists through 437 career games, all spent in Pittsburgh. Originally a third-round pick of the Penguins back in 2018, Guentzel quickly became one of the top forwards on the team. Scoring 33 points in 40 games in his rookie 2016-17 season, Guentzel helped the Penguins secure their second Stanley Cup in as many years.

Another player on the Penguins marking a big milestone tonight is forward Danton Heinen, who has now played in 400 games in the NHL. Originally drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL by the Boston Bruins, Heinen has become a decent depth scorer in the league. His best year came during the 2017-18 season, scoring 47 points in 77 games for Boston. A couple of years later, as his production declined, he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for forward Nick Ritchie. As his time in Anaheim came to an end, he finally made his way to Pittsburgh, scoring 24 goals and 27 assists in 128 career games for the Penguins.

Ryan McDonagh To Sit Out For Predators

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Shortly before their game against the Detroit Red Wings, the Nashville Predators announced that defenseman Ryan McDonagh will sit out of the game due to an upper-body injury. This announcement from Nashville likely corresponds to the recall of defenseman Kevin Gravel earlier this afternoon.

In 57 games so far this year, Ryan McDonagh has scored one goal and 14 assists and is currently a team-leading +12 +/-. Long ago are the days that McDonagh was able to lead the blue line for the New York Rangers, and after spending several seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, he has become a very stable addition to the Predators’ back end. He has continued to average over 20 minutes of ice time and is still one of the more effective shot blockers in the game.

In his absence, the Predators will look to continue their good play of late against the struggling Detroit Red Wings. Sellers at the trade deadline, Nashville has actually managed to find themselves in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference. Going 7-2-1 in their last ten games, they are six points behind the Winnipeg Jets, with three games in hand.

Injury Notes: Ovechkin, Stamkos, Morrissey

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Shortly after the announcement that Alex Ovechkin would be a game-time decision for the Washington Capitals tonight, the team confirmed that their captain will be sitting out with a lower-body injury. This will only be the 53rd game that Ovechkin has missed due to injury in his entire career.

The Capitals chose to be sellers at the deadline, but they still sit only a few points back of the Eastern Conference wild-card race. As they looked to pick up a crucial two points against their Metropolitan rival tonight, it will now be even more difficult without their top scorer in the lineup. Replacing Ovechkin in the lineup will be recent callup, Joe Snively. Although Snively has yet to score at a consistent level in the NHL, he has been a very productive forward for the Capitals’ AHL affiliate Hershey Bears.

Other notes:

  • Similar to Washington, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced that their captain will also be sitting out tonight with a lower-body injury. During a game against the Chicago Blackhawks on March 11th, Steven Stamkos awkwardly collided with Blackhawks forward Joey Anderson, sending him to the dressing room for the remainder of the game. Although he did play Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets, he will not play in tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils, likely to make sure his left leg has fully recovered.
  • After sitting out on Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Ken Wiebe of Sportsnet reports that Jets’ defenseman Josh Morrissey will not play in tonight’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes as well. In his absence, the Jets will give depth defenseman Kyle Capobianco the nod as he will replace Morrissey in the lineup.

Predators Recall Kevin Gravel; Michael McCarron Sent To AHL

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According to a press release from the Nashville Predators, the team has recalled defenseman Kevin Gravel, and Michael McCarron has been sent to their AHL affiliate Milwaukee Admirals.

Playing in his first season within the Predators organization, Gravel has suited up for 14 games in the NHL this season, notching one assist in just over 13 minutes of average ice time. Playing the majority of his season in Milwaukee, the blue-liner has managed to score 13 points in 45 games. With already seven defensemen currently listed on their roster, the move by the Predators allows for more, albeit unexciting, depth on their back end.

Unlike Gravel, McCarron has actually spent more time in the NHL than in the minor leagues this season. Taking a month off in December to enter the NHLPA Player Assistance Program, McCarron has been a depth forward for the Predators for the last several seasons. Recording six points in 13 games for the Admirals so far this year, he will join the team on their stretch run to the playoffs. In a tight race, the Admirals currently sit in second place in the Central Division, which would earn them a first-round bye into the best-of-five division semifinals if their position in the standings is maintained.

Justin Barron To Return For Canadiens

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The Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis has confirmed that defenseman Justin Barron will return to the lineup for the team tonight as they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the same announcement, St.Louis mentions that defenseman Chris Wideman will sit.

Having not played since their March 2nd game against the Los Angeles Kings, Barron will return back to the blue line in his first full season with the Canadiens. Having split time between the Canadiens and their AHL affiliate Laval Rocket, Barron has remained on the big league roster since his call-up on December 27th, 2022. During his time in Laval, he was extremely productive, scoring 16 points in 25 games.

After being acquired in the deal that sent Artturi Lehkonen to the Colorado Avalanche last year, the former first-round pick has become a defenseman that the Canadiens would like to build around in the future. Although he has not yet scored on a consistent level in the NHL, he has seen growth in all levels of the game so far throughout his young career.

Chicago Blackhawks Sign Wyatt Kaiser

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After their season was brought to a close via a loss to St.Cloud State in the NCHC Playoffs Sunday, CapFriendly reports that the Chicago Blackhawks have signed defenseman Wyatt Kaiser from the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs. A third-round pick of the Blackhawks during the 2020 NHL draft, Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago shares that Kaiser will report directly to the Blackhawks.

Kaiser will earn $917K in all three years of the deal, and it will run through the 2024-25 NHL season. This means that regardless of how many games he plays this season, the first year of his entry-level contract will be burned. If Kaiser is returned to the minors at any point throughout the contract, he will make a salary of $80K at the AHL level.

CapFriendly also announced the breakdown of Kaiser’s entry-level contract, the breakdown is as follows:

2022-23: $808K salary,  $93K signing bonus

2023-24: $833K salary, $93K signing bonus,  $425K Type ’A’ player bonus

2024-25: $833K salary, $93K signing bonus, $425K Type “A’ player bonus

Over the last three seasons playing for Minnesota-Duluth, Kaiser played in a total of 97 regular season games, scoring seven goals and 45 assists. After winning back-to-back National Championships in 2018 and 2019, Minnesota-Duluth was never able to return to the finals with Kaiser on the roster. In 2021 and 2022, Minnesota-Duluth was knocked out both years by the eventual champions.

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