Injuries: Callahan, Landeskog, Toews
Injury updates tonight in the NHL:
- Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ryan Callahan is out tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets with a lower body injury, reports Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. The Lightning winger is off to a slow start this season with only 2G and 2A in 15 games so far. His ice time has diminished as a result—Callahan is averaging less than 15 minutes a game. It is unclear what caused the injury, but Callahan did participate in the team’s morning skate today, reports Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.
- Adrian Dater reports that Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog may be suffering from a charley horse that refuses to heal. According to Cam Tucker of NBC Sports, Landeskog isn’t even skating with the team, indicating that he may be out longer than expected. The Swedish forward had 4G and 4A in 15 games before the injury, and the flailing Avalanche need him back as soon as possible. They currently sit one point out of last place in the Western Conference.
- The Chicago Blackhawks will be without captain Jonathan Toews for the third straight game, reports the Chicago Tribune’s Chris Kuc. Toews sits out with an apparent back injury suffered last Wednesday against the San Jose Sharks. Coach Joel Quennevillle does not consider the injury serious and labelled the captain day-to-day. Toews is experiencing an uncommonly low shooting percentage so far this season, scoring on only 7.4% of his shots, while his career average is just under 15%. He’ll hope to improve on those numbers when he returns. The Toews-less Blackhawks face the Florida Panthers tonight in what is their first game of five in eight nights.
Jack Eichel Reportedly Returns Tuesday
Jack Eichel is slated to return to the Buffalo Sabres tomorrow night against the Ottawa Senators, reports the Buffalo News’ John Vogl. Eichel has not played yet this season after suffering a high ankle sprain in practice before the Sabres’ first game.
Eichel has been practicing with the team for the past week or so, and Coach Dan Bylsma is happy with how Eichel has responded to those heavy workloads. Eichel has not played competitive hockey since the World Cup this summer where he scored 1G and 1A in three games.
Eichel is looking to build on his stellar rookie season. Last season he scored 24G and 32A in 81 games for the Sabres and placed fourth in Calder Trophy voting for Rookie of the Year. His return cannot come at a better time as the Sabres languish in last place in the Atlantic and have a league-worst 39 Goals For. Adding Eichel’s playmaking skills should immediately boost Buffalo’s anemic offense.
Blue Jackets Trade Cody Goloubef For Ryan Stanton
The Columbus Blue Jackets announced tonight that they have traded defenseman Cody Goloubef to the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Ryan Stanton. The Blue Jackets immediately assigned Stanton to the AHL Cleveland Monsters, while Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports that the Avalanche assigned Goloubef to its AHL affiliate San Antonio Rampage.
Goloubef—the former 2008 2nd round draft pick—has 2G and 5A in 16 games for the Cleveland Monsters this season. The defenseman has bounced between the AHL and NHL since he was drafted, and scored 1G and 7A in 43 games with Columbus last season.
Stanton went undrafted but signed with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010. In 15 games with the San Antonia Rampage this season Stanton has scored 1G and 3A. He also played two full seasons in the NHL with the Canucks from 2013-15, scoring 4G and 23A in 118 games.
Coincidentally, both players have ties to their new coaches. Goloubef played for Avs Coach Jared Bednar when Bedner coached the Cleveland Monsters last year. Stanton meanwhile played for John Tortorella in Vancouver during the defenseman’s tenure with the Canucks.
Snapshots: Jankowski, Di Giuseppe, Condra, Jurco
News and notes from around the NHL tonight:
- The Calgary Flames announced today that Mark Jankowski will make his NHL debut tonight against the New York Islanders. The 2012 first round draft pick is the 29th (of 30) player drafted in the first round that year to make a start. St. Louis Blues draft pick Jordan Schmaltz is now the only players from that round yet to play an NHL game . Postmedia writer Wes Gilbertson reports that Jankowski will play second-line center between Kris Versteeg and Troy Brouwer.
- Fellow 2012 draftee Phil Di Giuseppe was recalled today by the Carolina Hurricanes. The Maple, ON forward has 2G and 5A in 8 games for the Charlotte Checkers, and will replace the injured Jordan Staal who is out indefinitely with a concussion.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning announced that the team has reassigned forward Erik Condra to the Syracuse Crunch. Condra has put up 3G and 6A in 13 games for the Crunch, but was held pointless in his two games with the Lightning. This move may be to make room for an injured player’s return—namely Anton Stralman.
- The Detroit Red Wings will have forward Tomas Jurco back for Tuesday’s game against the Dallas Stars, reports the Windsor Star’s Bob Duff. Jurco has been on the sidelines since undergoing back surgery this summer. The Wings could use all the offensive help they can get as the team currently sits seventh in the Atlantic Division.
Jimmy Howard Out With Groin Injury
Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard will miss at least a week with a groin injury suffered last night against the New Jersey Devils. Howard sustained the injury midway through the first period and was replaced by Petr Mrazek. Detroit placed Howard on the injured reserve this morning.
Howard has been a pleasant surprise for the Red Wings, who entered the season with Mrazek penciled in as the de facto starter. A quarter of the way through the season, however, paints a different picture. Both goalies have platooned—each playing 11 games—but Howard’s numbers are far better than Mrazek at the moment. Howard has posted a spectacular .943 SV% and a 1.76 GAA. Conversely, Mrazek has a .901 SV% and a 3.16 GAA.
Howard’s success comes at a time when Detroit will have to choose which goaltender to protect in the expansion draft. The rules require that a team only protect one goaltender. The common wisdom suggests that Detroit protects Mrazek—he’s younger and costs less—but Howard’s continued success coupled with a disappointing season from Mrazek could cause the organization to reconsider. Considering his recent performance, Howard may be an ideal candidate to take the starter job with the Golden Knights next season.
Carlo Colaiacovo Signs in Germany
Veteran NHL defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo has signed with Adler Mannheim of the German DEL (Deutsche Eishockey Liga), reports Fox Sports’ Andy Strickland. Colaiacovo failed to find a satisfiable NHL contract—or even a PTO—this offseason.
The rugged defenseman has had stops in Toronto, St. Louis, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Buffalo, earning 34G and 123A in 470 NHL games. Last season with Buffalo Colaiacovo scored 1G and 4A in 36 games. Toronto drafted Colaiacovo 17th overall in 2001, and while the defenseman never lived up to his hype, he established a solid career in those fourteen NHL seasons.
Colaiacovo was rumored to have two KHL offers this offseason, reported Rsports. Moving to Russia never came to fruition, however, and Colaicovo continued to look elsewhere. He will join former NHLers Marcel Goc and Luke Adam with Mannheim as the team tries to improve upon its current third-place standing.
Injury Update: Palmieri, Eichel, Oshie, Dzingel
Injury updates from around the NHL this morning:
- Kyle Palmieri will return to the New Jersey Devils tonight against the Detroit Red Wings, notes Andrew Gross of the New Jersey Record. Devils Coach John Hynes has not yet decided who will sit to make room for Palmieri. The speedy forward has missed the past two games with an upper-body injury, and his return should boost New Jersey’s anemic offense. The team currently sits 26th in scoring, and while Palmieri only has 3G and 4A in 17 games, he scored 30 goals last season.
- The Buffalo Sabres may get forward Jack Eichel back soon. The former 2nd overall pick participated in contact drills for the second straight practice. Eichel, however, did not join the team in Washington to face the Capitals tonight. Coach Dan Bylsma said that Eichel would get a harder skate staying home in Buffalo, reports the Buffalo News’ John Vogl.
- T.J. Oshie skated with the Washington Capitals this morning, but is still week-to-week with an upper body injury, reports Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post. Oshie missed the last three games after being hit by the Detroit Red Wings’ Riley Sheahan. The Capitals miss Oshie and his scoring touch. Oshie had 8G and 4A in 17 games before the injury, and the Capitals need all the scoring they can get in the tight Metropolitan Division.
- The Ottawa Senators forward Ryan Dzingel received over thirty stitches last night after taking a puck to the side of the head, reports Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. Dzingel required ear reconstruction but managed to return to the game in the third period. Given his return, he is in no danger of missing any time. Scoring-wise, however, Dzingel has cooled off significantly since his hot start. He only has 1G and 2A in the past ten games.
Recalls and Reassignments
Recalls and Reassignments this morning in the NHL:
- The Dallas Stars assigned defenseman Stephen Johns to the AHL Texas Stars today, reports Mark Stepneski of the Dallas Stars website. Johns’ demotion was foreshadowed by being scratched for two straight games. The big defenseman—6-4, 230lbs—has struggled of late, going pointless since November 5th and racking up 2G and 2A in 16 games.
- The Montreal Canadiens assigned defenseman Zach Redmond to the St. John’s IceCaps for conditioning purposes, announced the AHL club. Redmond broke his foot six weeks ago, and will join St. John’s to get back up to speed. Redmond surprised many when he made the Canadiens out of training camp, and the team is hoping that the injury will not derail what they saw in the young defenseman.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have officially placed Matt Calvert on IR retroactive to Monday. The team has called up Justin Scott to replace him. Calvert hasn’t played since he took a slapshot to the face—and then scored the game winning goal in overtime—but the team has not announced his underlying injury. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch notes that calling up Justin Scott is a bit of a surprise given the candidates available. The Blue Jackets passed on both Sonny Milano and Oliver Bjorkstrand, arguably better players in the system. Scott has 3G and 3A in 18 games with the AHL Cleveland Monsters.
- The Calgary Flames have recalled forward Mark Jankowski from the Stockton Heat today. Jankowski—Calgary’s 1st round pick in 2012—is lighting up the AHL with 3G and 9A in 13 games so far this season. The forward spent the last four years with Providence College in the NCAA and coincidentally returns nearby as the Flames play the Boston Bruins tonight. Despite the geographical connection, the Flames confirmed that he will not play tonight but could see time in the future.
- The Ottawa Senators have reassigned forward Max McCormick to the AHL Binghamton Senators. McCormick did not get much ice-time with the big club, averaging under 10 minutes a night, and only 5 minutes in his last game. The smaller forward will look to improve his game back in Binghamton, where he has 3G in 10 games.
Snapshots: Prust, Lindbohm, Pastrnak
News and notes from around the NHL this afternoon:
- Brandon Prust is close—but not final—on a deal to play in the DEL in Germany this year, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. Prust’s agent Claude Lemieux says that Prust is waiting on a potential deal from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Le Journal de Montreal first broke the story (link in French) that Prust had a deal lined up but Prust is still angling for one last shot at an AHL position. Prust signed a PTO with the Toronto this preseason but failed to make the cut.
- The St. Louis Blues have reassigned forward Petteri Lindbohm to the AHL Chicago Wolves today. He did not impress in his five-game stint with the club, averaging 12 minutes a night and failing to register a point. The Finnish defenseman was looking to make the next step in his young career, but he’ll have to refine his game a bit more in the AHL.
- The Boston Bruins announced that forward David Pastrnak will return tonight against the Ottawa Senators. Pastrnak missed the last three games with an upper body injury, but still leads the Bruins with 10 goals. He has 10G and 4A in 14 games so far this season. Pastrnak is on the final year of his ELC and will see a significant raise on an RFA deal next year if he maintains his production.
Waiver Wire: McKegg, Carle, And Bass Clear
Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that all three waiver additions yesterday—Florida’s Greg McKegg and Nashville’s Cody Bass and Matt Carle—cleared today at noon. The Panthers confirmed today that McKegg has been reassigned to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds.
McKegg has struggled with the Panthers so far this year with only two assists in 19 games. The writing was on the wall after Coach Gerard Gallant reduced McKegg’s playing time to sub-ten minutes for the last two games.
The Predator’s Cody Bass and Matt Carle haven’t fared much better. Bass is pointless so far this year, and played less than five minutes in his last game on November 19th against the St. Louis Blues. Matt Carle garnered an assist in six games with the Predators this season, but hasn’t impressed on the blueline.