Sam Bennett Out One Week With Upper-Body Injury
Even though the Florida Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in overtime of Game 2 last night, the team still received some unfortunate news on the injury front. During the second period of yesterday’s game, Panthers forward Sam Bennett left the ice holding his wrist, and would not return for the remainder of the game.
Although there was no official update from the team last night, Andy Slater of Fox Sports reports that Bennett is set to miss a ‘lengthy period of time’. Later on, the Panthers gave an official update, indicating that Bennett should only be out of the lineup for one week, which could eliminate him for the rest of the series against Tampa Bay.
Since coming over to the Panthers organization during the 2020-21 NHL season, there has always been quite a bit of injury concern attached to Bennett. In his three full seasons with Florida, Bennett has missed a total of 43 games due to several different injuries.
Last year, towards the end of the regular season, Bennett was kept out of the lineup for nearly a month with an undisclosed injury but was able to return for Game 1 of the team’s opening-round matchup against the Boston Bruins. Helping the team reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in franchise history, Bennett performed exceptionally well for the Panthers, scoring five goals and 15 points in 20 postseason games.
For Game 3 and on, the team will have some roster management to take care of, as Bennett’s absence leaves a sizeable hole down the middle of the team’s second line. The team will likely move forward Anton Lundell into the top six, as he scored 13 goals and 35 points over 78 games this season while already tallying an assist in this year’s playoffs.
Brett Pesce Likely Out For Remainder Of First Round
According to Luke DeCock of The News & Observer, the Carolina Hurricanes will be without one of their better defensemen for the rest of their first-round series against the New York Islanders. DeCoxk reports that Brett Pesce suffered a non-contact injury in Game 2 of the series, and will likely miss the rest of the first round as he’s considered week-to-week.
Since Pesce is only considered week-to-week and could jump back into the lineup as soon as the second round if Carolina can advance, it is more than likely that Pesce did not endure any sort of tear. As one of the more steady defensemen on the roster, it is still a tough blow to the Hurricanes as they look to take a commanding lead in the series tomorrow night.
Playing in all 82 games last season for Carolina as well as 15 games in last year’s playoffs, Pesce suffered a lower-body injury earlier in the season that kept him out of the lineup for nearly a month. Still managing to suit up in 70 games this season, Pesce scored three goals and 13 points, only on the ice for 65 goals against in 1,420 minutes of action.
Fortunately for the Hurricanes, they have built one of the best defensive cores in the league over the last several years, which should give them ample opportunity to withstand the Islanders in the first round. Given that Pesce was playing on the second-paring with Brady Skjei to start the playoffs, the team will have the chance to plug in Scott Morrow, Jalen Chatfield, Dylan Coghlan, or Tony DeAngelo to fill the void.
Thatcher Demko To Miss Game 2, Potentially Out For Series
In a report coming from Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff, Vancouver Canucks’ starting goaltender Thatcher Demko is set to miss Game 2 of the team’s First Round series against the Nashville Predators, and could potentially miss the rest of the series. For tonight’s game and possibly further, the Canucks will rely on Casey DeSmith and Arturs Silovs in the crease.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman quickly confirmed Seravalli’s report and indicated that Demko is out with an injury. Without any specifics to the injury, it could potentially be a re-aggravation of the lower-body injury that kept Demko out of Vancouver’s lineup from March 9th to April 16th.
In Demko’s absence towards the last month of the regular season, the Canucks produced a 7-5-2 record, earning a 2.86 goals against average and a .884 save percentage. In Sunday night’s game against the Predators, Demko played in all 60 minutes of game one, saving 20 of 22 shots on goal.
Now that DeSmith is the likely starter heading into Game 2, Vancouver will deploy a goalie that produced a 12-9-6 record this season over 27 starts, securing a 2.89 GAA and a .895 SV%. Much like Demko, DeSmith has limited playoff experience, as his only postseason appearance came two years ago with the Pittsburgh Penguins, earning an overtime win against the New York Rangers after stopping 48 of 51 shots.
Heading into the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Canucks had the second-highest odds of being the last team left standing according to MoneyPuck. Unfortunately, without one of the top goaltenders in the league between the pipes, Vancouver’s odds have certainly lowered.
In a positive outlook for the Canucks, recent history is on their side, as both Conference Champions from last year’s playoffs started the postseason with different goalies than they started with, while the Colorado Avalanche had to utilize then-backup goalie Pavel Francouz in their pursuit of the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals. If the Canucks have any hopes of making a deep playoff run this postseason, the team in front will have their work cut out for them moving forward.
Bruins Recall Mason Lohrei With Andrew Peeke Out
The Boston Bruins have recalled rookie defenseman Mason Lohrei from the Providence Bruins (Twitter link). This move comes after head coach Jim Montgomery designated defender Andrew Peeke as week-to-week with an undisclosed injury suffered in Game Two, shares Joe Haggerty of the Boston Sports Journal (Twitter link). Peeke left Game Two with seven minutes left in the second period after blocking a Tyler Bertuzzi shot with his left hand. Peeke isn’t expected to travel with the team when they head to Toronto for Game Three and Four.
Despite Lohrei’s recall, it’s Parker Wotherspoon who is expected to gain a role in Peeke’s absence. Wotherspoon played in half of Boston’s games this season, recording eight assists and 31 points. The matches brought his career totals to nine assists in 53 career games, though the 26-year-old defender is still searching for his first goal. He’ll be stepping into his first career Stanley Cup Playoff game if he does fill in for Peeke.
Lohrei will instead provide exciting depth for Boston, having scored four goals and 13 points in the first 41 games of his NHL career this season. He added 16 points in 21 AHL games. The flashy 23-year-old is off to a hot start in his first full year of professional hockey and even got a glimpse of pro playoffs when he appeared in three Calder Cup Playoff games last season. He’ll join Wotherspoon and Derek Forbort as Boston’s extra defenders, with the latter being recalled from a conditioning stint yesterday. Forbort has the most experience of the trio, having played in 496 regular-season games and 32 playoff games across his nine-year NHL career.
The trio will compete for Peeke’s third-pair role on the blue line. The Trade Deadline acquisition played in 17 minutes of ice time in Game One but was limited to just 10 minutes in Game Two as a result of his injury. He’s playing in the first Stanley Cup Playoff games of his career as well, still searching for his first postseason point. Peeke had a strong stint in Boston’s last 15 games of the season, where he looked entirely the part of the stout defender Boston wanted at the Deadline. The Bruins will have a few options to replace him over the next two games, though making the wrong decision could prove costly against a daunting Maple Leafs offense.
Devils’ Timo Meier To Undergo Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery
The injury woes don’t end just because the season did, something New Jersey Devils winger Timo Meier has found out after opting to undergo an elective arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder. The procedure will take place today, performed by Dr. Jonathan L. Glashow and Dr. Guillem Gonzalez-Lomas, the Devils’ chief medical officer and team orthopedic surgeon. Meier is expected to make a full recovery before the team’s 2024 training camp. This procedure will hold Meier out of the World Championship, as confirmed by Switzerland’s national team (Twitter link).
Meier appeared in 69 games this season, missing time to double MCL injuries in November and an oblique injury in January. He didn’t miss a game after returning to the lineup on January 17th, working towards 28 goals and 52 points on the season. While admirable scoring, the year marked Meier’s lowest-scoring pace of the last three seasons. That could be a result of playing through a shoulder injury, though the extent of his injury hasn’t been confirmed.
Arthroscopic surgery has grown in practice over recent years, with Alex Killorn and Vladimir Tarasenko undergoing similar surgeries on their knees over the last five years. The last shoulder surgery of this kind came in 2019 when Erik Johnson went under the knife following Colorado’s exit in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Dany Heatley also underwent the surgery in 2013, holding him out of the end of the 2012-13 season. The procedure is meant to be preventative and minimally invasive, with the goal of identifying joint-related issues or small tears.
While he played in a majority of New Jersey’s games and put up impressive scoring, there’s no doubt that Meier will be happy to move on from an injury-plagued 2023-24 season. He’ll spend the summer fully focused on rehabbing his injuries, eyeing a productive return to a New Jersey offense that could be commanded by a new head coach – with interim Travis Green not yet awarded the full-time role.
Kraken Notes: Hakstol, McCann, Dunn
The Kraken haven’t yet decided whether to bring head coach Dave Hakstol back next season, GM Ron Francis said Monday (via Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times). Seattle signed Hakstol to a two-year extension prior to the season, ensuring he’ll be paid by the club through 2025-26.
In 246 games for the Kraken over the franchise’s first three seasons, Hakstol has a 107-112-27 record and a .490 points percentage. Most viewed the Kraken as underachievers in year one, doomed by a nearly unplayable season from goalie Philipp Grubauer, and overachievers in year two, when they were among the best finishers in the league and took the Stars to Game 7 of the second round.
They were somewhere in the middle this season, finishing two games below the .500 mark and seeing their offense come crashing back down to Earth. Goaltending and team defense were a strength – Grubauer, while still below average, wasn’t awful by any means in a 1B role as Joey Daccord took over the Seattle crease. The pair saved 13.6 goals above average this season, and the Kraken were a good possession team at 5-on-5, controlling 51.8% of shot attempts and 51.2% of scoring chances. After shooting 11.6% as a team last season, though, they shot 9.1% this season, more a reflection on luck than coaching style.
Francis said the Seattle front office is evaluating the entire coaching staff, which includes assistants Jay Leach, Dave Lowry, Paul MacFarland and goaltending coach Steve Briere.
Other updates from Francis’ end-of-season availability today:
- Seattle would prefer to have Jared McCann slot in on the wing long-term, Francis said (via ROOT Sports Northwest’s Alison Lukan). The 27-year-old has flipped between center and wing throughout his tenure with the Kraken, but has struggled in the dot with a 45.3 FOW%. He took less than 100 draws in 2022-23 but took over 300 this season, slotting in more frequently after the club traded away Alexander Wennberg. It should be a feasible accomplishment next season with Matthew Beniers, Yanni Gourde, and now Shane Wright looking to center down their top three lines after the latter had a strong end to the season.
- The injury star defenseman Vince Dunn sustained late in the season after a hit from Flames winger Martin Pospisil was to his neck, Francis confirmed (via The Seattle Times’ Kate Shefte). He sustained the injury in early March and returned for two games in early April to try and play through it, but decided he wasn’t truly healthy enough to return to game action down the stretch. In the first season of a four-year, $29.4MM extension, his season ended with 46 points and a +8 rating in 59 games while averaging over 23 minutes per game for the second straight season.
East Notes: Pageau, Nylander, Forbort, Jensen, Sandin, Iorio
The Islanders expect veteran center Jean-Gabriel Pageau back tonight as they try and even their first-round series against the Hurricanes at one apiece. He practiced today and took line rushes in his usual third-line role, per NHL.com’s Stefen Rosner. After missing Game 1 with a lower-body injury sustained early in the final game of the regular season, the 31-year-old will center a line with captain Anders Lee and Pierre Engvall. Winger Hudson Fasching is projected to come out of the lineup after riding shotgun with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri on the second line on Saturday, while 22-year-old Simon Holmström will be reinstated into the top-six on his natural wing after suiting up at center over the weekend. Center Kyle MacLean, who scored the Isles’ only goal in the 3-1 loss, slides down to fourth-line duties with Pageau returning. The Ottawa native had 11 goals and 33 points in the regular season, skating in all 82 games.
Other updates ahead of a pair of Game 2s in the East tonight:
- Maple Leafs winger William Nylander took a big step toward returning from an undisclosed injury today, participating in practice after participating in an optional skate yesterday. However, he didn’t take line rushes and will be a game-time decision against the Bruins tonight, head coach Sheldon Keefe said (via ESPN’s Kristen Shilton). If Nylander can’t go, no lineup changes are coming for Toronto, which dropped Game 1 Saturday 5-1 despite outshooting Boston 36-25. He skated nearly an hour today, a good sign for his availability when the series shifts back to Toronto for Game 3 on Wednesday.
- The Bruins brought defenseman Derek Forbort back from his LTI conditioning loan to AHL Providence this morning, but he won’t be coming off long-term injured reserve just yet. Head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters today that the veteran isn’t an option for tonight’s contest but will travel with Boston north of the border (via The Boston Globe’s Conor Ryan). Even if healthy, it’s unclear whether he’ll draw into the lineup ahead of Andrew Peeke or Kevin Shattenkirk on the Bruins’ bottom pairing.
- Capitals defensemen Nick Jensen and Rasmus Sandin remain in non-contact jerseys in today’s practice, NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti reports. It’s not a good sign for the pair’s availability for Game 2 against the Rangers tomorrow. Both have been sidelined for at least a few games with upper-body injuries, and the Caps have already been forced to dip deep into their defensive well by playing rookie Vincent Iorio and farmhand Dylan McIlrath in Game 1’s 4-1 loss. Iorio left that game with an injury as well, which may force yet another player from AHL Hershey to suit up in postseason action for Washington. He’s now listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury and is questionable to play tomorrow, head coach Spencer Carbery said.
Evander Kane Diagnosed With Sports Hernia
Oilers winger Evander Kane‘s up-and-down regular season ended on a low note, missing the final three games with an undisclosed injury. Meeting with reporters ahead of tomorrow’s Game 1 against the Kings, he told reporters he was diagnosed with a sports hernia but will likely return to play (via Sportsnet’s Gene Principe).
Sports hernias don’t always require immediate surgery. In less severe cases, rest and cortisone injections may relieve pain and restore range of motion in the groin area, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It’s a playable injury for now, but surgery could be on the table for Kane this summer if it doesn’t fully heal with other treatments throughout the postseason.
Kane, 32, is in the second season of a four-year, $20.5MM contract. He hasn’t been as advertised, playing at a 50-point pace over the life of the deal after producing at a 60-point pace or better in each of the previous four seasons. This season was his healthiest as an Oiler, playing in 77 games, but his 44 points and poor relative possession numbers led to him averaging 16:47 per game, his lowest usage since his rookie season.
He’s seen his usage dwindle down the stretch, playing less than 10 minutes in a game against the Flames a few weeks back and being scratched against the Senators in late March. The Oilers’ secondary scoring has been buoyed by the emergence of Warren Foegele, who had a career-high 20 goals and 41 points with far superior possession metrics to Kane. He’ll likely slot in on Edmonton’s second line with Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins‘ regardless of Kane’s availability. If he can go, it would presumably be in a third-line role with Ryan McLeod and Corey Perry.
Kane is still a more offensively consistent player than other bottom-six options like youngster Dylan Holloway, who’s been limited to six goals and nine points in 38 games this year. If he can recapture even some of his form from the 2022 postseason when he had 13 goals and 17 points in only 15 games, he could be key in canceling out a balanced L.A. forward lineup.
East Notes: Nylander, Jensen, Sandin, Iorio
The Maple Leafs have been tight-lipped about the status of star winger William Nylander, who was absent from yesterday’s Game 1 loss to the Bruins with an undisclosed injury. It appears he’s nearing a return, though. He practiced with the team at an optional skate this morning – his first time on the ice since the last game of the regular season against the Lightning last Wednesday reports Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN.
Nylander played all 82 regular-season games for the second straight season, matching last year’s career high in goals (40) and setting a new one in points (98). He cooled off somewhat in the second half of the season, but a torrid start that included a 17-game point streak helped the 27-year-old avoid unrestricted free agency with an eight-year, $92MM extension. The return of Calle Järnkrok from a hand injury helped negate his absence somewhat last night, but Nylander’s third wave of attack behind the Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner/John Tavares-anchored lines may have helped reverse Toronto’s fortunes against a rock-solid Jeremy Swayman in net for Boston. Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe likely won’t confirm Nylander’s status before Game 2 tomorrow until he is or isn’t on the ice for warmups.
Moving over to the American capital:
- The Capitals remain without a pair of defenders in today’s Game 1 against the Rangers, as Nick Jensen and Rasmus Sandin are absent. Jensen sustained an undisclosed injury last weekend after a scary hit from Lightning forward Michael Eyssimont required him to be stretchered off the ice, but he’s since returned to practice in a non-contact jersey and should be an option for Washington at some point in their first-round series. Before missing the final two games of the regular season, the 33-year-old had a goal and 14 points in 78 games with a -9 rating while averaging 19:38 per game. Sandin, 24, has also yet to graduate from a non-contact designation in practice after sustaining an upper-body injury against the Senators on April 7. Including today’s postseason tilt, he’s now missed six games with the injury, his second-longest absence of the season. The young Swede is in his first full campaign with the Caps after they picked him up from Toronto before last year’s trade deadline. He had three goals, 23 points, and a -13 rating in 68 regular-season games with Washington while averaging 21:07 per game, second among Caps defenders.
- Things didn’t get any better for Washington on the injury front today, as rookie defenseman Vincent Iorio is questionable to return to the contest with an upper-body injury, per the team. He took a heavy hit from Rangers winger Alexis Lafrenière on the play that ended with Artemi Panarin putting the Blueshirts up 2-0 in the second period. Iorio, 21, was a second-round pick of the Caps two years ago and was playing in his first postseason game. He’s played most of the season with AHL Hershey, logging only six NHL appearances and averaging just 9:50 per game. He has one NHL assist to his name, which game during a three-game call-up last season.
Snapshots: Pinto, Sergachev, Girard
The Ottawa Senators are reportedly working on signing young forward Shane Pinto to a new deal, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his latest 32 Thoughts article. Friedman adds that negotiations have been a “grind”. That lines up with Pinto’s previous negotiations, with Pinto holding out on a new deal last summer, before being suspended for 41 games in late October for sports wagering. Pinto signed a one-year, league-minimum contract in January that carried him the duration of this season. He went on to tally nine goals and 27 points in 41 games – a big step down from his 20-goal season last year.
The Senators originally drafted Pinto with the 32nd-overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft – then a second-round selection. He made his NHL debut in 2020-21, after two years at the University of North Dakota, and has since managed 70 points in 140 career NHL games. The 23-year-old centerman has proven capable of scoring, though he’s yet to find a consistent groove. He’s entering this off-season as a restricted free agent, meaning he’s likely due for a reunion with Ottawa, even if negotiations take some time.
Other notes from around the league:
- Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper has shared that Mikhail Sergachev will miss at least Round One, says Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Sergachev hasn’t played since breaking his leg on February 7th. It was a freak injury that occurred in Sergachev’s first game back from a separate lower-body injury that held him out for two months. He was limited to just 34 games last season, though he did manage a solid 19 points. Sergachev has remained a top defender for the Lightning, averaging over 22 minutes of ice time this season. The Bolts will hope he can return as soon as possible to patch up what is currently a weaker defense group.
- Colorado Avalanche defender Samuel Girard has returned to full practice, wearing a regular jersey at the team’s Sunday morning skate per Colorado Hockey Now’s Evan Rawal (Twitter link). Girard has been battling a concussion that held him out of the team’s final two regular-season contests. They seem to have benefited from taking their time with the defender, who is now possible for Sunday’s Game One – though nothing has been confirmed. Girard has once again provided stout depth for Colorado, scoring 18 points in 59 games and averaging over 19 minutes of ice time.