Injury Updates: Milano, Chabot, Nylander, Mangiapane
The Capitals will welcome back winger Sonny Milano to the lineup tonight against Boston, notes Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. He had missed the last two games due to an upper-body injury sustained back on Sunday. The 27-year-old has reached the double-digit goal mark for the third straight year as he has 13 in just 39 games, buoyed by a 31.7 shooting percentage that is nearly double his career average. Washington has clawed its way back into a playoff spot in recent weeks and are holding down the final Wild Card spot although they are just one point behind Philadelphia for the final spot in the Metropolitan Division.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- The Senators won’t have Thomas Chabot in the lineup tonight for the second straight game with a lower-body injury but he shouldn’t be out much longer. TSN’s John Lu relays (Twitter link) that the blueliner is expected to return next week, either on Tuesday or Thursday. The 27-year-old has had an injury-riddled season, being limited to just 44 games so far. He has done well in those, however, collecting 28 points while logging 23:31 per night.
- Blue Jackets winger Alexander Nylander is expected to return to the lineup against his former team, reports Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 26-year-old had missed the last two games after taking an elbow to the head. Columbus picked Nylander up in a change-of-scenery swap that sent Emil Bemstrom to Pittsburgh last month and it’s safe to say the deal has worked out well for Nylander and the Blue Jackets as he has eight goals and three assists through 15 games with his new team.
- Flames winger Andrew Mangiapane won’t play tonight and is likely to miss Tuesday’s contest as well, mentions Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg (Twitter link). The 27-year-old is dealing with an undisclosed injury that also kept him out of the lineup on Thursday. He remains listed as day-to-day. Two years removed from a 35-goal season, Mangiapane has managed just 30 since then, only 13 of which have come in 69 games so far in 2023-24.
West Notes: Vilardi, Pietrangelo, Ceci, Strome
The Jets will welcome a key forward back to their lineup on Saturday against Ottawa as Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun relays that Gabriel Vilardi has been cleared to return. The 24-year-old has missed the last 15 games due to an enlarged spleen that was diagnosed while treating another injury. A key part of the return in the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade over the summer, Vilardi has been quite impactful when healthy this season, tallying 16 goals and 14 assists in just 38 games. With Winnipeg losing their last five games, his return will certainly be a welcome one as they look to get back on track and hold onto the third spot in the Central with Nashville closing in quickly.
More from the Western Conference:
- The Golden Knights revealed (Twitter link) that defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has joined up with the team on their road trip. The 34-year-old has missed the last six games due to illness, a big blow to their back end. Pietrangelo has 32 points and 155 blocks in 62 appearances so far this season while logging a little over 24 minutes per night to lead Vegas in that department. His eventual return – which could be as soon as Saturday – would be a significant addition as the Golden Knights continue to battle for seeding in the Pacific Division.
- Oilers defenseman Cody Ceci is listed as a game-time decision for Saturday’s game against Anaheim due to illness, relays Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 30-year-old has played an important role for Edmonton this season, logging just under 20 minutes a night while chipping in with 21 points in 71 games. If he can’t play, Troy Stecher will likely return to the lineup.
- The league announced that Ducks forward Ryan Strome was fined the maximum of $5K for a cross-check on Seattle’s Tye Kartye during yesterday’s game. The incident occurred early in the third period with both players receiving penalties on the play, Strome for the cross-check and Kartye for roughing.
Atlantic Notes: Marner, Rielly, Greenway
Jonas Siegel of The Athletic reports that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner is expected back at practice next Tuesday. Marner has not been in the lineup for the Maple Leafs since their March 7th contest against the Boston Bruins, suffering a high ankle sprain for the last three weeks.
Suppose Marner can attend practice earlier next week as a full participant. In that case, he should be able to return to the lineup in the team’s ever-important matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday, or against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.
Given that the standings in the Atlantic Division continue to narrow, the Maple Leafs could certainly use the injection of Marner back into the lineup. Producing well over a point-per-game average for the sixth straight season, Marner has scored 25 goals and 76 points in 62 games for Toronto this season, sitting third on the team in scoring.
Other Atlantic notes:
- Sticking with the Maple Leafs, defenseman Morgan Rielly is not expected back for the team’s game this Saturday, but is progressing well from his injury according to David Alter of The Hockey News. Carrying a key role on the team similar to Marner, Rielly has been the most productive defenseman in Toronto for quite some time. This season, Rielly has already scored seven goals and 51 points in 65 games, which would make for the third-best season of his career if the season ended today.
- Moving southeast to Buffalo, forward Jordan Greenway is expected back for the Buffalo Sabres tonight per a report from Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio. In now his first full season with the Sabres organization, Greenway has been a key secondary scorer for Buffalo, scoring nine goals and 24 points while averaging 17:12 a game.
Metropolitan Notes: Guhle, Graves, Fast
Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle will have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Friday for slashing Flyers winger Travis Konecny in Thursday night’s win. The 22-year-old sophomore slashed Konecny’s wrist from the bench in retaliation for a hit he’d just laid on Montreal winger Juraj Slafkovsky but did not draw a penalty on the play (video via RDS). Given the minimal severity of the incident, it likely won’t be a long absence for Guhle. Still, retaliatory plays plus being involved in on-ice action from the bench is normally a recipe for supplemental discipline. The 2020 first-round pick has neither been fined nor suspended over his two-year, 112-game NHL career. After missing nearly half his rookie season due to injuries, Guhle is back on track this season with six goals and 15 assists for 21 points in 68 games while logging over 21 minutes per outing. Johnathan Kovacevic remains on the roster as an extra defenseman and will draw into the lineup if Guhle misses time.
Other updates from the Metropolitan Division:
- Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves sustained a concussion in last night’s win over the Blue Jackets, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters today (via Rob Rossi of The Athletic). It’s unclear what play Graves was injured on, but he last skated with just over a minute left in the first period and did not return for the second. Pittsburgh thus rotated through five defenders for most of last night’s 3-2 victory, which kept their slim (2.9%, per MoneyPuck) playoff hopes alive. The Penguins haven’t issued a recovery timeline for Graves, although, given the nature of concussions, it’s feasible that he could be done for the regular season with 10 games remaining. If so, it ends a disappointing first season in Pittsburgh for the 28-year-old, who won himself a rather rich six-year, $27MM contract with limited trade protection from Penguins GM Kyle Dubas in free agency last July. He’s slowly fallen out of favor with head coach Mike Sullivan throughout the season, averaging 18:23 per game, the lowest since his 26-game rookie showing in 2018-19 with the Avalanche. He logged three goals and 14 points in 70 games, finishing in the middle of the pack among Penguins skaters in most advanced metrics.
- Hurricanes winger Jesper Fast will likely return tomorrow against the Canadiens, head coach Rod Brind’Amour said. He’s missed Carolina’s last five games and hasn’t played since March 19 with an undisclosed injury. If he’s not quite ready to go, he’ll re-enter the lineup against the Bruins next Thursday, per Brind’Amour. The 32-year-old Swede has six goals and 18 points in 66 games for the Canes after signing a two-year, $4.8MM extension to remain in Raleigh last summer.
Snapshots: Cates, Fast, Liljegren
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that forward Noah Cates will be out on Thursday due to personal reasons (Twitter link). Cam Atkinson will step back into the lineup in his place, marking the first game Atkinson has played since March 16th. The veteran Atkinson will step back into the lineup looking to snap a 16-game scoring drought. He’s managed 25 shots in that stretch, though his only other stat changes have come via a -9 and, interestingly, the first fight of Atkinson’s 10-year career. He squared off against Tampa Bay forward Michael Eyssimont, who used his two-inch size advantage to pummel Atkinson.
Atkinson is taking on more grit and responsibility as he finds himself fighting for a consistent spot in the lineup. The Flyers will hope he can find his groove soon, as he fills in for Cates’ role on the fourth-line. Cates has just 13 points through 51 games this season – a far step down from his 38 points as a rookie last year. He’s sacrificed scoring for a much more poised, all-around role, improving his faceoff percentage by five percent this season and yet to record a penalty this season. Atkinson will face pressure from healthy scratches Garnet Hathaway and Nicolas Deslauriers if he can’t make an impact quickly.
Other notes from around the league:
- Jesper Fast will miss his fifth straight game on Thursday, per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff (Twitter link). Fast has been recovering from an upper-body injury and returned to the team’s practice in a no-contact jersey. He’s served in a quaint role when healthy, managing six goals and 18 points in 66 games while averaging 12:48 in ice time. Jack Drury and Stefan Noesen have gained a boost in ice time with Fast out, though Carolina could also lean on healthy scratch Brendan Lemieux if needed.
- Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren has been removed from the team’s lineup on Thursday, per NHL Network’s David Alter (Twitter link). He was a late call for head coach Sheldon Keefe and will now miss the game with an upper-body injury. Liljegren’s absence opens the door for Mark Giordano to return to the lineup, marking his first game since February 29th. Giordano, the NHL’s oldest player, has one goal and seven points in 38 games this season.
Snapshots: Eriksson Ek, Brodin, Matthews, Joshua
Now in do-or-die territory to qualify for the 2023-24 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Minnesota Wild will receive some reinforcements to their lineup tonight. Sarah McLellan of Star Tribune Sports reports that forward Joel Eriksson Ek and defenseman Jonas Brodin will return to the active roster tonight.
Eriksson Ek has missed the last five games for the Wild, who lost two big games to the St. Louis Blues in his absence. As the team’s top center, Eriksson Ek has scored 29 goals and 60 points for Minnesota this year over 66 games played.
Brodin on the other hand, has only missed the last two games for the Wild but has had significant injury concerns throughout this season. Even though he’s only managed to suit up in 51 contests, Brodin still sits second on Minnesota’s blue line with 23:37 ATOI and has scored seven goals and 23 points overall.
Other snapshots:
- One player who may not be in the lineup for the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight is forward Auston Matthews, who is now designated as a game-time decision due to an illness (X Link). Even though Toronto is destined for a third-place finish in the Atlantic Division, it would be a tough blow not to have Matthews in the lineup, as he is still attempting to score 60 goals on the season for the second time in his career.
- In tonight’s potential Western Conference Final preview, the Vancouver Canucks will see the return of a key player, as Dakota Joshua will return to the lineup (X Link). It will be Joshua’s first game back since February 13th, as the Michigan native suffered an upper-body injury in the team’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Metro Notes: Drysdale, Ristolainen, Seeler, Nylander, Nieto
Coming from today’s media availability with the General Manager of the Philadelphia Flyers, Daniel Briere, there were several updates on injured members of the organization’s defensive core. Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports reports that defenseman Jamie Drysdale is expected back before the end of the regular season, but the same expectation is not held for Rasmus Ristolainen.
Furthermore, in the most positive development, O’Connor mentions that defenseman Nick Seeler is very close to a return, and may even be available for the team this weekend. With only a one-point lead on the Washington Capitals for third place in the Metropolitan Division, the Flyers could use all the help they can get to capture their first postseason appearance since the 2019-20 season.
Even with Ristolainen unlikely to return, and assuming Philadelphia qualifies for the 2023-24 Stanley Cup playoffs, they should still be able to muster solid depth with their defensive core. Cam York, Yegor Zamula, and Seeler have all taken notable steps forward this season, and the team did bring in Erik Johnson from the Buffalo Sabres at the deadline.
Other Metro notes:
- Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports is reporting that Columbus Blue Jackets forward Alexander Nylander will miss his second straight game with an undisclosed injury. Although it does not sound like the injury is serious, it will blunt the momentum that Nylander has accrued in his first handful of games with the Blue Jackets. Since coming to Columbus, Nylander has played in a total of 15 games, scoring eight goals and 11 points in total.
- In a separate update from Rorabaugh, it does not appear that Pittsburgh Penguins’ forward Matt Nieto will be back with the team this season, as he’s experienced several hurdles in his recovery process. Initially, it was believed that Nieto would be out between six and eight weeks recovering from knee surgery, but has surpassed that measure.
Injury Notes: Ekblad, Rielly, Harkins
With Uvis Balinskis being reassigned to the Charlotte Checkers yesterday afternoon, the Florida Panthers had an open spot to fill in their defensive core. In doing so, it appears that defenseman Aaron Ekblad will make his return to the lineup tonight, as he was a full participant in practice this morning (X Link).
Ekblad, who has not played since the Panthers’ game on March 9th, has missed the last seven games for the organization. In the time that he has missed, Florida has not played particularly well, producing a 2-4-1 record in his absence, averaging 3.43 goals against per game over that stretch.
With now 10 games left in the regular season for the team, the Panthers will battle it out with the Boston Bruins over playoff positioning in the first two rounds of the playoffs. As the New York Rangers look to clinch both the Eastern Conference and the President’s Trophy, the Panthers will match up against the Tampa Bay Lightning or Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round.
Other injury notes:
- Moving north to Toronto, it does not appear that defenseman Morgan Rielly will make his return to the lineup for the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, as he is still dealing with an upper-body injury. Fortunately, this will only be the second game in a row that Rielly has missed with this injury, as he has otherwise maintained quality health over the 2023-24 NHL season.
- In Pittsburgh, Dan Potash of SportsNet Pittsburgh reports that forward Jansen Harkins has returned to practice for the Pittsburgh Penguins. A bottom-six forward for the Penguins this year, Harkins has not played since just before the March 8th trade deadline due to an upper-body injury. Suiting up 43 games this year, Harkins has tallied four assists while averaging just over eight minutes of ice time per night.
Ottawa Senators Recall Tyler Kleven
A few moments ago, the Ottawa Senators announced that the team has recalled defenseman Tyler Kleven from their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators. Since the transaction is being registered as an emergency loan, it will not count against the four potential call-ups the Senators have available to them since the trade deadline.
Albeit positive news for Kleven to be back up at the NHL level, it was preluded by some unfortunate news, as top defenseman Thomas Chabot was injured last night in the team’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, necessitating the transaction. It is unclear how long Chabot will be out with this specific injury, but it has certainly been a theme this season for one of Ottawa’s best players.
Because of these injuries, Chabot has only played in a total of 44 out of a possible 71 games for the Senators this year, projected to be his lowest total since the 2020-21 NHL shortened season. When healthy, Chabot has still been heavily relied upon by Ottawa, scoring eight goals and 28 points while averaging 23:31 of ice time per game.
Kleven, on the other hand, is not as heavily utilized by the Senators, as he’s only suited up in five games at the NHL level this season. In those five contests, the former 44th overall pick has registered only one assist while averaging just over 11 minutes of ice time per game.
At the AHL level, Kleven has shown flashes of being a quality shutdown defenseman in professional hockey, scoring three goals and 17 points in 45 games for Belleville, while also registering a +13 rating. While still carrying six healthy defensemen on the NHL roster, it remains to be seen if Kleven will suit up in the team’s game tonight.
Snapshots: Marner, Samsonov, Rielly, Rousek, Quinn
Star Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner won’t make his return for at least two more games, per The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel (Twitter link). That would bring Marner up to 10 games missed with a high ankle sprain. His return is gaining anticipation with each absence, with Marner again serving as one of Toronto’s premier talents. He’s scored 25 goals and 76 points in just 62 games this season – a 100-point scoring pace across 82 games. He’ll try to chase the 90-point mark for the third straight season when he returns, though he may find himself short a few minutes on account of Max Domi. Domi has scored one goal and nine points in eight games while serving in Marner’s top-six role, including a four-assist night on March 20th. But even with Domi’s help, Toronto is undoubtedly missing Marner – going 4-3-1 in his absence, after a 19-3-6 hot streak.
Other notes from around the league:
- Toronto goaltender Ilya Samsonov feels ready to return after missing the team’s last two games with a calf contusion, per TSN’s Mark Masters (Twitter link). Martin Jones has returned to a backup role in Samsonov’s absence, though his only appearance has been the three minutes he filled for Samsonov in the team’s Saturday game. Joseph Woll has continued to carry the starter role, though he’s lost both games that Samsonov has missed.
- But while Toronto is expecting Samsonov back, they could still be without defenseman Morgan Rielly, per Sportsnet’s Luke Fox (Twitter link). Rielly is facing an upper-body injury that also held him out of the team’s Tuesday night game. He’s been an impactful defender when active – managing seven goals and 51 points in 65 games this season. He’ll likely bump either Simon Benoit or Ilya Lyubushkin out of the lineup when he returns.
- Buffalo Sabres forward Lukas Rousek is expected to miss a couple of days with an upper-body injury, after taking a stick in the face from practice, per Bleacher Report’s Joe Yerdon (Twitter link). Rousek’s role will be filled by Jack Quinn, who is making his return from a lower-body injury that required surgery in January. Quinn has only played in 17 games this season – though he’s been impactful, scoring five goals and 12 points.