Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Injury

Lightning Notes: Hedman, Cernak, Eyssimont, Cirelli

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman is classified as a game-time decision for tonight’s third game against Toronto, head coach Jon Cooper told reporters including Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times.  The veteran, who took part in line rushes with Nick Perbix in the morning skate, will take the pregame skate, a step he was unable to do in Thursday’s second game.  While his production was down sharply this season, he still managed 49 points in 76 games while logging nearly 24 minutes a night and he would certainly be a significant boost to a back end that struggled considerably on Thursday night.

More from Tampa Bay:

  • Encina also notes that blueliner Erik Cernak isn’t expected to return tonight. He was injured in the opening game of the series after taking a hit to the head from Michael Bunting, a play that earned the winger a three-game suspension.  Cernak did not take part in the morning skate.  The 25-year-old averaged nearly three hits per game this season while chipping in with 14 points in 70 games.  Notably, Cernak also led all Lightning blueliners in shorthanded playing time per game.
  • While they won’t get Cernak back, Encina relays that the Lightning will have the option of putting forward Mikey Eyssimont back in the lineup. The 25-year-old suffered a head injury in the series opener.  Eyssimont has been a regular most nights on Tampa Bay’s fourth line but with Tanner Jeannot returning on Thursday, it’s not a guarantee that he’ll be suiting up even after being cleared to return.
  • TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie mentions (Twitter link) that center Anthony Cirelli took part in the morning skate today, a sign that he should be able to suit up tonight. He took a hit from Auston Matthews late in the third in Game Two but it appears it won’t keep him out of action.

David Krejci Out For Game Three

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Already without captain Patrice Bergeron in their lineup, the Boston Bruins have announced that another veteran center, this time David Krejci, will miss game three with an upper-body injury. At the end of the regular season, Krejci was shut down for the final two games, that time being a lower-body injury.

Delivering on a “Last Dance” style season, the Bruins handily took the NHL’s President’s Trophy, breaking the all-time win record by a team for a single season. Heading into this year’s playoffs, the Bruins were the heavy favorite to eventually win Lord Stanley’s Cup. Unfortunately for the team, they will be without not only two of their best players but two of their best leaders as they play a pivotal game three against the Florida Panthers.

Luckily for the Bruins, after acquiring such players as Dmitry Orlov, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Garnet Hathaway at the trade deadline, they should still reasonably be expected to win this series, but their pathway is becoming a lot more difficult. The Panthers delivered a decisive blow to take game two and will have the benefit of being on home ice for the next two games.

 

Blake Lizotte Out For Game Three, Latest On Kevin Fiala

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Los Angeles Kings will remain without Kevin Fiala for tonight’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, according to team reporter Zach Dooley. In addition, center Blake Lizotte has suffered a lower-body injury, and will also miss tonight’s game. Kings head coach Todd McLellan said Gabriel Vilardi would shift to the third-line center slot vacated by Lizotte.

This update on Fiala is not wholly unexpected since he has yet to play in his team’s first-round playoff series. It is nonetheless unfortunate news for Kings fans, though, as Fiala is the team’s most important offensive generator, having posted 72 points in 69 regular-season games.

Fiala last played in a March 1st victory over the Seattle Kraken, a game where he posted a goal and an assist. Before his injury, Fiala had compiled a stretch of eight points in six games, and that’s exactly the sort of production the Kings may need to keep up with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the high-flying Oilers offense.

Lizotte’s absence, unlike Fiala’s, is more unexpected. The energetic undrafted forward has played in both of the Kings’ playoff games this year and is an important bottom-sixer for the team. He set a career-high scoring 11 goals and 34 points this season and is a valued second-unit penalty killer.

Since the Kings are facing an Oilers team who boast one of the most lethal power plays in recent NHL history, the loss of Lizotte heightens Los Angeles’ need to remain disciplined this series.

While the fact that they are heading back to Los Angeles with a tied series and a win on the road should inspire confidence for the Kings, this new absence of Lizotte will undoubtedly make taking a series lead on the Oilers a more daunting task.

Victor Hedman Out For Game Two

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Mark Masters of TSN reports that all-star defenseman Victor Hedman will not dress in game two, as the Tampa Bay Lightning look to take a commanding lead against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In now the 10th playoff stretch throughout his career, this will only be the third game that Hedman has ever missed in the quest for Lord Stanley.

During the Lightning’s dominating win against the Maple Leafs Tuesday night, Hedman would only see the ice for about six and a half minutes, before leaving the rest of the game with an undisclosed injury. It appears the injury is substantial, as he will not be skating for the team in game two, and defenseman Haydn Fleury will take his place in the lineup.

Although Hedman would only play a handful of minutes, it did not appear to affect the Lightning all that much. However, with the potent offense of the Maple Leafs staring them down, Hedman is a major piece to be missing for Tampa Bay. A winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy during the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, Hedman is one of the better playoff performers of the past decade.

On the other side of the puck, the Maple Leafs now have an even better opportunity to knock off the three-time defending Eastern Conference Champions. As game two gets underway shortly, and putting aside the surefire game one victory, the Lightning will have an uphill battle without one of their top players in the lineup.

Jan Rutta Undergoes Surgery

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Pittsburgh Penguins failed to make the playoffs for the first time in many years, allowing some players to get cleanup surgeries. This week, Jan Rutta went under the knife for a procedure to repair a core muscle injury. The surgery was performed in St. Louis and will keep Rutta out for an estimated eight to ten weeks.

That timeline leaves him plenty of time to get ready for next season, though core muscle injuries are notorious for affecting performance longer than the initial recovery.

Rutta, 32, suited up for 56 games this season in Pittsburgh after signing a three-year, $8.25MM contract in the summer. The deal was a significant payday for the former Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman, who has never had a contract longer than two years previously.

While he’ll never offer much offensive upside, Rutta was given brutal defensive deployment this year in Pittsburgh. While his possession numbers look ugly, the results weren’t nearly as bad. The Penguins outscored their opponents 33-32 while Rutta was on the ice at even strength. Given his strong contribution on the penalty kill, he should continue to play a solid (though limited) role for Pittsburgh moving forward.

Lightning Notes: Hedman, Jeannot, Eyssimont

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Tampa Bay Lightning could have Victor Hedman back in the lineup tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The big defenseman took the morning skate, and is a game-time decision. Hedman left game one early with what head coach Jon Cooper deemed a”new” injury, but might not miss much important action. The Lightning rolled over Toronto in game one while playing shorthanded, after Erik Cernak also left with a head injury.

Cernak has been ruled out, but it is a good sign for Lightning fans that Hedman is this close, even if he happens to miss tonight.

Here are some more Lightning injury notes:

  • All indications are that Tanner Jeannot will make his Tampa Bay postseason debut tonight, less than two weeks after suffering what appeared to be a serious injury. The former Nashville Predators forward was the team’s big deadline addition and could add another level of physicality to the series. Jeannot scored just one goal in 20 games with the Lightning after the trade but racked up 77 hits, even averaging fewer than 12 minutes a night.
  • Mikey Eyssimont, who also left game one after a big hit, has been ruled out for game two but took part in morning skate. That’s another good sign that he could return this series, giving the Lightning some more depth as they try to knock Toronto out for the second year in a row.

Teuvo Teravainen To Undergo Surgery

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Carolina Hurricanes will be without Teuvo Teravainen for at least the first round, after suffering a broken hand last night against the New York Islanders. Teravainen will undergo surgery on the hand today, according to Kurt Dusterberg of NHL.com.

Head coach Rod Brind’Amour explained that he was “a little pissed” at the “tomahawk chop” from Jean-Gabriel Pageau that led to the injury late in the third period. Teravainen left with a few minutes remaining, and was unavailable to the Hurricanes in overtime as they managed to take game two. Now out indefinitely, he’ll have to hope that the Hurricanes put together a long playoff run if he wants to play again this season.

While this was a down year by Teravainen’s standards, scoring just 37 points in 68 games, he is still an important part of the deep Carolina forward group. The club is known for rolling out line after line of effective players, wearing you down with a never-ending forecheck. Even if he’s not producing at an elite level, like when he scored 76 points in 2018-19 or 65 last season, pulling Teravainen out of the lineup is a significant loss.

Jack Drury moved to the top line with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis at the end of the game, and could get a huge opportunity to make an impact early in his career. The 23-year-old forward has just 40 regular season games under his belt to this point.

Despite the considerable depth, injuries are starting to pile up for Carolina. They already lost Max Pacioretty, Ondrej Kase, and Andrei Svechnikov before the playoffs began, and now will be without Teravainen for the foreseeable future.

Wild/Stars Notes: Walker, Wild Injuries, Pavelski

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Minnesota Wild recalled forward Sammy Walker from AHL Iowa this morning, per the team, adding some extra reinforcements to their playoff roster. He’s not expected to play tonight for Game 2 against Dallas, with coach Dean Evason telling reporters this morning that Walker’s recall is just the team “protecting itself” from any further injuries to their forward corps.

If he does suit up while on this recall, though, it will be the first Stanley Cup Playoff appearance for the 23-year-old. The free agent signing out of the University of Minnesota wrapped up his AHL regular season with 48 points in 56 games and will be a crucial absence for Iowa as they begin their playoff run. Walker earned nine games of NHL experience with Minnesota this season, recording his first NHL goal and assist.

  • Both Joel Eriksson Ek and Ryan Hartman practiced with the Wild this morning, according to The Athletic’s Joe Smith. Hartman suited up in Game 1, scoring the double-overtime winner, but most watching the game would indicate he didn’t look at 100 percent health. Eriksson Ek, on the other hand, has missed nearly two weeks with a lower-body injury but could be ready to return sooner than expected. His return would be a gigantic boost for a Wild team that’s already stolen home ice in the series, giving the team a more well-balanced offensive attack between their first and second lines.
  • Dallas Stars head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters this morning that Joe Pavelski is “feeling better” after leaving Game 1’s loss due to a collision with Wild defender Matt Dumba, although he remains in concussion protocol. Pavelski will not suit up in Game 2 but has not been ruled out for a return during the series. In his absence, Tyler Seguin is expected to slide in on the top line alongside Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz.

Injury Notes: Bennett, Romanov, Janmark

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett will return to the lineup for Game 2 against the Boston Bruins, head coach Paul Maurice confirmed today. Bennett missed the final 12 games of the regular season and 13 overall with a groin injury, his second multi-game absence of the season.

Bennett is a crucial secondary scoring option for a Panthers team that needs all the help they can get to unseat the President’s Trophy winners in the first round. The 26-year-old has continued to progress since joining the Panthers, recording 40 points in 63 games this season while serving as their second-line center. That’s a role he’ll resume tonight, per the Panthers’ line rushes at practice this morning, skating between Eetu Luostarinen and Matthew Tkachuk. With Boston still without Patrice Bergeron, Bennett’s return is a major boost for Florida, who needs to double down on a strong Game 1 effort to tie the series.

  • New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov remains out of the lineup tonight, says The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz. Romanov has been out of the lineup since April 2 with an undisclosed injury and is still listed as day-to-day, although a return doesn’t seem imminent. Samuel Bolduc, who’s drawn in for Romanov down the stretch and did so again in Game 1 Monday, recorded a +1 rating in just 8:51 of ice time against the Hurricanes.
  • Edmonton Oilers winger Mattias Janmark could miss Game 2 against the Los Angeles Kings tonight after blocking a shot off his right foot Monday, TSN’s Jason Gregor reports. Janmark did not participate in this morning’s practice and was seen limping after the Oilers’ Game 1 overtime loss. Gregor expects the Oilers to dress seven defensemen tonight with Janmark absent, meaning youngster Philip Broberg could make his second career playoff appearance. Janmark did register an assist in Game 1.

Morning Notes: Sabres Goaltending, Bergeron, Eyssimont

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The Buffalo Sabres had a rather unconventional system of goaltending this season. With the early-season emergence of youngster Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, the team rotated three netminders for most of the season. That number became four when Devon Levi joined the team late in the year after wrapping up his collegiate career.

Buffalo’s depth chart in the crease will be thinner next season, however. 41-year-old Craig Anderson has ridden off into the sunset after a fantastic final season, leading the team with a .908 save percentage, albeit in just 24 starts. Veteran Eric Comrie, signed through next season, struggled mightily with a .886 save percentage in 19 starts. That leaves Buffalo with Levi and Luukkonen, who head coach Don Granato said today he’s comfortable with as next season’s tandem.

It’s a tall ask of two goalies under the age of 25 to help propel a franchise toward its first playoff appearance in over a decade, especially given Luukkonen’s shaky injury history throughout his development. He did show major promise in the NHL this season, however, and it doesn’t seem Buffalo is at the point yet where they’re prepared to give up on possible major future pieces in exchange for a quick fix.

More from around the league this morning:

  • While Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron skated on his own before practice this morning, he didn’t join the team’s full session, per The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa, and is expected to remain out of the lineup for Game 2 against the Florida Panthers tonight. Florida made more noise against the Bruins than most expected in the opening match, but Boston still secured a 3-1 win without their captain’s services. Bergeron is still dealing with a minor injury and illness that have sidelined him for approximately the past week.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning lost the services of two defensemen to injury last night, but also had to contend without forward Michael Eyssimont for most of the game after a hit from Toronto Maple Leafs defender Jake McCabe. Eyssimont had recorded two assists in 15 games with the Lightning since arriving from the San Jose Sharks at the trade deadline.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top