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Injury Updates: Comrie, Guhle, Sharks

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There should soon be a logjam between the pipes in Buffalo for the stretch run.  Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News relays that goaltender Eric Comrie has resumed skating and is expected to return soon from his lower-body injury.  The 27-year-old has had a rough first season with the Sabres, posting a 3.95 GAA with a .877 SV% in 17 starts.  When cleared, he’ll join Craig Anderson and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as available options for Buffalo (Luukkonen wasn’t papered down at the deadline and thus is ineligible to play there again this season).  Those three will also soon be joined by top prospect Devon Levi who is still waiting for his immigration paperwork to be finalized to allow him to officially join the team.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Following their victory last night over Tampa Bay, the Canadiens announced that defenseman Kaiden Guhle will miss the remainder of the regular season due to a high ankle sprain. Despite dealing with injuries off and on, it was still a quality rookie campaign for the 21-year-old who had 18 points in 44 games while averaging over 20 minutes a night on a young Montreal back end.  The team also noted that surgery will not be required.
  • The Sharks could get a pair of veterans back on their current road trip which runs through Saturday as Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now notes (Twitter link) that blueliners Radim Simek (concussion) and Jacob MacDonald (upper body) are close to returning from their respective injuries. Neither player logs heavy minutes on the back end but their returns would allow Nikolai Knyzhov and Derrick Pouliot to return to the minors to try to help their farm team push for a play-in spot in the Pacific Division.  Meanwhile, Peng adds that Jonah Gadjovich isn’t close to returning; the winger has been out week-to-week for the last five weeks with an upper-body injury.

Injury Notes: Hall, Avalanche, Rangers

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With the playoffs beginning in just a handful of weeks, it appears an important piece of the Boston Bruins lineup is gearing up for a return from injury. Winger Taylor Hall was practicing in a non-contact jersey this morning, per The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa.

The skilled winger has been out of action since the end of February with a knee injury, and the Bruins are currently using his $6MM cap hit on long-term injured reserve to stay cap compliant down the stretch. If Hall is ready to return before the start of the playoffs, April 17, Boston would need to operate with an extremely trim roster to stay compliant before the end of the regular season. That likely won’t matter much for their success, with the President’s Trophy all but clinched.

  • While Erik Johnson had already returned to skating in a normal jersey at Colorado Avalanche practice, two other injured players joined him today — Cale Makar and Darren Helm, according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic. Helm, who’s appeared in just five games this year as he’s been sidelined with multiple injuries, is set to rejoin the lineup tonight, says The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando. Makar had missed the team’s last game with a lower-body injury and is day-to-day.
  • Ryan Lindgren and Tyler Motte both had maintenance days for the New York Rangers today, per Larry Books of The New York Post. Lindgren is fresh off returning from an 11-game absence due to an upper-body injury, and the team is likely going to ease him back into a normal game and practice routine with health for the playoffs at the top of everyone’s mind. Motte missed two games with an upper-body injury earlier in the month but has skated in seven straight contests since then, looking no worse for wear with three goals and an assist.

Morning Notes: NHLPA Poll, Quick, Canadiens

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The NHLPA Player Poll has become a yearly fixture, giving fans an insight into what players have to say in popular public debates. This year’s edition dropped this morning with mostly expected results.

Tampa Bay Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy was voted by a wide margin as the goalie players would want in net with one game on the line for the second straight season, while the Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar was voted best defenseman in the league by a landslide. Connor McDavid won “most impactful forward in a must-win game,” no doubt buoyed by last year’s electric playoff performance. Other winners were Patrick Kane for best stick-handler, Leon Draisaitl for best passer, Sidney Crosby for most complete player, Brad Marchand for least enjoy playing against (but want on your team), Joe Pavelski for most effective net-front player, and Aleksander Barkov for most underrated. Marie-Philip Poulin was also voted as the women’s hockey player that NHL players would most like to play alongside, past or present, and the Bell Centre was voted as having the best ice in the NHL for the fifth time.

In off-ice results, Las Vegas was voted the best road city to have an off day, Marc-Andre Fleury was voted best locker room presence, and Auston Matthews was voted as having the best shoe game.

More notes from around the NHL this morning:

  • Now a Vegas Golden Knight, Stanley Cup-winning netminder Jonathan Quick continues to move up the all-time ranks. With last night’s road win against the Vancouver Canucks, Quick moved into sole possession of second place on the all-time wins list for American-born goaltenders, trailing only Ryan Miller. Quick now sits just 16 wins back of tying the all-time record with 375 wins under his belt.
  • In some rare positive injury news for the Montreal Canadiens this season, Jake Evans has returned to practice in a full-contact jersey, while Jesse Ylonen has returned to practice after missing the team’s last game with an illness, per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. Ylonen hasn’t looked out of place in his first extended NHL look this season, recording five goals and 12 points in 29 games. Evans is nearing a return after missing over two months with a lower-body injury.

Evan Rodrigues In Concussion Protocol

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Bennett Durando of the Denver Post relays from head coach Jared Bednar that forward Evan Rodrigues has entered into concussion protocol. The injury came after receiving a hard hit from Chicago Blackhawks’ defenseman Connor Murphy in Monday night’s game.

Continuing on with their theme of the year, the defending Stanley Cup champions will lose another player to injury. Being without captain Gabriel Landeskog all season, the Colorado Avalanche also lost forward Artturi Lehkonen last week to a broken thumb. Seemingly unable to employ a healthy roster all season, the Avalanche will once again need to look to their depth to fill the gaps.

In his first season in Colorado, Rodrigues has fit very well into the team’s style of play. With his ability to play anywhere on offense, the forward has scored 14 goals and 19 assists so far this year with the Avalanche. Rodrigues has also seen a considerable amount of ice time on the team’s power play and is producing above-average possession numbers as well, earning a Corsi For % of 57.4.

Tied with the Minnesota Wild in points, the Avalanche sit only one point back of the division-leading Dallas Stars. With one game in hand on each team, the Avalanche looked poised to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs, but might ultimately be without some of their better offensive contributors this year.

Brendan Gallagher Returns For Canadiens

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Although no formal announcement has been made about his activation from the injured reserve, the Montreal Canadiens will welcome back veteran forward Brendan Gallagher to their lineup tonight. Seemingly injured for this entire season, the Canadiens can now employ one of their best players, both on and off the ice.

After being a strong emotional leader for the Canadiens during their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021, Gallagher was rewarded with a 6-year, $39 million contract extension from Montreal. Unfortunately, for both Gallagher and Montreal, he has been wholly unable to play a full season since that contract was signed. In only 25 games played so far this year, the forward has four goals and five assists for the struggling Canadiens.

Nevertheless, with the Canadiens in rebuild mode, Gallagher is a strong leader to put around the younger players coming up to Montreal. Given his injury history lately, $6.5MM a year is quite a lot of money to spend on a player that seems unable to play a full 82 games, but Gallagher’s leadership should make the contract a bit more palatable for the Canadiens. As the Canadiens take on Tampa Bay Lightning tonight, Montreal is 1-7-2 in their last ten games, remaining in the bottom five of the NHL league standings.

Derek Forbort Out Rest Of Regular Season

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The Boston Bruins will be without Derek Forbort for the rest of the regular season, according to Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com. The defenseman suffered a lower-body injury recently and won’t play again before the playoffs, but, according to head coach Jim Montgomery, will not require surgery.

That would suggest Forbort could return at some point in the playoffs, the only thing the Bruins have to worry about at this point. They already have the Presidents’ Trophy effectively locked up, with a 13-point lead over the Carolina Hurricanes, and are simply waiting to see who they’ll play in the first round.

Forbort has been an effective piece for the Bruins this season, logging huge time on the penalty kill and providing solid physical play. He averages more than three minutes a night shorthanded, tied with Brandon Carlo for the team lead.

The 31-year-old defenseman’s absence would leave a significant hole, had it not been for the acquisition of Dmitry Orlov at the deadline, which extended the Bruins depth chart and prepared them for a scenario like this. The club has more than enough talent to work their way through the last month of the season without Forbort, though decisions will get a little harder once the playoffs start, if he is healthy enough to play.

For teams locked into a playoff spot, avoiding injury while staying sharp over the last dozen games is imperative. The playoffs are a grind even for the most talented rosters in the league, and the Eastern Conference is shaping up to be especially tough.

Metro Notes: Barzal, Lindgren, Carlson, Lazar

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The New York Islanders are currently in the first wild card positon, but it will be a dogfight till the end of the season to secure their spot in the postseason. Every game matters and there was some good news this morning as head coach Lane Lambert told reporters, including Andrew Gross of Newsday, that the team is hopeful Mathew Barzal can return before the end of the regular season.

Barzal was listed as week-to-week over a month ago and hasn’t played since his third shift on February 18. The 25-year-old forward had 51 points in 58 games when he went down to injury, and would be a huge boost for the Islanders if things do come down to the last few games of the season.

  • One of their Metropolitan Division rivals is about to get their own injury reinforcement, as Ryan Lindgren will return tonight for the New York Rangers. Lindgren hasn’t played since February 25, but returns to a Rangers team that has won four straight and is slowly closing the gap between them and the division leaders.
  • Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic reports that John Carlson is close to returning for the Washington Capitals, but won’t play tonight. The injured defenseman was spotted in a regular jersey for the first time yesterday and is expected to make his long-awaited return this week. Carlson has been out since suffering a skull fracture back in December.
  • The New Jersey Devils will be without Curtis Lazar for the next little while, as head coach Lindy Ruff explained he will “miss some time” with a lower-body injury. The 28-year-old forward was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks at the deadline and has yet to register a point in three games with the Devils.

Injury Notes: Canadiens, Greenway, Johnson

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The Montreal Canadiens have been absolutely ravaged by injuries yet again this season, missing key players for long stretches. While they have no playoff aspirations at this point in the season, there is still some promising news for the team health-wise. The Athletic’s Marc Antoine Godin reports that forwards Kirby Dach, Jake Evans, and Brendan Gallagher were all at practice today, albeit in non-contact jerseys.

All three have missed significant stretches of time this season, especially Gallagher, who’s played just 25 games with intermittent lower-body injuries. His latest absence has kept him out since January 3 and is past his original estimated return timeline of six weeks. Evans exited the lineup a few weeks later and was issued a 10-week recovery timeline from a knee injury. Dach has been out since the end of last month with a lower-body injury and has no timeline for a return.

All are important players to Montreal in their own right, but Dach has especially been impressive in his first season in Montreal. The third overall pick in 2019 has taken a significant step in his offensive development since being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks, adding an even brighter star to an already bright future for the Canadiens.

  • Buffalo Sabres winger Jordan Greenway is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury, according to Bleacher Report contributor Joe Yerdon, adding to a bumpy season for him. The 26-year-old has just one goal in eight games since the Sabres acquired him at the trade deadline, and the team is quickly plummeting out of the Wild Card race.
  • On a positive note, The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando reports that Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson practiced in a regular jersey today, signaling he’s close to a return. Johnson has missed over a month with a foot injury but could draw back into the lineup soon ahead of the playoffs. The 34-year-old has seven assists in 51 games this season.

Leafs Notes: Brodie, Samsonov, Acciari

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A common theme of the Toronto Maple Leafs season has been injuries to defensemen, and unfortunately, this week has brought more of the same. Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters today that T.J. Brodie is day-to-day after blocking a shot against the Ottawa Senators last Saturday, calling him questionable for tomorrow’s game against the New York Islanders.

If there’s one position where Toronto is built to withstand injuries, though, it’s defense. A flurry of deadline adds and already formidable depth has left the Leafs with a bevy of NHL-capable options to step in, and it’s likely that Mark Giordano will return to the lineup in Brodie’s place. It’s not a small absence for the Leafs, though, as Brodie ranks second among Leafs defenders this season in ice time per game.

  • Netminder Ilya Samsonov told reporters today that he’s been playing with a minor injury for the past number of games. The Hockey News’ David Alter reports that it dates back to a win late last month against the Seattle Kraken. It hasn’t seemed to impact Samsonov’s play that much, and although he’s only made four appearances since then, he’s maintained a 2-1-1 record and .914 save percentage since, in line with his season average.
  • Trade deadline acquisition Noel Acciari gave reporters an update on his condition, saying he’s feeling good and ready to play tomorrow after missing Saturday’s game for precautionary reasons. Acciari played just 5:36 in last Friday’s game against Carolina before a collision with Jesse Puljujarvi that involved a head impact sidelined him for the rest of the game. Since joining the Leafs, Acciari has three goals in 13 games and is averaging 12:51 per game.

 

Injury Notes: Lindgren, Lazar, Foligno

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The New York Rangers are beginning to roll after some big-ticket trade deadline additions but still have been without a notable piece to their defense core. That may change this week, as Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant told reporters today that he would “bet a lot” on defenseman Ryan Lindgren returning to the lineup on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Lindgren, the normal partner to Adam Fox on the team’s top pair, is widely regarded as the team’s best defensive specialist. The stats back it up, with solid advanced defensive metrics and a team-leading +27 rating. They’ve been without his services for the past three weeks with an upper-body injury, however, forcing depth defender Niko Mikkola into a top-pairing role. He’ll miss his 11th straight game today, but the team is hoping his return this week adds to an already strong stretch of hockey for New York.

  • New Jersey Devils team reporter Amanda Stein notes that forward Curtis Lazar will be evaluated for an undisclosed injury upon the conclusion of the team’s road trip this week. A deadline day addition, Lazar left yesterday’s loss to the Florida Panthers with the injury and did not return. Lazar had played just three games in New Jersey after missing time due to work visa complications, and he’s still looking for his first point in his new uniform.
  • The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports winger Marcus Foligno will join the Minnesota Wild on their upcoming road trip, signaling a potential return from a lower-body injury that’s held him out of action this week. The news means that Foligno could return to the lineup either Tuesday against New Jersey or Thursday against Philadelphia, a promising development for a Wild team getting hot at the right time. With Marcus Johansson re-emerging as a middle-six force after being acquired from Washington, Foligno could slot back into a more comfortable bottom-six role in his return.
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