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Avalanche Notes: Miner, Blackwood, Prishchepov

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The Colorado Avalanche will likely be down a goaltender when they face Pittsburgh on Tuesday. The Avalanche are awaiting the arrival of Mackenzie Blackwood, after being traded for Alexandar Georgiev. To split the gap, Colorado has recalled AHL starting goaltender Trent Miner.

This is Miner’s second call-up of the season. His first was a one-day stop with the NHL roster on November 15th, in response to an injury to Georgiev. Miner backed up Justus Annunen for one game, and would end up taking over the crease just one minute into the second period after the latter allowed three goals on six shots. Miner stopped 12 of 13 shots in what was inadvertently his NHL debut – but Colorado couldn’t climb out of the hole Annunen dug, and ultimately lost the game 5-2.

Aside from the spot fill-in, Miner has proven the consistent in a Colorado Eagles goaltending room that also features Kaapo Kahkonen and Kevin Mandolese. Miner leads the team in games played with 11 appearances, but his 5-4-2 record and .895 rank behind Mandolese, who has a 6-2-0 record and .915 in nine games. Miner will likely be headed back to the minors once Blackwood arrives in Colorado, giving him a chance to maintain his spot over Mandolese on Colorado’s call-up list.

Other notes from Denver:

  • Blackwood hasn’t arrived in Colorado yet, but the team is apparently already looking forward to his future. They’re hoping to land an extension before Blackwood hits free agency this summer, general manager Chris MacFarland told Max Miller of The Hockey News. Blackwood is near the end of a two-year, $4.7MM contract signed with San Jose on July 1, 2023. It was a sort of ’prove-it’ contract, giving Blackwood a chance at hardy minutes after he lost the starting role in New Jersey. He didn’t start the deal too promising, posting a 10-25-4 record and .899 save percentage through 44 games with the league-worst Sharks last season. But his 2.4 goals-saved-above-expected (GSAx) – a stat that ranked 17th in the league per MoneyPuck – spoke to Blackwood’s hidden upside. He’s started to reveal that this year, with six wins and a .910 save percentage in 19 games so far. Blackwood has also posted 3.9 GSAx – again ranking him 17th in the league among goalies with 10-or-more starts. He’ll look to keep that momentum going behind a much stronger Colorado team, and earn a bit more certainty on his next deal.
  • As they’ve done many times before, Colorado has also sent a waiver-exempt player to the minors on their off-day to accrue daily cap space. The target this time is forward Nikita Prishchepov, who hasn’t managed any scoring through 10 NHL games this season. Prishchepov was a seventh-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft and became just the third draftee to make his NHL debut – behind first-round picks Macklin Celebrini and Jett Luchanko. Prishchepov has yet to record his first NHL point, though he’ll enter conversation with just Celebrini if and when he does. He’ll likely be back on the Avlanache roster ahead of their Tuesday matchup, but he’d get a chance to build on six points in 12 AHL games should he stay in the minor leagues.

Atlantic Notes: Domi, McCabe, Pastrňák, Greenway, Dahlin

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According to David Alter of The Hockey News, the Toronto Maple Leafs had a pair of injured players at practice today. Alter shared that forward Max Domi and defenseman Jake McCabe were full participants at today’s practice and the former could even return tomorrow (X Link).

It’s been nearly a month since Domi suited up for the Maple Leafs since his last game came on November 16th against the Edmonton Oilers. In the first year of a four-year, $15MM contract signed in Toronto this past offseason, Domi has tallied six assists in 19 games for the Maple Leafs while primarily centering the team’s second line.

McCabe has been out for a shorter time with his last contest coming on November 30th. Still, it’s encouraging to see both players at practice given Toronto currently has four players on injured reserve and another three on the long-term injured reserve.

Other Atlantic notes:

  • One notable absence of the Boston Bruins’ practice this morning was David Pastrňák who is reportedly out with an upper-body injury, according to Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe. Boston is hopeful that Pastrňák will be in the lineup tomorrow night against the Winnipeg Jets so the team hasn’t made a corresponding roster move. The Havirov, Czechia native has struggled lately scoring one goal in his last 11 contests.
  • Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News confirms that Buffalo Sabres’ winger Jordan Greenway will return to the lineup tonight against the Detroit Red Wings. He’s missed the last 10 games for the Sabres after scoring three goals and six points through his first 16 contests.
  • One player not returning to Buffalo’s lineup tonight is captain Rasmus Dahlin as the team announced he participated in a rehab skate this morning. There’s growing optimism that Dahlin will be able to return this weekend when the Sabres take on the Washington Capitals on Saturday. The first-year captain in Buffalo has scored three goals and 19 points in 25 games this season.

Predators’ Alexandre Carrier Out Week-To-Week With Upper-Body Injury

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There’s another injury on the Nashville Predators’ blue line. Senior content manager for the team, Brooks Bratton, reports that defenseman Alexandre Carrier is considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

Carrier played in Nashville’s recent game against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday but left the contest in the third period after getting hit. He finished that game with zero points, a -1 rating, four blocks, and two hits in 15:39 of ice time.

He’s in the midst of a down season compared to his career averages. Carrier already has 26 giveaways through 28 games on the year, just 13 shy of his 39 through 77 games during the 2021-22 NHL season. He’s also produced a career-low +/-, CorsiFor%, and on-ice save percentage in all situations in his seven-year career.

Carrier was also on the sixth-worst defensive-pairing (for pairings that have played 150 or more minutes together) in terms of xGoals%. According to MoneyPuck, the duo of Carrier and Jeremy Lauzon combined for a 40.9% xGoals% over 242.9 minutes together.

Head coach Andrew Brunette had finally split the defensive pairing in recent games but will now be without both for the foreseeable future. The Predators haven’t made a corresponding roster move but one should come before their game tomorrow night against the Calgary Flames. Nashville now has six healthy defensemen on the roster.

Metro Notes: Garand, Ovechkin, Milano, Wilson, Tomasino

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The New York Rangers are returning to their regular look between the pipes tonight. The organization announced they’ve reassigned goaltender Dylan Garand to their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Garand’s reassignment means Igor Shesterkin will return this evening against the Chicago Blackhawks. He missed yesterday’s game after he and his wife welcomed a new child. Garand didn’t play in yesterday’s loss to the Seattle Kraken, but nobody would have been surprised if he did.

Jonathan Quick, a more than reliable backup for the Rangers this season, let in six goals on 21 shots during New York’s collapse in the second and third periods. The situation paved the way for Garand to make his NHL debut after securing a 7-2-2 record in 11 games for the Wolf Pack this season. Nevertheless, the former 103rd overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft will continue to wait to make his first NHL appearance.

Other Metro notes:

  • According to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com, the Washington Capitals had a pair of forwards resume skating this morning albeit in non-contact jerseys. Alex Ovechkin and Sonny Milano skated before the Capitals’ formal practice this morning and Milano has reportedly been elevated to working with pucks. The fact Ovechkin has even returned to skating is impressive given he’s just under three weeks removed from fracturing his fibula.
  • Power forward Tom Wilson was a notable absence from Washington’s practice this morning (X Link). Wilson took a puck to the face in the team’s recent win against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday and he finished the game with nearly a season-low time on ice of 16:15. There’s no indication he’s been ruled out of the Capitals’ upcoming game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. Still, it’ll be something to monitor over the next few days.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins could be getting a boost to their forward core tomorrow night against the Colorado Avalanche. According to Wes Crosby of NHL.com, Penguins’ forward Philip Tomasino was skating in a non-contact jersey before today’s practice after missing the team’s most recent game with an upper-body injury. The former first-round pick has been a boon to Pittsburgh’s offense since being acquired from the Nashville Predators on November 25th scoring three goals and four points in his first five games.

Kraken Notes: Daccord, Matyas, Gourde

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Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord sat out of the team’s Sunday game against New York due to illness. Head coach Dan Bylsma told media, including Seattle broadcaster Piper Shaw, that Daccord is specifically struggling to keep food down and will be available as soon as he feels better. Daccord’s absence sets up Philipp Grubauer for a second consecutive start. Grubauer made 33 saves on 36 shots in Seattle’s Friday loss to New Jersey.

Daccord has been a noticeable difference-maker for Seattle when healthy. He’s played in 19 of the team’s 28 games this season, setting 12 wins and a .913 save percentage. Daccord ranks sixth in the NHL in both stats. He’s continuing to stamp his spot as an everyday starter, building on to this dazzling 2023-24 campaign. Daccord posted a .916 save percentage – ninth-best in the league – through 50 games last year, thriving in what was his first year as an NHL starter. He’s had a winding career up to this point, serving three seasons in the crowded mix of Ottawa Senators’ goaltenders prior to his selection in the 2021 Expansion Draft. He excelled with the change of scenery, posting a .925 in 34 AHL games in his first year in the Kraken organization and serving as Seattle’s top goalie call-up. He followed that year with a .918 in 38 games for Coachella Valley, serving as the brick wall behind a team that ultimately lost the Calder Cup finals in overtime of game seven. Still, the playoff run was enough to stamp Daccord’s chance at an NHL role, and he hasn’t looked back since. That momentum will slot Daccord right back into the starting role once he’s back to full health.

Other notes out of Seattle:

  • Seattle has signed Michael Matyas to an amateur try-out agreement in response to Daccord’s absence. He’ll be tasked with backing up Grubauer. Matyas hasn’t formally played since the 2013-14 season, when he served as the third-string goaltender at the University of Alaska-Anchorage. The Calgary-native played three years, and 14 games, with the Seawolves – recording three wins and a .870 save percentage. He had a three-year juniors career in the Alberta Junior Hockey League before moving to college, where he set a .907 save percentage across 106 games. Matyas has spent the 11 years since his college days working towards a financial career in New York City.
  • In more positive news, forward Yanni Gourde returned to the Seattle lineup on Sunday, after missing the team’s Friday game with an undisclosed injury. Gourde lined up next to Matty Beniers and Jaden Schwartz, per Mike Benton of the Seattle Kraken Audio Network. Gourde has scored four goals and 12 points in 27 games this season, and ranks fourth among Kraken forwards with 39 hits. He’s rotated through the middle-six and averaged 15:29 in ice time.

Flyers Expected To Activate Jamie Drysdale, Samuel Ersson

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The Philadelphia Flyers will have both defenseman Jamie Drysdale and goaltender Samuel Ersson available on Sunday night, per Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Drysdale has missed Philadelphia’s last 12 games after suffering an upper-body injury on November 9th, while Ersson has missed 11 games with a lower-body injury susatined on November 11th and reaggravated on November 13th. Hall adds that neither player is guaranteed to step right back into the lineup, though their activation from IR is certainly an encouraging sign.

Drysdale was a go-to defender for the Flyers before his injury. He averaged over 20 minutes of ice time and a consistent power-play role through Philadelphia’s first 15 games – but has so far only recorded three points, 12 shots, and a -10 to show for it. He ranks second-to-last in scoring among the Flyers’ blue-line, just ahead of Erik Johnson’s two points in 15 games. Drysdale was drafted sixth-overall in the 2020 NHL Draft and recorded 32 points in 81 games as a rookie with the Anaheim Ducks in 2021-22. But the injury bug caught him soon after. He’s missed a combined 122 games over the last two seasons and hasn’t looked the same when healthy, netting just 10 points in 42 healthy games between 2022 and 2024. Philadelphia attempted to buy-low on the recovering defender last season, sending Cutter Gauthier to Anaheim for Drysdale and a second-round pick. That trade has yet to come to fruition for the Flyers, though Drysdale’s potential return on Sunday could start the streak that turns things around.

Meanwhile, Ersson will return to a goaltending room eager to have him back. He’s the only Flyers netminder with a save percentage above .900 – recording five wins and a .902 in 11 games before going down with injury. Philadelphia has turned towards Aleksei Kolosov and Ivan Fedotov in Ersson’s absence – though neither netminder has managed a winning record or save percentage above Kolosov’s .881 in nine games. The Flyers have found a way to stay productive despite that, actually dropping their goals-against average from 3.50 to 3.10 in Ersson’s absence. That could be an encouraging sign now that their true starter is back to full health.

Blackhawks Place Petr Mrazek On IR; Recall Kevin Korchinski, Drew Commesso

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The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled defenseman Kevin Korchinski and goaltender Drew Commesso, per Charlie Roumeliotis of Chicago’s WGN Radio. The duo will help fill in for starting goaltender Petr Mrazek and top-four defender Alec Martinez. Both players left Chicago’s Saturday game early with injury – Mrazek after getting his legs swept from under him, and Martines after a deflected shot found its way under his visor. Roumeliotis adds that Mrazek has been moved to injured reserve with a left-groin injury.

With Martinez joining top Hawks defender Seth Jones on the list of injuries, Chicago will give top prospect Korchinski another chance to establish an NHL role. The 20-year-old spent the entirety of last season on the NHL roster amid a severe lack of defense depth. He recorded five goals, 15 points, and a -39 in 76 games – prompting Chicago to start him in the minors this year. That’s proven the right move early on, with Korchinski leading Rockford IceHogs defenseman in scoring with two goals and 11 points in 21 games. He’s served a top-line role for Rockford and seems to be gaining more and more confidence on the puck, with routine highlights showing him driving play from end to end.

This call-up likely won’t guarantee Korchinski minutes. He’ll have to first earn a role over Nolan Allan and Wyatt Kaiser – assuming Chicago doesn’t play any of their defenders on their off-hand. Allan has proven a stout fill-in amid injuries, with four assists and a -5 through 20 games this season. Kaiser has been far less productive, boasting just one assist, 14 penalty minutes, and a -1 in 25 games. Korchisnki’s scoring upside could be enough to earn minutes, but he’ll likely have to quickly take advantage of the opportunities he’s provided.

Commesso has spent the last two seasons splitting starts in Rockford. He found his way into the role of de facto starter last year – his first professional season – stepping into 38 games and recording 18 wins and a .906 save percentage. He narrowly beat out Jaxson Stauber in ice time and save percentage – with Stauber posting a .902 in 31 games – but Commesso hasn’t found the same success this year. He’s lost the majority share of starts to three-year pro Mitchell Weeks, who has a .901 save percentage in 12 starts to Commesso’s .879 in 10 starts. Both netminders have four wins.

Mrazek’s forced week-long absence should give Commesso a chance to earn his NHL debut. Meanwhile, Rockford has recalled ECHL starter Benjamin Gaudreau to help support the AHL lineup in Commesso’s absence. Gaudreau – another top goalie prospect in his draft year – has set a 5-5-2 record and .907 save percentage in his first 12 pro games this season.

Ducks To Place Trevor Zegras On IR, Activate Brock McGinn

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12/7: Zegras will undergo additional testing on Monday to determine how long he’ll miss, per Sporstnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Saturday Headlines. This could be a chance to learn more about what seemed to be a low-contact injury. Zegras underwent surgery in January to repair a fracture in his left ankle – the same ankle that he seemed to injure on Wednesday – though it’s unclear if the two injuries are related in any way.

12/6: Trevor Zegras’ game-ending injury from a few nights ago will now extend over at least a week. The depth chart manager for The Hockey News and PuckPedia reported that the Anaheim Ducks would place Zegras on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and activate Brock McGinn (X Link).

Zegras quickly left partway through the second period of Wednesday’s contest and couldn’t put any weight on one of his legs. The Anaheim youngster finished the game with a -1 rating over 6:08 of ice time.

There have been no further updates regarding the severity of Zegras’ injury. Still, it was expected he wouldn’t play in the Ducks’ next game after Derek Lee of The Hockey News reported he wasn’t at practice this morning. Zegras will only miss two games should he miss the minimum seven days on the injured reserve. It may be a chance for him to reset on the season as the former 65-point scorer only has four goals and 10 points through 24 contests this year.

McGinn’s return to the active roster might not be Anaheim’s only positive injury development. Lee also shared that Robby Fabbri was back on the ice for the team’s practice this morning despite being on week three of a six-week recovery timeline. Lee’s fellow writer at The Hockey News, Patrick Present, additionally reported that Leo Carlsson was back on the ice in a non-contact jersey.

Anaheim has had a fair number of injury concerns through the first quarter of the 2024-25 NHL season but that appears to be ending soon. The Ducks are on a pathway toward a fully healthy lineup in the coming weeks combined with today’s acquisition of defenseman Jacob Trouba from the New York Rangers.

Blackhawks’ Petr Mrazek, Alec Martinez To Miss Time With Injury

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The Chicago Blackhawks lost both the game and two lineup pillars, in Saturday night’s matchup against the Winnipeg Jets. Starting goaltender Petr Mrazek suffered a lower-body injury just 10 minutes in after getting his leg inadvertently swept from under him by Jets forward Mason Appleton – captured by Charlie Roumeliotis of Chicago’s WGN Radio. Mrazek was in pain immediately and left the game after a few minutes of trying to play through the injury. Two periods later, defender Alec Martinez seemed to suffer a face injury on an Adam Lowry shot that deflected under his visor. Martinez went to the ice immediately and was helped to the locker room by trainers.

Interim head coach Anders Sorensen shared in his first post-game press conference that both players would miss “a little bit” of time, per Ben Pope of The Chicago Sun-Times.

It’s polarizing injury news for both players, for opposite reasons. Mrazek has been an iron-man in Chicago’s net, not suffering a notable injury since a groin injury limited him through the first half of the 2022-23 season. He was placed on injured reserve twice that year but still played in 39 games – recording 10 wins and a .894 save percentage. With a bill of full health, Mrazek did much more to embrace Chicago’s starting role last season, netting 18 wins and a .908 save percentage in 56 games. He was on track to repeat those numbers this year, with seven wins and a .906 in 20 games so far, but could now be headed for another extended absence due to a lower-body injury.

Mrazek’s absence would bump Arvid Soderblom into the Blackhawks’ starter’s crease, giving the 23-year-old a chance to build on his .915 save percentage through eight games this season. It’s Soderblom’s first NHL season with a save percentage above .900 – though he has a measly 1-6-1 record to go along with it. A chance at the starting role would be a chance for Soderblom to gain ground over Mrazek and injured backup Laurent Brossoit, who isn’t expected to make his season debut until late January due to a knee injury. Brossoit posted a .927 save percentage in 23 games with the Winnipeg Jets last season.

Meanwhile, Martinez is once again set to miss time with injury. The 37-year-old defender spent just under a month on injured reserve with a groin injury earlier this season, forcing him to miss 12 games. It’ll be a second year of multiple injuries for Martinez, who missed 27 games of the Vegas Golden Knights season last year with lower-body injuries. He signed a one-year, $4MM contract with the Blackhawks this summer, set on providing a much-needed veteran presence on the Chicago blue-line. He’s been heavily utilized when healthy, averaging over 20 minutes of ice time through 15 appearances this season, though he only has four points to show for it. That includes Martinez’s first goal as a Blackhawk, which he scored in the first period of Saturday’s game.

Chicago will need to lean even further on their young, depth defenders with Martinez set to join top defender Seth Jones on the absentee list. Nolan Allan has stepped into the lineup for Jones, while Louis Crevier will likely be the first to receive minutes in place of Martinez. Chicago could also call-up Wyatt Kaiser, Ethan Del Mastro, or Kevin Korchinski to fill-in, depending on how much time Martinez is expected to miss. Allan leads Chicago’s injury fill-ins in games and scoring, with four assists through 20 appearances this year.

Snapshots: Tomasino, DeAngelo, Tracey, Stephens

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Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has shared that red-hot winger Philip Tomasino will be held out of Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury. Seth Rorabaugh of Pittsburgh’s Tribune-Review Sports adds that Tomasino is out on a day-to-day basis.

Tomasino has been on fire since joining the Penguins. He’s on a four-game scoring streak, netting three goals and four points along the way. Tomasino has already lapped the one assist he managed in 11 games with Nashville to start the year – likely thanks to the near-four minutes more in average ice time he’s received in Pittsburgh, jumping from 11:18 a night with Nashville to 15:00 with Pittsburgh. Tomasino is one of seven Penguins rivaling point-per-game scoring over the last four games. That standing will earn him a quick return to the Penguins’ top-six when he’s back to full health.

Other quick notes around the league:

  • Polarizing defenseman Tony DeAngelo shared that he’s not optimistic about an NHL return with Larry Brooks of the New York Post. DeAngelo signed a contract with Russia’s SKA St. Petersburg this summer. He’s managed four goals and 24 points in his first 23 games with the club. He told Brooks that his goal is to return to the NHL, but didn’t specify what’s limiting his hopes. DeAngelo played through eight NHL seasons, mostly spent between the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes. He stood as a high-scoring, but minimal-defense option for both teams. With no NHL deal in sight, DeAngelo moved to Russia over the summer and may be kept there despite scoring above a point-per-game. DeAngelo is joined on the SKA roster by former NHL players Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nikita Zaitsev, and Mikhail Grigorenko.
  • Brayden Tracey, the 29th-overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, has signed a one-year contract with Jukurit of Finland’s Liiga. He’ll move over seas after starting this season with no points through four games with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Tracey has spent the bulk of the last five seasons with the Anaheim Ducks’ minor league affiliate, totaling 84 points through 188 games. He’s received just one NHL game over that tenure – recording nine minutes of ice time and no scoring in a win over Detroit in January of 2022. He was returned to the minors immediately after, and hasn’t earned a look since. Tracey will now try to prove his worth, and earn another NHL contract, with a strong year in Finland’s top league.
  • The Seattle Kraken have returned forward Mitchell Stephens to the minor leagues, per the AHL Transaction Log. Stephens slotted into Seattle’s last four games, recording six shots on net but no scoring while operating on the Kraken’s fourth line. He’ll return to a middle-six role in the AHL, where he currently has three goals and four points in 11 games. Stephens split time between the Montreal Canadiens’ NHL and AHL roster last season, recording three points in 23 NHL games and 35 points in 49 AHL games.

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