Central Notes: Tootoo, Hossa, Hanzal, Benn
Even though right winger Jordin Tootoo signed a contract extension just before the trade deadline (primarily for expansion draft purposes), he wasn’t expected to be a big factor for Chicago down the stretch. However, with some strong play in his last few outings, the veteran may be playing himself back into the picture when it comes to seeing time in the postseason, suggests Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. Head coach Joel Quenneville noted that Tootoo has been much better as of late:
“He’s really improved his game. He brings that element of pace, and he did a nice job in the physicality department, as well. He brings us some sandpaper, some toughness. It looks like he’s got patience with the puck, in handling it, and having it a little bit more. He’s making some good plays offensively. I like the progression.”
Tootoo has just a single goal and an assist on the season in 42 games but as the games get tougher in the latter stages of the season and into the playoffs, his energy could give him an edge on a spot in the lineup depending on the matchup.
Elsewhere in the Central:
- Also from Lazerus, the Blackhawks will be without right winger Marian Hossa tonight against the Leafs. He suffered a lower body injury on Thursday in Ottawa. Quenneville noted the injury isn’t serious and that he shouldn’t miss much time. The 38 year old is tied for third in goals on the Hawks with 22 in 64 games despite averaging his lowest ice time per game since his rookie season back in 1998-99.
- The Wild are expected to have center Martin Hanzal back in the lineup tonight against the Rangers, notes Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Hanzal has missed the last three games while dealing with strep throat. Minnesota’s prized deadline acquisition has skated in seven games with the team, collecting four assists while logging 15:57 per night, well off the 18:35 he was averaging with Arizona prior to his trade in late February.
- Dallas is anticipating that left winger Jamie Benn will be ready for their next game against San Jose, head coach Lindy Ruff told Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News. Benn took a glove to his eye in a skirmish with Vancouver’s Nikita Tryamkin on Thursday and didn’t play against Calgary on Friday. Ruff noted that Benn only suffered a scratch and no serious damage on the play. While the captain won’t be reaching the 80 point plateau for the third straight year, he’s still having a productive season with 63 points in 66 games.
Snapshots: Matthias, Western Playoff Race, Jagr
The Winnipeg Jets will be without forward Shawn Matthias for the remainder of the season, the team announced Saturday.
The first sign of trouble was on Wednesday, when Matthias missed practice. He was held out of the Jets’ last game with an upper-body injury. Matthias has eight goals and 12 points in 45 games this season, his first in Winnipeg after signing a two-year, $4.25MM contract in free agency. He split last season between Toronto and Colorado.
Detroit’s second round pick in 2006 has played 524 NHL games, scoring 171 points with Florida, Vancouver, Toronto, Colorado, and Winnipeg.
- With just 11 or 12 games remaining, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector broke down the schedules for the Western Conference teams involved in a tight playoff race. Anaheim, Calgary, and Edmonton are within two points of each other, and will likely finish two-through-four in the Pacific Division. The Oilers have a game in hand on both teams, and play the Canucks tonight. Spector gives Edmonton the advantage in home games, strength of opponent, and ease of the final week of the season. Calgary gets the nod for having back-to-backs and getting tired opponents. Anaheim’s biggest advantage comes during a home-and-home series with the Flames in early April; Calgary hasn’t won in Anaheim since January 2004. The next team in the Pacific, Los Angeles, is four points behind St. Louis for the second wildcard spot. At eight points back, they have a slim chance at catching the next three teams, but do get Edmonton and Calgary three times each.
- With two assists last night, NHL legend and Panthers winger Jaromir Jagr passed Gordie Howe for most points scored by a player in his 40s, with 269. The 45-year-old told Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel that he’s “going to pass [Howe] for most points after 50.” For the record, Howe had 41 points in 1979-80 a 51-year-old in his return to the NHL after six years in the WHA.
Darren Helm Leaves Game After Knee-On-Knee Hit
Update (3:03pm): Helm is day-to-day, according to coach Jeff Blashill via Ansar Khan of MLive.com. It’s not clear at this time if Helm will be able to play on Monday.
Update (1:55pm): The Red Wings have announced that Helm has a lower-body injury and will not return to today’s game.
1:31pm: Detroit Red Wings forward Darren Helm has left his team’s afternoon game versus the Colorado Avalanche after an awkward collision with Erik Johnson.
Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News reports that it appears to have been a knee-on-knee collision. Helm left the ice slowly and then limped to the dressing room, favoring his left leg per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. He briefly returned a few minutes later to take a short skate before heading back to the dressing room.
It’s been a rough year for Helm, who is in the first year of a five-year, $19.25MM contract signed back on July 1. Helm missed 28 games with a shoulder injury suffered in November, and has just 13 points in 41 games this season. While that’s in line with his usual pace, it’s not the kind of production you’d expect from a player making $3.85MM per season on a long-term deal.
Injury Updates: Stamkos, Ekblad, Luongo, Fast, Flyers
Lightning center Steven Stamkos participated in his first full practice on Friday as he continues his recovery from a torn meniscus, reports Bryan Burns on the Lightning’s team website. While it’s certainly a positive sign that he’s getting closer to returning to the lineup, there remains no timetable for him to suit up and head coach Jon Cooper was quick to caution that a return isn’t yet imminent. The original estimate was that he’d be back in four-to-six months.
Stamkos was injured back in November 15th so he’s just at the four month mark now and clearly isn’t ready to return just yet. If he is able to get the green light within the next few weeks, he’d be a big boost to a Tampa Bay lineup that is making a late push at the final Wild Card spot in the East. On the season, the captain has nine goals and 11 assists in 17 games.
Other injury notes from around the league:
- The Panthers will be without top blueliner Aaron Ekblad for at least another week, coach/GM Tom Rowe told Harvey Fialkov of the Sun-Sentinel (Twitter link). The 21 year old suffered a concussion on Saturday against Tampa Bay. Roberto Luongo’s return is still not close as Rowe noted that he will be out longer than Ekblad will. The veteran netminder re-aggravated a lower body issue back on March 2nd against the Flyers and the team has won just once in his absence to fall out of the playoff picture.
- Rangers right winger Jesper Fast will return to the lineup tonight against the Panthers after missing the last seven games with a shoulder injury, notes Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News. He’s expected to play on the third line and will force rookie winger Pavel Buchnevich to the press box for the time being as the team plans to keep Tanner Glass in the lineup. Through 59 games this season, Fast has five goals and 15 assists while logging just under 14 minutes a night in ice time.
- Flyers defenseman Brandon Manning missed his third straight game last night and remains day-to-day with an upper body injury (believed to be a shoulder), GM Ron Hextall told CSN Philly’s Jordan Hall. Recent call-up Jordan Weal returned to the lineup but admitted he’s still not fully recovered from his lower body issue. He took the place of forward Nick Cousins, who missed the game with an upper body problem. Like Manning, he’s classified as day-to-day. Still with Philly, goaltender Steve Mason left last night’s game due to cramping, adds Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post.
Snapshots: 100 Classic, Hornqvist, Malkin
As reported yesterday, the Ottawa Senators will host an outdoor game next year. The “NHL 100 Classic” will be held on December 16th, 2017 to honor the first NHL game played in Ottawa 100 years prior (actually December 17th, 1917). The Senators will welcome the Montreal Canadiens to TD Place, the football stadium right along the Rideau Canal.
Just a few weeks after the Canadian Football League’s Grey Cup, TD Place will have extra seating installed to accommodate the extra crowd. The Stadium currently seats 24,000 for football, but expect that to grow substantially. BMO Place in Toronto added more than 10,000 seats for this year’s Centennial Classic, after hosting it’s own Grey Cup earlier in the winter. This will be the Senators’ first hosted outdoor game.
- Patric Hornqvist re-joined the Pittsburgh Penguins at practice today, and is a game time decision tonight against the New Jersey Devils. The winger has been out for the last five games with a concussion, his second this season. An important part of the Penguins forward group, he’ll be welcomed with open arms when he does make his return.
- Hornqvist will be even more important if he can go tonight, due to Evgeni Malkin being held out with an upper-body injury. He left practice early this morning and won’t go tonight, as Mike Sullivan says he’s been dealing with it for a while.
- Ron Hainsey is out on a week-to-week basis, thus the need for Derrick Pouliot this morning. The Penguins just can’t catch a break with their defense corps, and will now need Pouliot and Mark Streit to play even bigger roles than expected down the stretch.
Morning Notes: Vrana, Burakovsky, Josephs
The Hershey Bears are in a dog fight for a playoff position in the AHL, and they’re going to get some help. The Washington Capitals have sent Jakub Vrana back to Hershey where he will be a welcome addition for this weekend when they will play back-to-back-to-back games Friday through Sunday. With three teams tied at 77 points in the Atlantic Division, this weekend will mostly likely decide the Bears fate.
Vrana has spent this season split between the two clubs, scoring 26 goals in 36 games at the minor league level. The former 13th-overall pick has excellent scoring ability and has proven it since coming over from the Swedish leagues in 2015. Last spring, he contributed 14 points in 21 playoff games as the Bears went all the way to the Calder Cup finals.
- Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press thinks that Vrana’s demotion means good things for Andre Burakovsky in regards to Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Burakovsky has missed almost six weeks with a hand injury but is scheduled to rejoin practice fully today. The team will welcome him back, as they’ve lost five of their last six games and just barely hold their grip on the Metropolitan Division.
- The Penguins have signed another college prospect, but this time to an AHL contract. Troy Josephs of Clarkson University has inked a minor league deal for the 2017-18 season, and will join the WBS Penguins on an amateur deal for the rest of this year. Josephs was a seventh-round pick of the Penguins back in 2013, but decided to head to Clarkson for the full four years. Now that he’s graduated, he’ll join the pro ranks and try to continue his scoring dominance. This year saw him score 20 goals and 33 points in just 37 games, playing often with Sam Vigneault, the newest Columbus Blue Jacket.
- Carolina will send Lucas Wallmark back to the AHL after just three games. The 21-year old forward made his NHL debut this week, and even scored his first point. With 39 points in 59 games in his rookie year at the AHL level, the ‘Canes look like they’ve found a gem in the fourth round. The 97th overall pick in 2014, he’s one of only two players from that round to register a point in the NHL—the other, Viktor Arvidsson, has 67, including 51 this season.
West Notes: Jets, Shore, Gibson
The Jets are likely to be without defenseman Jacob Trouba on Thursday night despite the fact he was able to practice with the team today, suggests Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun. Trouba missed Monday’s game with an upper body injury (and would have sat out Tuesday had that game not been postponed due to weather); it’s believed the injury was sustained during a fight over the weekend against Calgary in which five stitches were required just above his eye.
Winnipeg may also be without left winger Shawn Matthias who missed practice with an undisclosed injury and is listed as questionable for Thursday. Left winger Nic Petan would likely take his place although he may be in the lineup regardless of whether or not Matthias is available. Leading scorer Mark Scheifele (illness) didn’t practice but is expected to suit up against the Islanders.
Elsewhere in the West:
- Winger Drew Shore had offers from other NHL teams before deciding to join Vancouver for the rest of the season, reports Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Province. GM Jim Benning admitted that with the team as far as they are out of the playoff race, they’re likely to start giving their younger players more playing time which should bode well for Shore among others. Benning also noted that part of the rationale for signing Shore was that he’d like to avoid calling anyone else up from their minor league affiliate in Utica, who are in a tight race for the final playoff spot in the AHL’s North Division.
- The Ducks are monitoring goalie John Gibson daily after some of the lingering soreness from his lower body injury resurfaced on Friday, notes Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register. There’s no timetable for when he’ll make his next start but head coach Randy Carlyle doesn’t think he’ll need that much time to be ready as soon as he’s cleared to return to practice. In the meantime, Jonathan Bernier will remain as the starter, a role he has handled fairly well as of late, going 5-2 with a 2.17 GAA and a .933 SV% in his last seven outings.
Minor Moves: Gillies, Froese, Bayreuther
Brian Elliott is sick. Expected to start tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins and continue his recent hot streak, the netminder will be held off the ice entirely tonight. Chad Johnson will go in his stead, and Jon Gillies has been recalled to serve as the backup goaltender. This will serve as the prospect’s first taste of NHL action, despite him likely not getting onto the ice. According to Kristin Hallett of Flames TV, Gillies will be cutting it close for game time tonight as he caught a plane today to get to Calgary.
Wes Gilbertson of Postmedia reports that the Stockton Heat, where Gillies was set to play will be looking for an emergency backup of their own around San Diego. Emergency goalies are one of the best stories in hockey, ranging from video producers to bankers by day to professional hockey players by night. Someone in San Diego will likely be added to the trope tonight when the Heat take on the San Diego Gulls.
- Byron Froese has been sent back down by the Tampa Bay Lightning after just a couple of days. The minor league forward played in one game while the Lightning continues to nurse Tyler Johnson and Vladislav Namestnikov back to health. Namestnikov played in Monday’s game as well, but aggravated the injury and is still questionable for tomorrow night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The re-assignment of Froese however does signal good news on one of the centers (no, it’s likely not Steven Stamkos).
- After announcing his signing late last night, the Dallas Stars—or, more accurately the Texas Stars—have signed Gavin Bayreuther to an amateur tryout and will see him join the AHL squad right away. The NCAA standout should help them right away, though they don’t have any playoff aspirations any longer. Bayreuther will get some professional experience before trying to crack the Dallas team next fall.
Artem Anisimov Out Three To Four Weeks
The Chicago Blackhawks will be without a key piece for the next month, as Artem Anisimov has been ruled out for three to four weeks with a lower body injury. Anisimov suffered the injury when colliding with Alexander Radulov last night in Montreal, in the Hawks’ 4-2 victory over the Canadiens.
Three weeks would bring Anisimov back for the final two regular season games, while a month would keep him out for the remainder of the regular season. Either way, it’s likely he’ll be back in time to participate in at least part of the first round. The Hawks just took over first place in the Central Division, and would currently draw the St. Louis Blues in the playoffs.
Though losing Anisimov hurts—the second line center is having another excellent season skating alongside Patrick Kane, scoring 22 goals and 44 points—the Blackhawks are prepared to give younger players increased responsibility. Nick Schmaltz will move into the second line center role full time, while the recently signed John Hayden will slide in next to Jonathan Toews on the top line. Speaking with Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times, Hayden seemed excited to get started with the club:
To be honest, playing with anyone would be great. The whole locker room is filled with household names.
In the past, the Blackhawks have moved lesser-known players in and out of their top-six to great results. It seems as though anyone who plays with Toews and Kane (not to mention Artemi Panarin and Marian Hossa) can find success, with Schmaltz being the latest example. Anisimov will be given the time to heal properly, and get back to firing on all cylinders for what looks like another deep playoff run.
Injury Notes: Scandella, Tkachuk, Leighton
The Minnesota Wild came limping out of their matchup with the Washington Capitals last night in more ways than one. Michael Russo of the Star Tribune reports that Marco Scandella was absent from the team’s practice today after being seen favoring one leg after the game. If the Wild defenseman can’t go, Russo points to Mike Reilly as the potential replacement.
Reilly has been playing in Iowa for the past month after suiting up for 17 games with the Wild this season. The 23-year old has had a nice season in the AHL this year, recording 23 points in 41 games. The Wild are back at it tomorrow against the Carolina Hurricanes as they continue to battle for first place in the Western Conference.
- Matthew Tkachuk will be a game time decision at tonight’s Calgary Flames game, as he is battling a lower-body injury and was held out of practice according to Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet. The rookie winger has 44 points in 65 games this season and most other years would be a runaway winner of the Calder Trophy. Tkachuk was the #6 draft pick this past June, and has already made an impact for the playoff-bound Flames.
- Michael Stone is progressing according to Steinberg, who reports that he’ll go through a full practice tomorrow and be re-evaluated on Friday. The big defender was acquired at the deadline to help lengthen out the Flames blue line, but was injured in last week’s game against the Montreal Canadiens.
- Former NHL goaltender Michael Leighton requires surgery and will be out for at least four to six weeks. Though it would have been a big blow for the Charlotte Checkers, the team acquired Tom McCollum at the deadline for just this situation. The AHL squad will now go after a playoff spot—which is very much in doubt as they lag behind Reilly and the Iowa Wild—with their newest addition instead of the veteran Leighton.