Joe Pavelski Will Not Travel With Stars
The Dallas Stars evened up their series against the Minnesota Wild last night, exciting the hometown crowd with seven goals (including a four-goal second period). That was possible without one of their best players after Joe Pavelski was knocked out of game one by a massive hit from Matt Dumba. Now, as the series shifts to Minnesota for the next two games, it appears as though they’ll still have to battle without the veteran.
Pavelski will not travel with Dallas, according to team reporter Mike Heika. Head coach Pete DeBoer said he hopes Pavelski can return this series but won’t be involved in the next two games at least.
Though he doesn’t always get the same amount of press as other stars, Pavelski’s performance for Dallas has been incredible. At age 38 this season, he scored 28 goals and 77 points in 82 games, breaking the 1,000-point mark for his career. In fact, with 1,001 in 1,250 games, his career is starting to look more like that of a Hall of Famer, despite rarely getting much attention as one of the league’s best players. He’s never won an individual trophy, but has played in 169 career playoff games, already good enough for 56th all-time. His 126 postseason points put him 53rd, tied with Maurice Richard.
Despite last night’s win, that’s a huge piece to pull out of the Dallas lineup for two critical road games.
Lightning Notes: Hedman, Jeannot, Eyssimont
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.
Carolina Hurricanes Recall Mackenzie MacEachern
With Teuvo Teravainen headed for surgery, the Carolina Hurricanes have recalled Mackenzie MacEachern from the minor leagues.
Given the Chicago Wolves missed the playoffs, MacEachern can stay with the club and add some much-needed depth to the Carolina roster. The 29-year-old had an excellent season in the AHL, potting 11 goals and 30 points in 37 games.
He won’t be asked to score much if he does get into the Carolina lineup. Instead, the Hurricanes will need him to play the same physical style he showed during his last playoff call-up. In 2020 with the St. Louis Blues, MacEachern recorded 14 hits in five games for the Blues despite averaging fewer than seven minutes a night.
The 6’2″ forward has 19 points in 111 regular season games, all coming with the Blues. Should he get into the playoff lineup at some point, it would be his Carolina debut.
Teuvo Teravainen To Undergo Surgery
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.
Injury Notes: Vilardi, Andersen, Jeannot, Hartman
The Los Angeles Kings stole Game 1 away from the Edmonton Oilers with some late-game heroics from Anze Kopitar to tie it up with 17 seconds to play and a power play goal from Alex Iafallo to give the team an overtime victory. They will look to take a commanding 2-0 series lead on Wednesday night, and appear to have some reinforcements that could help them.
Eric Stephens of The Athletic reports Gabriel Vilardi will be ready to return to the Kings lineup in Game 2. The 23-year-old right winger had a breakout season for the Kings, scoring 23 goals and 41 points in 63 games. Vilardi has not played since March 26 with an upper-body injury. His return will certainly give the Kings another offensive boost as they look to match the offensive juggernaut of the Oilers and add to their series lead.
- Per a team release, Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen will not suit up in Game 2 of their series with the New York Islanders. The 33-year-old goaltender, who battled injuries all season and played just 33 games, is out with an illness. In a bit of a surprising move, Antti Raanta was the Game 1 starter anyway, and he will get the call once again for the Hurricanes in Game 2.
- Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports Tanner Jeannot could be back in the Lightning lineup for Game 2. The feisty winger arrived in Tampa Bay at the trade deadline, for a surprisingly large haul of draft picks, and scored four points in 20 regular season games with the team. With Michael Eyssimont leaving Game 1 with injury, it would be perfect timing to have Jeannot return and fill that role in the Lightning’s bottom six. Jeannot last played on April 6 when he fell awkwardly and looked to be seriously injured. Luckily, he appears ready to go just two weeks later.
- Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman was the hero in Game 1, scoring in double overtime to secure the win and take a 1-0 series lead. Unfortunately, he will not get the same chance in Game 2. Per a team release, Hartman will not play when the Wild meet the Dallas Stars looking to take a two game series lead. The 28-year-old forward had 15 goals and 37 points in 59 games for the Wild in the regular season. He has been dealing with a lower-body injury that he battled through to win Game 1 for the Wild, but it will keep him from suiting up in Game 2.
Minor Notes: Wolf, U18, Viveiros
The Calgary Flames had a disappointing season that ended with them on the outside of the playoff picture. Their AHL affiliate, on the other hand, has been enjoying a tremendous 2022-23 season and finished first in the AHL standings with a 51-17-4 record. They ended up in first place in the AHL standings and will begin their Calder Cup chase next week. That is little consolation to Flames fans today, who were expecting a competitive NHL team this season, and not just a great minor league team to hand their hat on.
One reason for future hope in Calgary is goaltender Dustin Wolf who played a huge role in the Calgary Wranglers leading the way in the AHL. Wolf was named the winner of the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s best goaltender. The 22-year-old goaltender was the leader in goals-against average (2.09) save percentage (.932) and shutouts with seven. In his final two years of Junior, Wolf was named the top goaltender in the WHL and now he has won that award in his first two pro seasons at the AHL level.
- USA Hockey announced its roster for the upcoming World Under-18 Championships. The team promises to be a high-scoring one as the roster is headlined by forwards Will Smith, Gabe Perreault, Ryan Leonard, Oliver Moore who will all be selected in the first round of the upcoming 2023 NHL Draft. Cole Eiserman, a top-ranked prospect for the 2024 NHL Draft is also on the roster. USA begins its tournament with a game tomorrow against Latvia. The event is taking place in Switzerland. USA will be looking for its first gold medal at the event since 2017.
- Per a team release, the Vegas Golden Knights announced Manny Viveiros will be leaving the organization. Viveiros has been the head coach of the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights since their inception in 2020. In their first year of existence, the team had a 25-13-1 record in a Covid-shortened season, and followed that up with a 34-28-5 record in 2021-22. The team struggled this season however, finished outside the Calder Cup Playoffs with a record of 29-38-5. Viveiros’ contract is set to expire on June 30 and it will not be renewed.
Lightning Notes: Cernak, Eyssimont, Hedman
The Tampa Bay Lightning won the first game of their series with the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 7-3. But it was not all smooth sailing for the Bolts as they had a number of injuries to deal with following the opening game of what they hope is their fourth consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final. Some lineup shuffling is expected before the two teams meet again for Game 2.
Kristen Shilton of ESPN reports that Erik Cernak will be out of the lineup on Thursday night. The big Lightning defenseman did not return after he took a nasty hit from Michael Bunting and left Game 1. Bunting was sentenced with a match penalty and will be suspended for the next three games of the series for the headshot that knocked Cernak out of the lineup. The 25-year-old defenseman plays a top-four role with the Lightning, averaging 19:14 per game in the regular season while leading the team in average ice time per game while shorthanded.
- Trade dealing acquisition Michael Eyssimont was also shaken up in Game 1 due to a questionable hit. Jake McCabe appeared to catch the Lightning forward with a headshot and he left the game. Chris Krenn of NHL.com reports Eyssimont will not play in Game 2. The 26-year-old winger scored two points in 15 games with the Lightning after being acquired from the San Jose Sharks.
- Eduardo A Encina of Tampa Bay Times reports Victor Hedman will be a gametime decision in Game 2. The star defenseman left the opening game after the first period, briefly returned to the bench, then left the game for good early in the middle frame. With Cernak out, the Lightning blue line starts to look pretty thin if Hedman is unable to play as well. The 32-year-old defenseman scored nine goals and 49 points this season and played a big role in all situations for the Lightning, averaging 23:43 per game in the regular season.
Michael Bunting Suspended Three Games
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has announced that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting has been suspended for three games for his hit on Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak. Bunting will miss games 2-4 of the Lightning-Leafs first round series while Cernak will not play in game two on Thursday after taking the hit to the head.
Tampa Bay could also be without the services of defenseman Victor Hedman, who will be a game time decision for game two. Hedman also left the Lightning’s 7-3 victory with an undisclosed injury and did not return. The hit on Cernak led to a match penalty and a five-minute powerplay that the Lightning ultimately cashed in on twice. Tampa Bay was 4-8 on the man advantage in game one.
Bunting has been a revelation for the Leafs after coming over from the Arizona Coyotes on a two-year deal. After putting up 63 points last season in 79 games, this year he put up 49 points in 82 games. Despite his strong offensive numbers, the Bunting incident is eerily similar to the suspension issues the Maple Leafs dealt with when Nazim Kadri was in Toronto. He had several incidents in the playoffs that eventually led to a trade to the Colorado Avalanche and now Bunting has had a few issues this season with various run-ins with the league. However none have led to suspensions until his hit in game one.
Jack Johnson’s Injury Not Believed To Be Serious
Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told Ryan Boulding of NHL.com that he doesn’t believe the injury to Jack Johnson is serious and he has the defenseman as day to day. Johnson was scratched late on Tuesday night before their game one matchup with the Seattle Kraken. Erik Johnson took his spot on the blue line in the 3-1 loss.
Jack Johnson had signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks last summer after winning his first Stanley Cup with Colorado. The Michigan alum then returned to the Avalanche in a midseason trade with the Chicago Blackhawks. Overall, the former third overall pick had two goals and six assists in 83 games split between both teams.
While Jack Johnson doesn’t possess the offensive abilities that he once did and has struggled at times in his own end, he is likely the best fit for Colorado’s third pairing. If he can play in game two on Thursday it would likely bump Erik Johnson back out of the lineup. The 2006 first overall pick has struggled this season after putting up a respectable 25 points just last year.
The Avalanche currently find themselves down 1-0 to the lower seeded Kraken as they begin the defense of the Stanley Cup. They are already missing Gabriel Landeskog and Josh Manson and can ill afford to lose any more bodies as they try to claw back even in their series with Seattle.
Buffalo Sabres Hope To Extend Power And Dahlin
The Buffalo News reporter Lance Lysowski reported today that Buffalo Sabres GM Kevyn Adams has expressed to the agents of Owen Power and Rasmus Dahlin that the team would like to sign both defensemen long term. The Sabres have been aggressive in locking up their young core to long term deals and this development would keep in line with that gameplan. Both players have a year left on their current contracts and would be restricted free agents in 2024, albeit with much different degrees of bargaining power.
Dahlin will be completing a three-year bridge contract and since his contract was backloaded, he will carry a qualifying offer of $7.2MM. The former first overall pick could simply accept the one-year deal and march into unrestricted free agency in summer 2025. Power on the other hand will have just completed his two-year entry-level contract and would only be due a qualifying offer just under $875K. He would also be ineligible for an offer sheet since he wouldn’t have enough service time to qualify as a Group 2 RFA. This could make for an interesting negotiation and keep the average annual value down.
Dahlin is coming off a career season in which he put up 15 goals and 58 assists in 78 games. He teased his offensive prowess in recent seasons but this season he was finally able to breakthrough and produce like an elite offensive defenseman. The 23-year-old Swede, along with Power led a defensive unit that backed the Sabres to their highest point total since 2010-11, the last time the club made the playoffs.
Power on the other hand just completed his first full NHL season and ranked second in 5-on-5 ice time per game played (19:46) among all NHL skaters. On the offensive side, Power had four goals and 31 assists in 79 games and helped spark the Sabres second defensive pairing. He played a little over half of the powerplay time that Dahlin played and only managed eight assists on the man advantage. Should Power see more time on the powerplay, he could see a large uptick on his point totals.
While there is an element of risk in any extension the Sabres have not shied away from taking the plunge. When Buffalo signed Tage Thompson to a seven year $50MM contract extension last August many felt that they had rushed to judgment and could end up with a bloated overpay. However, Thompson followed up his new contract with a second straight career year, finishing with 94 points in 78 games. One could make a similar argument for Power who has played just a single full NHL season, however in the case of Dahlin, he has demonstrated a half decade of impressive play and appears to only be getting better.