Snapshots: Schmaltz, Gaunce, Emelin
The St. Louis Blues have sent Jordan Schmaltz back to the AHL to join the Chicago Wolves for their playoff run. With Robert Bortuzzo firmly in the lineup, there was no room for Schmaltz as the Blues continue their series against the Minnesota Wild. Instead, he’ll return to the AHL where he has dominated this season, scoring 25 points in 42 games.
Drafted in the first round in 2012, Schmaltz played exceptionally well at the University of North Dakota before making an impact as an AHL rookie last year. With another solid season and his NHL debut under his belt, he’ll be a leading candidate for a full-time job with the Blues next season. He’ll be entering the final year of his entry-level deal, and could sign an extension as soon as July 1st.
- The Vancouver Canucks’ Brendan Gaunce will have surgery to repair his shoulder and begin rehab to try and be ready for next season. Apparently he and the medical staff had been trying to avoid surgery, but have no other choice after his “response to treatment.” Gaunce played 57 games for the Canucks this season, recording just five points. He still hasn’t shown that high-end potential that was so apparent in junior, but is still just 23 years old and can still improve his game.
- The Montreal Canadiens are expected to insert Alexei Emelin into their lineup for Game 5 against the New York Rangers, though he is technically a game-time decision. The injured defenseman has yet to play in the series, but will add another element of toughness to a group that has been pushed around physically by the normally smaller Rangers team. With 203 hits in the series, New York easily paces the entire NHL playoffs. Emelin, as Canadiens head coach Claude Julien told TSN’s John Lu, will make you keep your head up when he’s on the ice.
Snapshots: Reinhart, Emelin, Blues, Johnson
With Oilers defenseman Oscar Klefbom getting injured while blocking a shot midway through the third period last night against the Sharks, the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled blueliner Griffin Reinhart from AHL Bakersfield.
Reinhart has spent the full season at the minor league level with the Condors, recording seven goals and 14 assists in 54 games. The former fourth overall pick back in 2012 has a total of 37 NHL games under his belt, 29 of which came with Edmonton last season.
Even if Klefbom isn’t available for Game Three of the series on Sunday, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Reinhart will make his season debut. Eric Gryba was scratched on Friday after playing in the series opener and likely would be the first choice to draw back in. However, the team is hopeful that Klefbom will be able to suit up tomorrow night, making this recall more of an insurance policy than anything else.
Other notes from around the postseason:
- Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin (lower body) did not make the trip to New York and has been ruled out of Game Three tomorrow night against the Rangers, reports TSN’s John Lu via Twitter. Lu noted that Emelin has started to skate again which would suggest that he may be able to return to the lineup at some point in the series.
- The Blues aren’t likely to make any lineup changes up front in advance of Game Three against the Wild, notes Tom Timmermann and Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Accordingly, it’s likely that center Jori Lehtera will sit for the second straight game despite the fact they’re already lacking in depth down the middle with Paul Stastny still on the shelf.
- Flames goalie Chad Johnson (lower body) has returned to practice but is still not ready to return to the lineup or dress as the backup for a game, reports Wes Gilbertson of the Toronto Sun. As a result, rookie Jon Gillies will continue to remain with the team for the time being. Johnson was injured against the Ducks back on April 4th, playing less than six minutes in the game before going down.