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Metropolitan Notes: Pacioretty, Blue Jackets, Johansen, Islanders

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Hurricanes winger Max Pacioretty has taken another step towards returning to the lineup as Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News and Observer reports (Twitter link) that the veteran is no longer in a no-contact jersey.  Pacioretty has been out for the entire year so far after undergoing offseason surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon and while he’s still likely to be out a little while longer for conditioning purposes, he’ll be a key addition to Carolina’s lineup for the second half of the season.  He had 19 goals and 18 assists in 39 games with Vegas last year but was moved in the offseason as a cap-saving move.  Carolina shouldn’t have any issues activating Pacioretty from LTIR when he’s given the green light to return.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins remains in COVID protocol, relays Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch (Twitter link). With Joonas Korpisalo returning just before the holiday break, Columbus didn’t need to recall a goalie but as Merzlikins has missed a full week now, the team could move him to IR in the short-term to open up a roster spot.  Meanwhile, Hedger adds in a separate tweet that winger Patrik Laine has also been placed in COVID protocol.  Head coach Brad Larsen wasn’t sure when Laine first was placed there and for the time being, he’s listed as questionable for their game against the Islanders on Thursday.  Laine has nine goals and seven assists in 20 games this season.
  • The Capitals announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Lucas Johansen from AHL Hershey. The 25-year-old has played in two games for Washington this season plus 13 more in the minors where he has a goal and an assist.  To make room for Johansen on the active roster, blueliner John Carlson was placed on injured reserve.
  • Islanders wingers Kyle Palmieri and Cal Clutterbuck are skating on their own as they continue to work their way back from upper-body injuries sustained back on the 16th, notes Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). Palmieri has been somewhat quiet offensively this season with just nine points in 21 games while Clutterbuck has five points and 98 hits in 26 contests.  Both players are listed as day-to-day.

John Carlson Out Indefinitely

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It largely went under the radar last night with Alex Ovechkin passing Gordie Howe for second in all-time NHL goals but Capitals defenseman John Carlson was taken to the hospital yesterday after taking a Brenden Dillon slap shot directly to the head early in the third period.  Today, the team announced (Twitter link) the following update:

John Carlson was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation following his injury during the third period of Friday’s game vs. WPG. Carlson was discharged from the hospital earlier today and remains under the care of team medical personnel. He is out indefinitely.

The fact that Carlson has been discharged is certainly promising but an indefinite timeline is hardly ideal for a Washington team that is narrowly holding onto the second and final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.  The 32-year-old leads all Capitals blueliners with 21 points in 30 games while logging over 23 minutes per game for the sixth straight season.

With Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson both starting to make progress toward returning, it looked like the Capitals were finally starting to get some good luck on the injury side of things.  Now, that optimism has been quelled somewhat with Carlson potentially being out for a little while now.

Capitals Activate John Carlson, Place Dmitry Orlov On IR

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It has been a particularly tough start to the year on the injury front for the Capitals who have been without several key players for the full season while several other regulars were injured within the first few weeks.  However, There’s at least some good news coming as NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti relays (Twitter link) that defenseman John Carlson has been activated off injured reserve, paving the way for him to return tonight against Tampa Bay.  To make room for him on the roster, Washington has transferred blueliner Dmitry Orlov to IR.

Carlson, who has been one of the most productive blueliners in the NHL in recent years, got off to a strong start to his campaign with six points in nine games but suffered a lower-body injury two weeks ago against Nashville.  While Washington won that game, they only were victorious in one of the six contests that Carlson missed.

As for Orlov, he suffered a lower-body injury last Saturday against the Coyotes.  Accordingly, Washington can back-date the placement which means he technically is eligible to return on Sunday at which point they’d need to make another roster move to free up a spot for him.  Orlov has made an early impact with five assists in 13 games while logging over 21 minutes a night.

Even with Carlson’s return, the Capitals are still quite banged up at the moment as joining Orlov on the injured list are forwards Carl Hagelin, Tom Wilson, Nicklas Backstrom, Connor Brown, T.J. Oshie, and Beck Malenstyn; they’ll even be without head coach Peter Laviolette for at least the next two games after he entered COVID protocol earlier today.  Despite the lengthy injury list, they’re hanging around at close to a .500 points percentage as they enter tonight’s game with a 6-7-2 record.

Snapshots: Wild, Voracek, Carlson, Klok

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Minnesota could soon get a key winger back as Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune relays (Twitter link) that the team is optimistic that Jordan Greenway will play in at least half of their upcoming back-to-back next week which begins on Thursday.  The 25-year-old missed the start of the season due to an upper-body injury and in his first game back, suffered another upper-body issue on his third shift of the game.  Last year, he had 27 points in 62 games for the Wild while chipping in with 155 hits and would be a welcome addition to a team that is banged up when it comes to their forward situation.

To that end, the Wild will recall a pair of forwards before heading out on the road as Ryan Hartman and Brandon Duhaime aren’t expected to make the trip.  With Minnesota currently banking cap space, it’s in their best interest to delay formalizing those recalls for at least a couple more days.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • It has been a rough start to the season for the Blue Jackets and things aren’t getting any better as the team announced (Twitter link) that they were without winger Jakub Voracek for the second half of their back-to-back set against Colorado due to an upper-body injury. The veteran is off to a bit of a quiet start this season with just a goal and five assists through his first 11 games.  Voracek is being listed as day-to-day.
  • Capitals blueliner John Carlson has returned to practice, notes Samantha Pell of the Washington Post (Twitter link). However, while he took part in the full game day skate, he’s not eligible to be activated off injured reserve until Monday but it appears he won’t be out much longer than the minimum time required.
  • After having his contract terminated by the Coyotes last month, defenseman Lukas Klok has found his next home as Rogle of the SHL announced that they’ve signed him to a contract for the rest of the season. The 27-year-old signed with Arizona after a strong showing in the KHL but after four games in the minors, he decided that he was better off going back overseas.  Klok has quickly become a bit of a journeyman as this will be the sixth different league and country that he has played in since 2018.

Washington Capitals Recall Sonny Milano, Place Three On Injured Reserve

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As announced in a team release today, the Washington Capitals have recalled forward Sonny Milano, forward Garrett Pilon, and defenseman Lucas Johansen from the Hershey Bears of the AHL. All three players will travel with the team to Detroit for the team’s game tomorrow against the Red Wings.

In a corresponding move, the team has also placed forward T.J. Oshie, defenseman John Carlson, and forward Beck Malenstyn on injured reserve. Forward Connor Brown was also moved to long-term injured reserve (LTIR) after undergoing potentially season-ending ACL surgery earlier this week.

Oshie is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury suffered last Saturday. He is technically eligible to return for Saturday’s home game against Arizona, but without a timeline, there’s no telling when he’ll be back. The fact that he was not moved to LTIR along with Brown is somewhat promising, suggesting that he may not be out for more than a few weeks.

Carlson also left the same game Saturday with a lower-body injury, although his status remains day-to-day. Assuming his injured reserve placement is retroactive, he could return Saturday against Arizona, but the IR placement is confirmation that he’ll miss his third straight game tomorrow against Detroit.

Malenstyn left last night’s overtime loss against Vegas with an upper-body injury. He was recalled to the team in mid-October in the absence of Brown.

After notching 34 points in 66 games last year as a member of the Anaheim Ducks, it was rather shocking that no team signed Milano before training camps started, and it was nearly as surprising when he cleared waivers when Washington signed him. In five games in the AHL, Milano’s notched two goals, an assist, and three points. He could potentially draw into the lineup in Malenstyn’s absence, although the team also had Connor McMichael as a healthy extra.

Pilon, 24, has five points in seven games to start the AHL season, his fifth with Hershey. Johansen, the 28th overall selection in 2016, missed the majority of the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons due to injury and has a goal in six games with Hershey in 2022-23. The team had no extra healthy defensemen with Carlson out.

Injury Notes: Hartman, Carlson, Murray

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While the Minnesota Wild have somewhat turned things around after a tough start to the season, injuries are already starting to pile up. The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that the injury forward Ryan Hartman is currently dealing with is considered “more long-term.”

Hartman sustained the injury in a fight with Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi on Sunday, leading to the team recalling Steven Fogarty from the AHL under emergency circumstances. Smith also reported that the team “isn’t sure” about winger Marcus Foligno, who missed the team’s last game with an upper-body injury and is not on injured reserve (not yet, at least). The two join Jordan Greenway as the three regular Wild forwards already out of the lineup less than 10 games into the season.

  • Washington Capitals All-Star defenseman John Carlson remains out of the lineup for a second straight game with a lower-body injury and is still day-to-day, according to head coach Peter Laviolette. The 32-year-old defender had six points through his first nine games, and Trevor van Riemsdyk will remain in a top-four role in Carlson’s absence. Carlson finished 10th in Norris Trophy voting last season after a 71-point campaign.
  • Goalie Matt Murray is back on the ice today for the Toronto Maple Leafs after suffering an adductor injury roughly two and a half weeks ago. Head coach Sheldon Keefe said that Murray’s return to practice was “part of the plan” and that his recovery is on schedule. Murray was originally given a timeline of four weeks when the injury occurred, pointing to a mid-November return. Despite the Leafs’ poor record, projected backup netminder Ilya Samsonov has a .919 save percentage in five appearances during Murray’s absence and has been the least of the team’s worries.

T.J. Oshie Out Indefinitely With Lower-Body Injury

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The Washington Capitals haven’t updated T.J. Oshie’s status after exiting Saturday’s game early other than to tell reporters including Samantha Pell of the Washington Post that he is out indefinitely. Oshie did not travel with the team to Carolina and will not play in tonight’s game.

John Carlson is also out with a lower-body injury and will not play tonight, but the team designated him as day-to-day. That suggests Oshie’s indefinite timeline is longer than that, a substantial blow for a team that is already without Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson, Connor Brown, and Carl Hagelin due to various injuries. With Oshie exiting early, Conor Sheary played a season-high 18:55 in the win over Nashville.

The 35-year-old Oshie had scored five points in his first six games of the season but was held off the scoresheet in the two games previous to Saturday’s tilt. The veteran winger still plays a ton for the Capitals, including as a key part of their first powerplay unit. Hopefully, this new injury isn’t one that keeps him out too long, especially given his experience last season.

Oshie played just 44 games and had the worst statistical season of his career, scoring just 11 goals and 25 points. Signed through 2024-25, getting him back to full strength will be important for the Capitals’ contention in the Metropolitan Division.

Injury Notes: Slafkovsky, Nichushkin, Lyubushkin, Stepan, Capitals

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Some good news is abound tonight for Montreal Canadiens fans, as 2022 first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky is returning to the lineup tonight against the St. Louis Blues. Slafkovsky had not played in nine days.

The Slovak phenom suffered the injury after getting hit hard by Arizona Coyotes defenseman Josh Brown, but then immediately proceeded to score his first NHL goal, leading to what was an intense stare during his goal celebration. It was then reported earlier this week that Slafkovsky was undergoing tests on an upper-body issue, but they appear to have concluded that it was nothing major. The goal is his lone NHL point so far through five games.

  • Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin will miss his second straight game tonight with a lower-body injury, per The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando. Nichushkin remains day-to-day and the team’s “hope” is that he rejoins the squad for their first practice in Finland, ahead of their Global Series matchup next week against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Tampere. Despite missing a game already, Nichushkin still holds the team lead in goals (seven) and points (12).
  • Half of the Buffalo Sabres blueline is out of game action now. The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski reports that Ilya Lyubushkin is not playing tonight due to a lower-body injury, with Lawrence Pilut drawing back into the lineup in his place. Lyubushkin missed a game earlier in the season with a lower-body injury, and it’s unclear whether the two are related. He has one assist in six games to begin his Sabres career.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes announced tonight that forward Derek Stepan would not return to their game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Per the team, Stepan suffered an upper-body injury. We will likely receive more information on the nature of Stepan’s absence tomorrow.
  • The Washington Capitals have issued two injury updates of their own. Per a team announcement, both John Carlson and T.J. Oshie are doubtful to return to tonight’s contest against the Nashville Predators due to lower-body injuries. Like with Stepan, we will likely get more information on these injuries tomorrow.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Wallstedt, PWHPA

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The NHL has released its Three Stars for last week, with Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs taking home top spot. Matthews scored seven more goals in his four games to extend his lead in the Rocket Richard race, and set the Maple Leafs’ single-season franchise record. With 58 goals on the season, Matthews is incredibly already up to 257 in his career, putting him into the top-10 for the Maple Leafs organization–just three behind franchise icon Wendel Clark.

Second and third went to John Carlson and Jonathan Huberdeau respectively, who continue to rack up points of their own. Carlson, somewhat quietly in a year that has had so many other strong offensive performances from defensemen, is up to 63 points after his eight-point week. It’s the fourth time in five seasons that the Washington Capitals defenseman has recorded 60+ and has him closing in on 600 in his career. Huberdeau meanwhile broke the 100-point mark for the first time in his career and now leads the league with 77 assists as he makes a run at both the Art Ross and Hart trophies.

  • The Minnesota Wild are hoping to sign top goaltending prospect Jesper Wallstedt soon, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic, in order to have him play in North America next season. The 19-year-old was picked 20th overall in 2021 and posted a .917 save percentage in 22 appearances for Lulea HF in Sweden this season. The team is into the semi-finals meaning a contract will have to wait at least a little while, though veteran netminder Joel Lassinantti has started all five playoff games to this point.
  • The PWHPA’s board has voted unanimously to end any discussion of collaborating with the PHF, according to Hailey Salvian of The Athletic. The two factions of women’s professional hockey have never seen eye-to-eye but had met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman recently to try to come to some sort of coalition. It appears that is impossible, at least for the time being, with the two sides ceasing further communication.

John Carlson, Conor Garland Enter COVID Protocol

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The Washington Capitals got some good news when Dmitry Orlov and Carl Hagelin were activated ahead of today’s game, but it won’t be all roses. John Carlson has been added to the COVID protocol and is unavailable today.

Of note, Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic tweets that Carlson was actually late to the warm-up for yesterday’s game while awaiting test results, but ultimately played in the game. The veteran defenseman played nearly 24 minutes in the Capitals’ victory over the New York Islanders.

With Carlson coming out, Orlov will be in and skating on the top pairing with Trevor van Riemsdyk. Alex Ovechkin is now the only player on the entire Capitals roster to play in every game. Washington takes on the reeling Vancouver Canucks this afternoon as they continue their chase for the top of the Metropolitan Division.

It’s not great news from the Canucks either though, as Conor Garland has also been added to the protocol just ahead of game time. The 25-year-old Garland has been one of the Canucks’ most consistent players this season, scoring 24 points in 37 games while being a strong defensive player. Taking him out of the lineup will only hurt Vancouver’s chances of turning things around, especially since his removal came so close to puck drop.

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