East Notes: Norris, Bastian, Slafkovsky
It was a long wait to return from a shoulder injury for Ottawa Senators center Josh Norris, but still shorter than most expected. He’ll be returning to the lineup tonight as the Senators take on the Pittsburgh Penguins, as told to reporters pregame, including the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch.
Norris told reporters that he was “excited” to face such a tough challenge down the middle in his first game back since October 22, where he’ll be competing against some of the world’s best in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. But with no exhibition games or conditioning stint to test out his shoulder, don’t expect him to be active in the faceoff dot just yet. He’s been placed on a line between Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux, and while Norris may play center during actual gameplay, Giroux will take the lion’s share of the draws when that unit is deployed. Norris’ return is a huge boost for the Senators’ dwindling playoff hopes, as they remain among the bottom teams in the Eastern Conference with a 19-21-3 record.
- Another lengthy absence could come to a close this week, as New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters that winger Nathan Bastian is a possibility for Thursday’s matchup against Seattle. Bastian hasn’t played since sustaining an upper-body injury early in a November 26 game against Washington, leading to almost a two-month absence. The 25-year-old has eight points through 21 games after recording a double-digit goal total for the first time last season.
- With 2022 first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky now likely shut down for the season with a knee injury, some have questioned Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes‘ decision not to give Slafkovsky any time in the AHL. Hughes told reporters in a press conference today that the organization didn’t want concerns around Slafkovsky’s development to come primarily about offensive production, as he feared might happen if the Slovak forward spent extended time with the Laval Rocket. Instead, the organization opted to keep “a close eye” on him and keep him focused on holistic development with Canadiens coaches. Hughes said that an AHL loan in the near future wasn’t out of the question for Slafkovsky, but that’s now out of the question given his injury.
New Jersey Devils Place Nathan Bastian On Injured Reserve
The New Jersey Devils have announced that forward Nathan Bastian has been placed on injured reserve, retroactive to November 26th. In a corresponding move, the team has recalled defenseman Nikita Okhotiuk from their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.
This move is all about the recall of Okhotiuk, as both John Marino and Ryan Graves were banged up on a recent road trip. As indicated by the retroactive designation of this injured reserve placement, Bastian being out with an injury isn’t breaking news. His official placement on the injured list does clear the team a roster spot to recall Okhotiuk, though, which is important for them.
Bastian has scored eight points in 21 games so far, playing an important crash-and-bang energy role on the Devils’ fourth line.
In his place on the roster comes Okhotiuk, a young defenseman who plays a similarly physical role albeit from the blueline. Okhotiuk, 22, has played in five career NHL games, and has six points in 17 AHL games so far this season.
New Jersey Devils Recall Three Players
Ahead of their game against the New York Rangers tonight, the New Jersey Devils have made several recalls. Alexander Holtz, Kevin Bahl, and Nico Daws have all been brought up, giving them some extra bodies to help cover a few absences.
Nathan Bastian is going for imaging today on a shoulder injury according to Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com, and team reporter Amanda Stein explains that Daws is up to cover for Akira Schmid, who is feeling ill.
The trio of young players is a reminder that the Devils, tied for first in the NHL with 18 wins, have a number of extra high-level prospects at every position. Holtz, 20, was the seventh overall pick in 2020 and has played just 13 NHL games so far. Bahl, still just 22, was a key part in the Taylor Hall trade and has played just 27. Daws, incredibly, has actually seen the most action in a single season of the three, playing 25 games for the Devils last year when they had so many goaltending injuries.
For a team already finding a ton of success with their young NHL roster, the number of impressive players in the system could lead to a long-term window of contention.
Morning Notes: Schenn, Orlov, Bastian
The St. Louis Blues had what could be a season-altering win last night, beating the Florida Panthers in overtime after scoring three unanswered goals to tie the game into the third period. It wasn’t all good news for St. Louis, though, as they could be missing a strong veteran presence from their lineup. Forward Brayden Schenn left the game at the end of the second period with a lower-body injury, per the Bally Sports Midwest local broadcast. He did not return to the game.
Schenn had performed well in the Blues’ recent winning stretch, recording three goals and seven points in 10 games since their eight-game losing streak ended. His six goals in 21 games on the season are tied for second on the team alongside Pavel Buchnevich and Ryan O’Reilly. While he may not be the all-around player he used to be in his earlier seasons with the Blues, he remains an important scorer and a skilled shooter. His presence also allows the Blues to roll a strong three-line attack, slotting Schenn in behind O’Reilly and Robert Thomas at center. Postgame, head coach Craig Berube noted that Schenn’s injury would be further evaluated today.
- Washington Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov could join the team on their current road trip, according to The Washington Post’s Samantha Pell, which lasts another five games and 11 days. The veteran defenseman suffered a lower-body injury prior to a game on November 7 and has been day-to-day since. One of six Capitals on injured reserve, Orlov had five assists through 13 games and his +3 rating remains tied for the best on the team.
- According to a team tweet, the New Jersey Devils lost forward Nathan Bastian partway through last night’s game to an upper-body injury. Bastian left the game during the first period after taking a hit from Capitals forward T.J. Oshie. The 24-year-old is a good defensive presence in the bottom six and is an adept penalty killer. With no extra forwards on the active roster, the team will have to make a recall from AHL Utica if Bastian misses any time.