Injury Notes: Savard, Teravainen, Fiala
The Montreal Canadiens announced David Savard would not play tonight. The veteran defenseman took warmup ahead of the Habs game against the Florida Panthers, but was ruled out after leaving the ice ahead of the rest of his teammates. The team tweeted out that Savard is dealing with a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day.
Savard plays a big role on the Canadiens blue line, as he is second on the team in average ice time. The 32 year old plays a top four role at even strength and is a key contributor to the team’s penalty killing unit as well. The Canadiens have dealt with a plethora of injuries this season, and Savard is just the next victim to the injury bug in Montreal.
- Carolina Hurricanes winger Teuvo Teravainen will not play tonight, the team announced via Twitter. The 28 year old is not having his typical production, as he has scored 12 goals and 36 points in 63 games. The skilled Finnish forward is often closer to a point-per-game pace and with Max Pacioretty and Andrei Svechnikov out long term, the Hurricanes need a healthy and productive Teravainen as the playoffs approach. Luckily, he is out with an illness which means he should not miss a lot of time.
- Los Angeles Kings winger Kevin Fiala is also out of the lineup tonight, per a tweet from the team. Fiala has fit in seamlessly in his first season with the Kings, scoring 22 goals and 70 points in 68 games so far this season. He has been listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Unfortunately, he is missing a key game as the Kings take on the Edmonton Oilers tonight and the teams are separated by just one point in the standings.
Carolina Hurricanes Activate Teuvo Teravainen
As first reported by Walt Ruff of the Carolina Hurricanes’ team website, Hurricanes forward Teuvo Teravainen has been activated off of injured reserve. Per Ruff, Teravainen’s status regarding tomorrow’s game against the Los Angeles Kings is still to be determined.
Teravainen, 28, has missed the Hurricanes’ last ten games recovering from an upper-body injury. The veteran Finnish forward has no goals and just seven assists in 14 games so far this year, but as recently as last season Teravainen was scoring at a high level.
In 2021-22, Teravainen scored 65 points in 77 games, a total that ranked third on a strong Hurricanes team. With Andrei Svechnikov locking down the Hurricanes’ second-line left winger spot next to Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Teravainen’s return would slot him in as the team’s first-line left winger next to Sebastian Aho and Martin Necas.
Should head coach Rod Brind’Amour choose to deploy Teravainen there, it would likely shift Seth Jarvis out of that first-line left winger spot and into the second-line right winger spot, a role currently occupied by Stefan Noesen. While Noesen has impressed this year with 10 points in 23 games, it’s likely that Brind’Amour would rather find room for Jarvis, one of the team’s top up-and-coming talents, in their top-six over Noesen.
Another option would be for this activation to shift Jack Drury out of the team’s lineup, as Drury has been playing in a fourth-line left winger role. Drury doesn’t have a point in the NHL this season, and the Hurricanes could opt to give him some more time to marinate in the AHL.
Regardless of what Brind’Amour ultimately chooses to do with his lines, the return of Teravainen is undoubtedly a win for Carolina. They add a strong top-six playmaker back to their lineup who should be able to help them as they attempt to catch up with the New Jersey Devils in the race for the Metropolitan Division crown.
Injury Notes: Teravainen, Bruins, Lindgren
Carolina Hurricanes forward Teuvo Teravainen is getting closer to returning, according to NHL.com’s Kurt Dusterburg. Teravainen practiced with the team today and could return during the team’s upcoming six-game road trip.
Teravainen has yet to score this season, but he’s been limited to just 14 games with an upper-body injury. The Hurricanes haven’t been great without him, though, and they’ve won just one game out of their past six. They’re hoping Teravainen’s return can jumpstart the depth scoring that’s been a significant issue in 2022-23. Dusterburg also noted that goalie Frederik Andersen, who is on injured reserve and has missed the past ten games, will not travel.
- Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery says goalie Linus Ullmark is healthy enough for backup duty tomorrow night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. After leaving Friday’s come-from-behind win against the Hurricanes with an upper-body injury, Ullmark was back with the team today at practice. His 13 wins, .935 save percentage, and 2.00 goals-against average all lead the NHL. Forward Trent Frederic was also back at practice today after missing two games, while Craig Smith will miss tomorrow’s game with an upper-body injury suffered against the Hurricanes and is day-to-day.
- Defenseman Ryan Lindgren took warmups for the New York Rangers tonight and could return from an upper-body injury against the New Jersey Devils, per NHL.com’s Dan Rosen. Lindgren left Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers and was day-to-day but may avoid missing any time if he plays tonight.
Injury Notes: Matthews, Pacioretty, Teravainen
12:23 pm: Head coach Sheldon Keefe said during post-practice media availability that Matthews was “fine,” thankfully meaning he won’t miss any time.
12:12 pm: Toronto Maple Leafs fans are holding their collective breath on Friday morning. Superstar forward Auston Matthews left the team’s practice early today after blocking a shot, skating around in visible discomfort.
While Matthews isn’t on pace for a second consecutive 60-goal season in 2022-23, he’s still producing at over a point-per-game pace. He has eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points through 18 games on the year, one back of the team lead in points (Mitch Marner, 20) and goals (John Tavares, 9). The Leafs are expected to issue an update on Matthews prior to tomorrow’s home game against the Buffalo Sabres.
- For a different Eastern Conference team, it’s more promising news on the injury front. A pair of important Carolina Hurricanes forwards was spotted skating before practice this morning, including offseason acquisition Max Pacioretty. Acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights along with defenseman Dylan Coghlan in a cap-dump move, Pacioretty ruptured his Achilles tendon in early August and was expected to return in early February at the soonest. While there’s no indication he’ll return to the lineup anytime soon, it’s a promising sign for his trajectory and a solid sign he’ll be back earlier than the February timeline.
- Forward Teuvo Teravainen, who’s missed the past three games with an upper-body injury, was also out skating with Pacioretty this morning. After sustaining the injury on November 10, he’s eligible to return from injured reserve as his health permits. The timeline for his return is still unknown, however.
Carolina Hurricanes Place Teuvo Teravainen On IR
7:54 pm: As Ruff reports, Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour was asked this evening how much time Teravainen could miss, the coach saying he believes Teravainen could “be out for a while.”
5:32 pm: According to Carolina Hurricanes’ team reporter Walt Ruff, the team has placed forward Teuvo Teravainen on injured reserve, retroactive to November 10th. No corresponding move was reported. The move leaves Carolina with just 21 of 23 available roster spots filled, but with approximately $7MM in available LTIR space.
Teravainen, 28, suffered an upper-body injury part-way through Carolina’s 7-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night, forcing him to leave the game. Ruff had reported yesterday that the forward would not travel with the team on iss brief two game road trip, however the extent of his absence beyond that was unclear. Placing him on IR doesn’t necessarily mean Teravainen will be out long-term, but could allow the team to add an extra player should they choose to. After this two-game trip in Colorado against the Avalanche, then against the Blackhawks in Chicago, Carolina comes home for one game against that same Colorado team on Thursday before heading back out for another quick two-game trip that begins in Minnesota against the Wild next Saturday.
Although things seem to be firing on all cylinders for Carolina and a number of their key players, the same cannot be said for Teravainen. The veteran has just seven assists to start the season, two of those coming Thursday before being forced to leave. A natural playmaker, Carolina has come to rely on Teravainne for at least 60 points per season, which has included a career-high 76 points in 2018-19, and a very solid 65 points over 77 games last season.
Injury Notes: Teravainen, Grant, Helm, Bowers
After moving Frederik Andersen to injured reserve earlier today, the Carolina Hurricanes are facing some more injury troubles. Team reporter Walt Ruff reports that forward Teuvo Teravainen will not travel with the team on their upcoming two-day road trip due to an upper-body injury suffered last night in the team’s 7-2 trouncing of the Edmonton Oilers.
While the Hurricanes have been hot, Teravainen has not. The 28-year-old Finn is off to a slow start, having yet to score 14 games into the season. He has logged seven assists, though, which is tied for third on the team. Depth scoring has been a concerning issue for the Hurricanes to start the year (outside of leading point-getter Martin Necas), a trend that will need to quickly reverse in order to account for Teravainen’s absence over at least the next two games. Either Necas or Seth Jarvis could likely get re-elevated to a top-line role in Teravainen’s absence.
- The Anaheim Ducks announced via a team release Friday that forward Derek Grant has been placed on injured reserve, retroactive to November 3. Grant has missed the team’s past three games with an upper-body injury and is still classified as day-to-day. Given he’s already missed more than the week required by the injured reserve placement, this is purely a paper transaction for roster purposes and he is eligible to return at any time. The corresponding roster transaction was an AHL recall, bringing defenseman Austin Strand up from the San Diego Gulls.
- Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told reporters today, including Jesse Montano of DNVR Sports, that forward Darren Helm had another surgery (reported to be a hip abductor muscle procedure) and is “on the mend.” Helm, 35, has yet to play this season after suffering an abdominal injury during last year’s Stanley Cup run. He has now been moved to LTIR, giving the team roughly $500,000 in cap space to work with as injuries pile up.
- One of the forwards that were serving in a depth role to replace help is also on the injured list. After making his NHL debut last night, 2017 first-round pick Shane Bowers is undergoing an MRI, according to Bednar. Bowers played just 1:46 before leaving the game. After a pair of tough AHL campaigns, Bowers looked like his development may be back on track with six points in 10 games to start the season in AHL Colorado.
Snapshots: Senators Injuries, Kastelic, Teravainen, Kuzmenko
The Senators will get some help on the injury front for their game against New Jersey on Monday as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports (Twitter link) that defenseman Nikita Zaitsev, winger Connor Brown, and center Dylan Gambrell will all return to the lineup. Zaitsev has been out for nearly two months due to a heel injury, Brown has missed just under a month with a broken jaw, and Gambrell has been out for a couple of weeks with an upper-body injury. Gambrell and Zaitsev will need to be activated off injured reserve but the Sens carried a minimum-sized roster through the All-Star break so no corresponding moves will need to be made.
More from around the hockey world:
- Still with Ottawa, the Senators announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled center Mark Kastelic from Belleville of the AHL. The 22-year-old made his NHL debut late last month and has played in three games for Ottawa this season, averaging just under eight minutes a game while winning over 72% of his faceoffs. Kastelic has a dozen points in 34 games at the AHL level.
- While the Hurricanes were hoping that winger Teuvo Teravainen would be good to go following the All-Star break, it appears his lingering lower-body injury hasn’t healed as well as the team hoped. Instead, as Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer notes (Twitter link), Teravainen is listed as a game-time decision for their game against Toronto on Monday. He has missed the last two games due to the injury.
- Free agent winger Andrei Kuzmenko will miss the Olympics due to an unspecified injury, relays Steven Ellis of The Hockey News. The 25-year-old wrapped up the KHL season in second place in KHL scoring with 53 points in 45 games with SKA St. Petersburg and is expected to make the jump to North America next season and sign with an NHL team. While the KHL called the rest of their regular season yesterday, their playoffs will get started after the Olympics so that announcement won’t affect when Kuzmenko will sign.
Teuvo Teravainen “Doubtful” For Carolina Hurricanes Sunday
Carolina Hurricanes right wing Teuvo Teravainen is doubtful to play for the team Sunday against the San Jose Sharks, according to head coach Rod Brind’Amour.
Teravainen missed the team’s game yesterday, a 2-1 win versus New Jersey, as well with an undisclosed injury. It was just his second missed game of the 2021-22 season.
The 27-year-old Finnish forward is fourth on the team in points with 32, potting 11 goals and 21 assists while averaging 17:58 per game. He’s most commonly seen top-line duties with Sebastian Aho at center this year.
In his absence, Jordan Martinook, who Brind’Amour has used sparingly this season (just 25 games played), will continue to play alongside Aho and rookie Seth Jarvis.
Brind’Amour said that there’s a possibility Teravainen may take warmups, so even if he doesn’t return today, it won’t be long before he’s back in the lineup.
Central Notes: Toews, Seguin, Acciari, Hurricanes
While the Blackhawks have been without top center Jonathan Toews all season long due to an illness, it appears as if he should be able to play next season. In a recent video appearance on NBC Sports (video link), TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that while the veteran isn’t expected to return this season, his health continues to improve and as things stand, is expected to be available for the 2021-22 campaign. Toews has two years left on his deal with a $10.5MM AAV and assuming he is back to full health by then, he would almost certainly return to his spot on Chicago’s top line; his vacancy is one that they’ve struggled to fill internally this season.
Elsewhere in the Central:
- Back at the trade deadline, Stars GM Jim Nill was hoping that center Tyler Seguin would be able to return this coming Monday. However, head coach Rick Bowness told reporters, including Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News, that the target date is just “wishful thinking” at this point. However, it doesn’t sound as if the veteran will be out much longer with Bowness indicating he’s hopeful that Seguin will be able to play sometime later in the week. He has missed the entire season after offseason hip surgery and would undoubtedly be a significant addition to a Dallas team that is four points out of the final playoff spot in the division though they have three games in hand on Nashville.
- Panthers center Noel Acciari will miss his fifth straight game tonight due to an upper-body injury, the team announced (Twitter link). The team is targeting one of their games against Nashville on Monday or Tuesday for him to return. Acciari, who was on the top line recently when Aleksander Barkov missed time, has 11 points in 36 games this season.
- Hurricanes winger Jordan Martinook won’t play today after being injured on Thursday, notes Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour expressed some optimism that the 28-year-old won’t be out of the lineup for long. Meanwhile, while Teuvo Teravainen (concussion) took part in some team drills yesterday, he’s also not expected to suit up. He has played just once in the last two months because of his symptoms.
Central Notes: Teravainen, Red Wings, Reichel
Hurricanes winger Teuvo Teravainen practiced with the team for the first time as he works his way back from a concussion that has sidelined him for all but one game over the past two months, reports Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer. The 26-year-old is a big part of Carolina’s offense and would certainly be a huge addition for the stretch run for their battle for first in the Central Division. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour indicated that the final call on when the winger returns will be Teravainen’s and considering this was only his first practice back, he’s likely still at least a few days away.
Elsewhere in the Central:
- The Red Wings have ruled out wingers Robby Fabbri and Evgeny Svechnikov for tonight’s game against Chicago, notes MLive’s Ansar Khan (Twitter link). Fabbri has missed more than two weeks with an upper-body injury but has resumed skating while Svechnikov was injured in Thursday’s morning skate and is listed as day-to-day.
- Still with Detroit, prospect Joe Veleno should be recovered from the concussion that caused him to miss the final three weeks of his SHL season by the time his quarantine period is done, mentions Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. The 21-year-old was a first-rounder of the Red Wings back in 2019 and played in 46 games with Malmo this season, recording 20 points while spending time both at center and on the wing. While he’s reporting to AHL Grand Rapids for the time being, head coach Jeff Blashill suggested that Veleno could see some NHL action down the stretch as well.
- The Blackhawks are hoping to bring 2020 first-round pick Lukas Reichel to North America next season, relays Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. The forward had a strong season with Berlin in the DEL with 27 points in 37 regular season games with their playoffs getting underway this coming week. As Pope notes, Chicago is stockpiling a surplus of forwards which gives them lots of depth and perhaps some chips to try to move this summer.