Eberle to return for Kraken; Tkachuk out for Panthers with lower-body injury
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Sidney Crosby will play against the Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN360, TVAS).
The center played all four games for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, including 19:13 in a 3-2 overtime win against the United States in the championship game Thursday. But he had missed the Penguins’ two games prior to the break for the 4 Nations because of an upper-body injury.
Crosby did not practice Friday.
Coach Mike Sullivan, who was U.S. coach, said he was under the impression Crosby’s injury did not worsen during the best-on-best tournament.
“Sid and I talked briefly on the plane coming back here this morning,” Sullivan said. “Right now we’ll probably make him a game-time decision. He was obviously excused from practice today, but he’s feeling good.
“He obviously played extremely well, which you guys witnessed. But in my short conversations with him, he felt pretty good from a health standpoint and where he’s at. So, that’s encouraging.”
Evgeni Malkin is expected to return from a lower-body injury that sidelined him for six games. He skated at first-line center, Crosby’s usual position, on Friday alongside left wing Rickard Rakell and right wing Bryan Rust, who will not play after becoming ill on Friday night. — Wes Crosby
Jordan Eberle will return for the Kraken when they visit the Florida Panthers on Saturday (6 p.m. ET; KHN, SCRIPPS, KONG).
Eberle, a forward, had been out because of a pelvis injury sustained Nov. 14. The Kraken announced Nov. 22 that surgery was performed and would keep him out at least three months.
The Seattle captain also spent time with Coachella Valley of the AHL.
Kraken coach Dan Bylsma said those workouts were extremely beneficial because of how much time Eberle has missed.
“He has had some practice time in [Coachella Valley] which included some contact and some physicality,” Bylsma said Friday. “We have gotten that this week and, as he reacts to it, we’ll make the judgement of when he gets back into a game. He’s been doing pretty well. He has been practicing, and he didn’t think [Seattle’s] first practice was that hard because he has been practicing for two weeks. So, that’s a good sign.”
Eberle has 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 17 games this season. — George Richards
Matthew Tkachuk will not play against the Kraken on Saturday (6 p.m. ET; KHN, SCRIPPS, KONG) because of a lower-body injury.
The forward was injured while playing for the U.S. at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice did not have a timeline on Tkachuk’s potential return.
“He is going to get looked at Sunday and Monday,” Maurice said. “We’re going to have our people get their hands on him, and then we’ll have a real clear plan after that. … We’re going to let it settle down the next few days, get iced down, and then he’ll get looked at.”
Tkachuk sat out the final 12:36 of the third period against Canada on Feb. 15, didn’t play against Sweden on Monday and was limited to 6:47 of ice time in the 3-2 overtime loss to Canada in the championship game Thursday.
He did not play in the third period or overtime.
Forwards Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett, who helped Canada win the championship, did not participate in the morning skate but will play Saturday. — George Richards
Connor McDavid was in the lineup against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; NBCSP, SNW, SN1).
The center, who scored the championship-winning goal for Canada in its 3-2 overtime win against the U.S. at the 4 Nations Face-Off on Thursday, was traveling from Boston on Friday and missed practice.
Coach Kris Knoblauch said McDavid isn’t a fan of missing time if he’s available.
“I think we’re going to get the same player that we always have,” coach Kris Knoblauch said. “He’s very highly competitive, one of the best, almost every single night, and ready to help our team. Sometimes you worry about the player not having a break. All these other players had a break, but with Connor, I don’t think I could force him. I don’t think I could keep him away from the rink, just because he’s always wanting to be part of the team and help contribute and not get any special treatment.”
Knoblauch said forward Matt Savoie will make his NHL debut Saturday. The 21-year-old is third among American Hockey League rookies with 37 points (13 goals, 24 assists) in 45 games for Bakersfield.
“We want to give him a little bit of leeway, runway, of playing and seeing where he fits in, whether he’s an NHL player, if he’s ready to help our team,” Knoblauch said. “I absolutely believe he’s a player that can play in the NHL. Is he a player that’s going to move the needle and make our team better? That’ll be time to tell. So far he’s had three practices with us and we’ve been very impressed with him.”
A roster move will have to be made prior to officially adding Savoie to the NHL roster. — Adam Kimelman
Owen Tippett, Ryan Poehling, Rasmus Ristolainen and Egor Zamula played against the Oilers on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; NBCSP, SNW, SN1) after each missed time because of upper-body injuries.
All four practiced Thursday and Friday.
Tippett, a forward was injured Jan. 29 and missed five games; Poehling was out 11 after the forward was injured Jan. 16. Ristolainen, a defenseman, missed three games after being injured Feb. 2, and Zamula was out eight. It will be the defenseman’s first game since Jan. 23.
Jakob Pelletier’s immigration paperwork has been finalized, and the forward will make his Flyers debut after being acquired in a trade with the Calgary Flames along with Andrei Kuzmenko on Jan. 30.
Assistant coach Brad Shaw said Friday that he expects forward Travis Konecny and defenseman Travis Sanheim to play after each played for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“As far as what the roster looks like tomorrow, I’m not really going to comment on that,” Shaw said. “I would expect them to, yes. I’m not privy to what their status is so I would assume they’re playing.” — Adam Kimelman
Igor Shesterkin practiced Thursday and could play against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday (5:30 p.m. ET; MSG-B, MSG).
The Rangers announced Feb. 8 their No. 1 goalie would be out 1-2 weeks because of an upper-body injury. Shesterkin started the night before and made 23 saves in a 3-2 loss to the Penguins. He stayed down on the ice after a net-front scramble late in the first period but remained in the game after being checked on by a trainer.
Shesterkin is 18-19-2 with a 2.87 goals-against average, .906 save percentage and three shutouts in 39 games this season.
Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said Friday forwards Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck, and defenseman Adam Fox, will meet the Rangers in Buffalo and are expected to play after playing for the U.S. at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Forward Mika Zibanejad, who missed Sweden’s game against the U.S. at the 4 Nations on Monday because of an illness, practiced Friday after skating on his own Thursday.
Jordan Greenway could return from a middle-body injury when the Sabres play the Rangers on Saturday (5:30 p.m. ET; MSG-B, MSG).
The forward, who had surgery for the injury in December, has missed 23 games. He had missed 10 games from Nov. 15-Dec. 8 because of the injury, returned Dec. 9 but played four games before leaving the lineup again.
“All plans are that he’s ready to go,” coach Lindy Ruff said.
Greenway skated at left wing with center Dylan Cozens and right wing Jack Quinn during practice this week.
He has seven points (three goals, four assists) in 20 games.
Mattias Samuelsson is available to play after being out the final two games before the break with a broken bone in his foot. The defenseman sustained the injury blocking a shot during a 4-3 win against the Devils on Feb. 2 but did not miss a shift.
“The foot just blew up, I couldn’t really put it in my skate,” Samuelsson said. “Let it heal before break, came back and [it’s] fine.”
Beck Malenstyn also could play after missing one game because of back spasms. The forward left during the second period of a 3-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Feb. 4. He rejoined the Sabres at practice Wednesday after skating on his own Tuesday.
“He’s feeling good injury-wise, and he dealt with the flu bug, too, at the same time,” Ruff said. “He looks like he’s in a good place.”
Malenstyn practiced at his usual spot at left wing on the fourth line. — Heather Engel
Nico Hischier will return against the Dallas Stars on Saturday (6 p.m. ET; MSGSN, Victory+).
“The plan is playing tomorrow,” the Devils captain said Friday. “I felt better again today [during practice], and I’m just trying to get back into the game mindset.”
The center was placed on injured reserve Feb. 6, retroactive to Jan. 25, and missed six games because of an oblique injury. He has participated in all three practices this week.
New Jersey coach Sheldon Keefe said center Jack Hughes will play Saturday after representing the U.S. in the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“When Jack’s in the lineup he wants to play, and as a coach you want to play him,” Keefe said. “He made the decision to come out here and be with the group (at the skate) this morning and he’s excited to get going. We have one game in five days coming out of this back-to-back, so we’ll find time to get him some rest after this. But right now, we’re going to need him.”
The Devils visit the Nashville Predators on Sunday.
Goalie Jacob Markstrom, who was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, was on the ice for some work prior to practice for the second time this week. He sustained a sprained MCL in his knee during a 5-1 win against the Boston Bruins on Jan. 22 and was expected to miss 4-6 weeks.
“He’s progressing,” Keefe said. “He got a full goalie session today, his second practice now. He’s been out for the early portion as scheduled before leaving the ice. He’s not building up a full workload yet so he’s not close to playing at this point. But he’s certainly making his way to being closer to a full practice participant and that’ll be the next step for him.” — Mike G. Morreale
Adam Wilsby will miss the remainder of the season because of an upper-body injury, and Zachary L'Heureux will be out week to week because of an upper-body injury.
Wilsby, a defenseman, signed a two-year, $1.55 million contract ($775,000 average annual value) with the Predators on Feb. 9. The contract begins with the 2025-26 season as a two-way contract and is a one-way contract for 2026-27. The rookie has five points (one goal, four assists) in 23 games this season. Wilsby, who was selected in the fourth round (No. 101) of the 2020 NHL Draft, missed Nashville’s final two games before the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Defenseman Andreas Englund is expected to replace Wilsby when the Predators host the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday (6 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, ALT).
L’Heureux, a forward who was selected in the first round (No.27) of the 2021 NHL Draft, has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 45 games.
Forward Mark Jankowski was activated from injured reserve after missing nine games because of an upper-body injury.
The Predators announced earlier this week defenseman Jeremy Lauzon will be out 4-6 months because of a lower-body injury.
Nashville recalled defenseman Jake Livingstone from Milwaukee of the AHL on Friday. – Robby Stanley
Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner will play against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, SN1, SNO, SNP, NHLN, FDSNSO).
Neither forward practiced Friday after playing in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game Thursday, which Canada won 3-2 in overtime against the United States.
Marner had two assists, including on the overtime goal by McDavid and was plus-2 in 18:00 of ice time. Matthews had two assists and was plus-1 in 20:47 of ice time for the U.S.
“They played the games, but they had time off there too from a physical standpoint,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said. “But there’s a lot put into that game by both teams and players. I think emotionally it will be interesting to see. I think it’s a mental grind to be in that environment shift after shift.”
Forward Max Pacioretty will not play Saturday while he continues to deal with “tightness.” He skated prior to practice Friday.
“Didn’t feel good enough with what happened the other day,” Berube said. “He needs to get relief. It’s not so much of an injury I don’t believe, it’s that he’s got some tightness and things like that. He could come in tomorrow and feel a lot better. He said he felt better today which is good but just not capable of getting out there and practicing just yet.”
Forward Connor Dewar will miss his eighth straight game Saturday. He could return Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks. — Dave McCarthy
Adam Lowry will return against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; KMOV-TV, Matrix-TV, SNW) after missing eight games with an upper-body injury.
The Jets captain was injured Jan. 20 when was limited to 5:18 of ice time against the Utah Hockey Club.
Winnipeg (39-14-3), riding an eight-game winning streak, has not lost since the forward has been out of the lineup. Lowry is expected to center the third line between Nino Niederreiter and Mason Appleton.
Lowry has 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in 48 games this season and is plus-17.
“We knew it was going to be a big hole (to fill),” coach Scott Arniel said. “But we talked to the group about when we did it early in the year when we lost all our defense and we had to go deep with our defensemen right from the start of training camp. Guys stepped up and played through their roles, bigger minutes, bigger responsibilities.
“It was the same thing for our forwards, whether that was bigger penalty kill minutes for some guys, whether that was face-off, [defensive]-zone face-off, more opportunities to take more draws, go head-to-head against other teams’ top lines. It wasn’t just one guy, it was cumulative. There was a bunch of different guys that had to pick up some of that ice that Adam eats up each and every game.”
Connor Hellebuyck and Josh Morrissey won’t play Saturday.
Hellebuyck played for the U.S. and Morrissey for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“They’re flying back to Winnipeg right now and won’t be going to St. Louis,” Arniel said Friday.
Morrissey, a defenseman, did not play Thursday because of an illness. Hellebuyck, who started in goal, had been sick earlier in the week. — Lou Korac
Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson will each be a game-time decision against the Montreal Canadiens at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, CITY, SNE).
Tkachuk, a forward, and Sanderson, a defenseman, each represented the U.S. at the 4 Nations Face-Off and played in the 3-2 overtime loss to Canada on Thursday.
“Well, I’ve talked to them briefly,” Senators coach Travis Green said after the morning skate. “Obviously, they’re down a little bit from losing. … I was proud of them. They both performed exceptionally. Jake found a way to get in, played great going in. Not surprising at all. Brady had an outstanding tournament, obviously.”
Green would not divulge any potential lines or pairings for Saturday, but Tim Stutzle and Claude Giroux took reps on the first line at the morning skate with defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker as a placeholder on left wing, seemingly for Tkachuk. Thomas Chabot practiced on the first defense pair with Artem Zub, Sanderson’s normal partner.
Defenseman Nick Jensen (undisclosed) will also be a game-time decision.
Centers Josh Norris (mid body) and Shane Pinto (upper body) will not play. Norris has missed four games since Feb. 1; Pinto has missed two since Feb. 4.
“They had the day off the ice today and back at it tomorrow,” Green said. “Hopefully they’re back sooner than later.” — Callum Fraser
Colton Parayko will play both games for the Blues this weekend, against the Jets on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; KMOV-TV, Matrix-MW, SNW) and the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.
The defenseman played all four games at the 4 Nations Face-Off to help Canada win the best-on-best tournament, including 17:49 in a 3-2 overtime win against the United States in the championship game Thursday.
“He’s going to play both games, and he’s going to play 24 minutes,” St. Louis coach Jim Montgomery said Friday, alluding to Parayko’s average ice time (24:13). “He’s a physical specimen, he takes care of himself so well and he loves to compete, loves being a Blue.
“Thankfully he’s only averaging 18 minutes there [at 4 Nations].”
Parayko was plus-1 with six shots on goal in 19:12 of ice time per game at the tournament.
Goalie Jordan Binnington, who made 31 saves for Canada on Thursday, likely will start Sunday with Joel Hofer playing Saturday, but Montgomery said he hasn’t made a final decision yet.
Montgomery said Parayko and Binnington will get needed rest in between the coming days with the Blues coming out of the break playing six games in nine days.
“We’re going to have to look to definitely give them more rest,” he said. “They’re going to have to play games for us, we know that. But if we’re coming in, maybe we tell them to stay home a couple days so that they can regenerate the batteries because not only have they not had the break that we all had, but they’re playing real intense … the game [Thursday was] emotional, it’s physically and mentally draining. They need a break from that.” — Lou Korac
Emil Heineman will make his return from an upper-body injury against the Senators on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; CITY, SNE, TVAS).
The 23-year-old rookie forward missed 14 games after being hit by a car as a pedestrian in Salt Lake City on Jan. 13, one day before a game at the Utah Hockey Club.
“I just want to get back into things as quickly as possible,” Heineman said. “Try to not make it too complicated out there and get back into timing, stuff like that. I just want to get out there and help, help the team, and play.”
Heineman, who has 17 points (10 goals, seven assists) in 41 games this season, will play left wing on the fourth line alongside Jake Evans and Joel Armia.
“You can see how valuable he is to our group,” Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher said of Heineman on Friday. “I think he really balanced our four lines. He does a lot for us and we’re happy to see him back. You can kind of laugh about it now — the guy got hit by a car. It’s kind of unfortunate. There’s not much you can do it about.
“Glad he’s OK, to be honest. … He’s a big strong guy; I guess that’s what it took to take him out.” — Callum Fraser
Sean Durzi will return against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday (9 p.m. ET; FDSNW, Utah16) after missing 52 games because of a shoulder injury.
The defenseman was injured in a 3-0 loss at the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 14 and had surgery on his right shoulder. He was expected to miss 4-6 months.
Durzi had two assists in four games prior to the injury after leading all Arizona Coyotes defensemen last season with 41 points (nine goals and 32 assists) in 76 games. He was acquired by the Coyotes in a trade with the Kings on June 24, 2023, and signed a four-year, $24 million contract ($6 million average annual value) on June 30, 2024. — Dan Greenspan
Noah Dobson was a full participant at practice for the Islanders on Saturday.
The 25-year-old defenseman has missed nine games since sustaining a lower-body injury in a 3-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 20.
Dobson remains on long-term injured reserve and is ineligible to play against the Dallas Stars on Sunday (7:30 p.m. ET; Victory +, MSGSN). Any player on LTIR must miss 10 games.
There is no timeline on Dobson’s return to the lineup.
“No, not yet. We’ll see how he feels,” coach Patrick Roy said Saturday. “But I would say for all the guys that have been hurt, they’re progressing very well, which is good for us.”
Defensemen Scott Mayfield (lower body) and Ryan Pulock (upper body), who are on injured reserve, were full participants at practice and could play Sunday.
“We’ll see how it goes tomorrow morning, and if they’re ready to play, then they’ll jump in,” Roy said.
Defenseman Dennis Cholowski cleared waivers Friday. — Stefen Rosner
Tyson Barrie was assigned to Calgary of the AHL on Friday.
The defenseman has three points (one goal, two assists) and is averaging 15:48 of ice time in 13 games this season. He played in five of the Flames’ final seven games before the break for the 4 Nations after being scratched for 31 straight games.
The 33-year-old, who signed a one-year, $1.25 million contract Oct. 3 after attending Flames training camp on a professional tryout, has 508 points (110 goals, 398 assists) in 822 regular-season games with the Flames, Predators, Oilers, Maple Leafs and Avalanche, and 21 points (two goals, 19 assists) in 47 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Calgary also recalled forward Adam Klapka from the AHL and re-assigned defenseman Yan Kuznetsov.
The Flames next play Sunday against the San Jose Sharks.
