vegas golden knights
Jack Eichel will miss the Golden Knights’ game against the Calgary Flames on Saturday (10 p.m. ET, SCRIPPS, TVAS2, CITY, SN, CBC). His reason was a lower body injury sustained in overtime in a 2-1 win against the Boston Bruins. Thursday.
“He’s going to miss some time,” Las Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said of the center. “But we don’t know how long it will take. Obviously it’s not good news for us or for Jack. But we’ll see how it goes.”
Eichel left the game on Thursday but returned and later scored.
He led the Golden Knights with 19 goals and 44 points in 42 games this season and was selected to the 2024 NHL All-Star Game last week.
Vegas recalled forward Byron Froese from Henderson of the American Hockey League. He is scheduled to play on Saturday. — Paul Delos Santos
minnesota wild
Filip Gustafsson and Kirill Kaprizov return when the Wild host the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, SCRIPPS, BSWIX, BSN).
This will be the first time Gustafsson will suit up since the goaltender suffered a lower-body injury Dec. 30 against Winnipeg.
Gustafsson, who started Saturday, has appeared in 22 games this season and has a 10-9-2 record with a 2.96 goals-against average and .903 save percentage.
Forward Kaprizov missed seven games with an upper-body injury. He leads Minnesota with 34 points (13 goals, 21 assists) in 34 games this season.
Defenseman Jonas Brodin will miss his 17th game with an upper-body injury due to a mid-game decision. — Jesse Pierce
winnipeg jets
Mark Scheifele did not play for the Jets against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, NBCSP).
The forward left Thursday’s 2-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks after the first shift of the second period with a lower-body injury and did not return.
After Friday’s practice, coach Rick Bowness listed Scheifele as an day-to-day player.
“That’s good. The way he pulled up when he was skating and the way he left the ice and didn’t come back,” Bowness said. “You know, he’s a great competitor and they’ll fight through anything. So we took precautions and that’s the smart thing to do.”
Scheifele leads Winnipeg this season with 41 points (14 goals, 27 assists) in 41 games.
Scheifele’s linemate Nikolaj Ehlers was ruled out midway through the game with an upper-body injury, but was included in the starting lineup, while forward Rasmus Kupari also missed 26 games with a shoulder injury sustained on Nov. 14. I played after that.
Forward Kyle Connor, who leads the Jets with 17 goals, is close to returning after missing 16 games with a knee injury. Conner skated Saturday in a full-contact jersey for the first time since being placed on injured reserve on Dec. 13. — Darin Bauming
washington capitals
Alex Ovechkin missed the Capitals’ 3-2 win over the New York Rangers on Saturday due to a lower-body injury.
The 38-year-old left wing suffered a foot injury to Jordan Staal in the third period of a 6-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on January 5, and fought through the injury to win a 4-3 victory. Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings and Thursday’s game against the Seattle Kraken were 4-1 losses due to pregame decisions.
It was the first game Ovechkin has missed this season. He leads Washington with 27 points (eight goals, 19 assists) in 39 games, including points in each of the past six games (two goals, five assists).
Capitals manager Spencer Carberry did not rule out Ovechkin for Sunday’s game against the Rangers.
“It’s an outside chance, but I think I have a chance to play tomorrow,” Carberry said after Saturday’s game.
Forward Tom Wilson returned to action Saturday after missing the game against Seattle with a broken nose.He did not take a shot on goal in 15:08 of ice time. — Tom Gritty
arizona coyotes
Matt Dumba was looking forward to returning to Minnesota when the Coyotes visited the Minnesota Wild on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, SCRIPPS, BSWIX, BSN).
“I’m sure there are many. [emotions]”But at the same time, I’m really looking forward to it and have been looking forward to this day for a while,” Dumba said. “It’s always fun playing against your friends. It draws you into the game and keeps you having fun. You keep squealing and talking the whole game. Yes, I expect a good match tonight.”
The 29-year-old defenseman was drafted in the first round (seventh pick) of the 2012 NHL Draft by Minnesota, playing in 598 games and scoring 236 points (79 goals, 157 assists) in 10 seasons with the Wild. Acting captain from 2021 to 2023.
Dumba signed a one-year contract with the Coyotes on August 6th. He has five points (two goals, three assists) and -11 points in 39 games this season.
Dumba said, “It was good. We had a good group of members. It’s a really fun team.” “I enjoy that part of it because I get to come to the rink every day and play with a high level of skill and a really fast pace. Life in Arizona is pretty good. It’s gotten a little softer. Last night I went straight to the closet and I grabbed it” Goose’s jacket. It was cold. It’s good to be back. ” — Jesse Pierce
carolina hurricanes
Pyotr Kochetkov is being treated for a concussion after the goalie’s ejection in Thursday’s 6-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks. At 12:55 of the second period, he collided with Ducks forward Isaac Landerstrom.
Antti Raanta, who made three saves Thursday in relief of Kochetkov, started Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PNC Arena (7 p.m. ET, SN-PIT, BSSO). He has 8 wins, 5 losses, and 2 draws in 17 games (14 starts) with a 3.27 points average, .862 save percentage, and one shutout.
The Hurricanes brought back Yaniv Peretz from Norfolk of the ECHL as backup. In his first year as a pro, he suited up for four games in December but has yet to make his NHL debut.
Carolina is already without goaltender Frederik Andersen, who is suffering from blood clotting issues. The 34-year-old hasn’t played since Nov. 2, when he made 24 saves in a 2-1 loss to the Rangers. He has started six games this season and has a 4-1-0 record with a 2.87 GAA and .894 save percentage.
Kochetkov emerged as the Hurricanes’ No. 1 goaltender during Andersen’s absence. He has an 11-7-3 record, 2.58 GAA, .900 save percentage and one shutout in 23 games (21 starts).
Carolina brought in free agent goaltender Jaroslav Halak in November and Aaron Dell in December on pro tryout (PTO) contracts, but did not sign either.
“We have to deal with what we have here,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “I can’t answer that, so that’s all I can comment on.” — Kurt Dasterberg
chicago blackhawks
Seth Jones was placed on injured reserve and returned to the Blackhawks for Saturday’s game against the Dallas Stars (8 p.m. ET, BSSWX, NBCSCH).
The defenseman has missed 15 games since sustaining a shoulder injury Dec. 10 against the Capitals in a 4-2 loss.
“It’s the SC (sternoclavicular joint), which is like where the collarbone and sternum connect here, and that’s where it showed up,” Jones said Friday. “So the doctor told me I wouldn’t be able to hear back for four weeks, which wasn’t what I was expecting because when I was first told it was two weeks. I looked into it more and found out. It was twice that. [stinks] sitting outside. Whether the team wins or loses, [stinks] I sit outside and watch. So I’m happy to be back in the lineup tomorrow.”
Jones has 11 assists in 27 games this season and leads Chicago in ice time (25 minutes, 25 seconds) per game.
“The players are excited and I think they’ll definitely give us a push when we come back,” coach Luke Richardson said. “Obviously he’s a good player, so we’re looking forward to it.” — Tracy Myers
st louis blues
Justin Faulk returned for Saturday’s game against the Boston Bruins (8 p.m. ET, BSMW, NESN).
The defenseman, who was placed on injured reserve on Friday, suffered a lower-body injury in a 2-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 29 and missed five games.
“I’m fine,” Faulk said after Friday’s practice. “I’m just trying to get better every day and continue the process and try to get as comfortable as I can. … I’ve probably been skating for about six days now, and for the most part, I’ve had more fun every day.” I’m here.”
Faulk was injured when he was clipped from behind by Avalanche defenseman Josh Munson in the final minutes of the game when the Blues were playing with an extra skater. He limped to the bench and was ruled out for the next day’s game against Pittsburgh after the game.
Faulk has 17 points (2 goals, 15 assists) in 35 games this season.
During his absence, Matthew Kessel was recalled from Springfield of the AHL. He has no points in five games and averages 17 minutes, 34 seconds of ice time.
“He was playing well,” Faulk said of Kessel. “I’m happy and we won some games. Not too much has changed, but it’s nice to see the guys coming in and stepping up.”
To make room on the roster for Faulk, the Blues assigned forward Jakub Vrana to Springfield. — Lou Colak
