NHL Buzz: Tkachuk out for Senators with upper-body injury

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Ottawa Senators

Brady Tkachuk did not play against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday because of an upper-body injury.

"It's not what you want, that's for sure," coach Travis Green said following the morning skate. "But that's part of the NHL, you're going to lose guys. Hopefully he'll just be out for a game."

Green confirmed Tkachuk sustained the injury from a Ryan Graves hit late in the second period of a 1-0 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday. Graves was assessed a minor penalty for interference on the play.

This most recent injury is on top of a nagging lower-body injury Tkachuk sustained while representing the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. That injury forced the forward to miss two games (Feb. 22-26) and numerous subsequent practices.

"It hasn't been easy for him," Ottawa forward Shane Pinto said. "I think he's been doing the best he can. But yeah, I think that just shows his character. I think he's trying to grind it out for the boys. It's good that hopefully he gets a little rest here and hopefully comes back sooner than later because obviously, he's a big part of our team."

Tkachuk leads the Senators with 29 goals and has 55 points in 71 games this season.

"It's a lot of hockey," Ottawa defenseman Thomas Chabot said. "Obviously, he didn't get the bye week either [during the 4 Nations Face-Off] , but I mean everybody [fights through it] at this time of the year.

"Brady has been the leader behind it all and he's been pushing for us. Obviously you never want to see a teammate miss any games, but whatever he needs to do to get back and ready for that stretch coming up here."

The Senators (39-28-6) hold the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference, seven points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens. -- Callum Fraser

Vancouver Canucks

Filip Chytil might not play again this season because of lingering symptoms from a concussion the Canucks forward sustained on a hit into the boards on March 15.

Chytil, who was centering the Canucks' second line after being acquired from the New York Rangers on Jan. 31 as part of the trade for forward J.T. Miller, hasn’t played since getting hit from behind by Chicago Blackhawks forward Jason Dickinson with 4:56 remaining in the third period of a 6-2 win.

According to coach Rick Tocchet, Chytil has skated on his own in the 2 1/2 weeks since leaving that game, but with mixed results.

“Good days and bad days he's had,” Tocchet said after practice Tuesday. “He'd go out and skate, felt good. The next day, not as good. So, to be honest with you guys, does he play this year? Maybe the odds are against it. You don't want to put a guy in that type of position but when a guy has good days and bad days, obviously, you're not going to play the guy.”

Chytil also missed time due to head injuries while with the Rangers, playing only 10 games in 2023-24. He had six points (two goals, four assists) in 15 games with the Canucks after having 20 points (11 goals, nine assists) in 41 games with New York this season.

Tocchet was asked if he was worried about Chytil’s career.

“I don't know because I talked to him today and he said it was different than his last concussion,” Tocchet said. “The bad days aren't as bad, so that's a positive, so I think we’ve got to take the positive approach. Plus, he's got four or five months to rebuild himself.”

Tocchet also updated the status of injured forwards Elias Pettersson and Nils Hoglander, who were playing together on the top line before each was injured during a 5-3 loss at the Rangers on March 22, which resulted in them missing the final four games of a six-game road trip.

Hoglander practiced in a noncontact jersey on Tuesday, but Pettersson wasn’t on the ice with the team and Tocchet said he remains day to day with an upper-body injury.

“He's skated I think once or twice, didn't skate that hard, a little bit of discomfort,” Tocchet said of Pettersson, who is third in team scoring with 45 points (15 goals, 30 assists) in 64 games this season. “When a guy is day to day, you expect him to play, but I don't know the discomfort level, where it's going to go.”

Hoglander, who has 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 66 games this season, is closer to returning.

“He's closer, I guess, than the other guys but this guy wants to play so bad, so we got to be careful with that,” Tocchet said. -- Kevin Woodley

Boston Bruins

Charlie McAvoy practiced in a regular jersey on Monday, although there still is no timeline for the defenseman's return.

McAvoy, who has not played since the 4 Nations Face-Off, sustained an injury to his right shoulder while playing for the United States against Finland on Feb. 13. He played against Canada on Feb. 15 before being admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital with pain in his shoulder. He was diagnosed with an infection and a significant injury to his AC joint.

"We're going one day at a time, I think that's how I'm approaching it and how our staff is as well, just doing every day what we can to try and improve my shoulder," McAvoy said Monday.

When asked if it was more about pain or building strength, McAvoy said, "Both."

McAvoy, who joined the Bruins for a portion of their recent road trip, has 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in 50 games this season.

"He's out of the red (noncontact) jersey, he was into a black jersey, which is the next step in his progression," Bruins interim coach Joe Sacco said. "Today (he) was able to start some initial contact with the group. We still have no timeline on his return yet."

Asked if he would return to play with Boston (30-35-9) unlikely to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Sacco said, "I think if he's ready and he's cleared to play, like any player, they want to get back in there."

The Bruins are eight points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card into playoffs from the Eastern Conference. -- Amalie Benjamin

Vegas Golden Knights

Tomas Hertl will not return this week, Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said Monday.

The forward has not played since sustaining an upper-body injury during a 4-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on March. 23.

"Hertl won't be available this week, that's all I know," Cassidy said after practice. "We'll do our best to update you after that."

Hertl is tied for the Golden Knights lead with 31 goals and is third with 59 points in 70 games this season. He has eight goals in his past 10 games.

Alex Pietrangelo is nearing a return from a lower-body injury. The defenseman was a late scratch for a 5-1 win against the Minnesota Wild on March 25 and did not play during the Golden Knights' three-game road trip, which ended Saturday.

"'Petro' was out with the group today," Cassidy said. "... He's in a regular jersey, so he's close."

Goalie Ilya Samsonov is day to day because of a lower-body injury. He was a late scratch prior to a 3-1 win against the Nashville Predators on Saturday.