NHL Buzz: Ehlers week to week for Jets with lower-body injury

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Winnipeg Jets

Nikolaj Ehlers is week to week for the Jets with a lower-body injury.

The forward was injured late in the second period of a 5-4 shootout win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday and did not return for the third. Ehlers was skating down the left boards when he collided with linesperson James Tobias, with Ehlers' right skate blade catching Tobias' skate.

He previously missed nine games with a lower-body injury from Dec. 1-17.

"It's related to the first time," Jets coach Scott Arniel said Tuesday. "Obviously got reinjured again when he ran into the [linesperson]."

Ehlers has 63 points (24 goals, 39 assists) in 69 games this season, which is third on the Jets, behind forwards Kyle Connor (96 points) and Mark Scheifele (86).

Arniel also said forward Gabriel Vilardi, who has missed the past 10 games with an upper-body injury, is day to day. Vilardi has NHL career highs in goals (27), assists (34) and points (61) in 71 games this season.

The Jets (55-22-4) will close out their regular season against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; SN360, SNW, SNP, KCOP-13, Victory+). They have won the Presidents' Trophy as the top team during the regular season and will host the second wild card from the Western Conference in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which begin Saturday.

Minnesota Wild

Jared Spurgeon and Jake Middleton returned against the Ducks at Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday.

Spurgeon, a defenseman and the Wild captain, missed a 3-2 overtime win at the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday after taking a puck in the throat during a 4-2 loss to the Calgary Flames on Friday.

“It was fine for the rest of the shift and then sort of when the whistle went I stood up and everything started to spin, and balance was sort of gone and stuff was starting to blur,” Spurgeon said. “So, obviously a little panic for a bit there, not really sure what's going on. I'm just happy with the way it's recovered.”

Middleton, also a defenseman, missed the previous four games with an upper-body injury he sustained on a hit from New York Islanders center Bo Horvat during a 3-1 loss April 4. He participated in an optional practice Monday.

The Wild (44-30-7) hold the first wild card in the West and can clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Tuesday. They are one point ahead of the St. Louis Blues and three in front of the Flames, who have a game in hand.

“We know the position we're in,” Spurgeon said. “Last one of the regular season is a big one for us, so just play our game. The last game (Saturday), the third period I thought we played so aggressively and that's what led us to being able to tie the game and come back and win for some huge points. We’ve still got a big one here tonight.”

Defenseman Zeev Buium, who joined the team and practiced Monday after signing an entry-level contract, did not play. -- Jessi Pierce

Ottawa Senators

Brady Tkachuk will be ready for the start of the playoffs, Senators coach Travis Green said Monday.

When asked if he believed Tkachuk would be on the ice when the playoffs start April 19, Green said, "I do."

Tkachuk, the Ottawa captain, practiced Monday in a noncontact jersey for the first time since the forward sustained an upper-body injury on a hit from Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves on March 30. He leads the Senators with 29 goals and is tied for third with 55 points in 71 games.

He took line rushes Monday alongside Tim Stutzle and Fabian Zetterlund, and wore a regular jersey Tuesday. However, he missed his eighth consecutive game when Ottawa hosted the Chicago Blackhawks later that night.

"He has to [practice]," Green said. "If you want to be on top of your game after you've been out ... he's no different than any other player, you've got to come back and get some practice time. He's skated on his own for a bit now and it's good to get him with the group. I thought he looked sharp. And I'm sure he'll skate again tomorrow."

It’s unclear whether Tkachuk will play the Senators’ regular-season finale against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.

Ottawa (44-30-6) has clinched the first wild card in the Eastern Conference and will play the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs, which start Saturday. -- Callum Fraser

Toronto Maple Leafs

Oliver Ekman-Larsson is expected to be ready for Game 1 of the playoffs, Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said Tuesday.

The defenseman, who has been skating on his own, has missed the past two games with an upper-body injury. He was injured in a 4-3 overtime win against the Lightning on Wednesday after falling awkwardly on a breakaway in overtime.

"Right now, I mean, I expect him to play, but you never know," Berube said. "He's tough. He'll play through things. And if he's not in the lineup, somebody else is going to have to step up. That's just the bottom line. That's part of the playoffs."

Ekman-Larsson has 29 points (four goals, 25 assists) and is plus-14 in 77 games.

The Maple Leafs, who played the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, will close out the regular season against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday. The playoffs begin Saturday.

Defenseman Jake McCabe is uncertain to return during the regular season and could miss Game 1; he has missed the past five games with an upper-body injury. McCabe is averaging a team-high 21:31 of ice time and has 23 points (two goals, 23 assists) in 66 games.

"There's always a concern, right?" Berube said. "It's just a little ways away yet for me to make those kinds of decisions and things like that. I've got to see them up close a little bit more here and talk to these guys and see where they're at." -- Heather Engel

Buffalo Sabres

Owen Power will miss the final two games of the regular season with a lower-body injury.

The defenseman was injured late in the second period of a 3-2 shootout loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday on a collision with teammate Mattias Samuelsson and Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe.

“Don’t really have a time frame yet, but it looks to be [serious],” coach Lindy Ruff said. “We’ll have more information, a further follow-up today and the next couple days.”

Power, who has an NHL career-high 40 points (seven goals, 33 assists) in 79 games, had played every game this season before missing his first one Sunday, a 7-4 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ruff said had the timing been earlier in the season, Power would be “at least week to week right now, but that’s just me speculating. But he’d be out for some period of time.”

It’s unknown if Power, the No. 1 pick at the 2021 NHL Draft, will need surgery.

“I think it is unfortunate, really,” Ruff said. “I think as soon as we know really the extent and how long it’s going to be, you got to track a plan for him (for the summer).”

Buffalo also played without forward Beck Malenstyn against Toronto on Tuesday because of an undisclosed injury. -- Heather Engel