NHL Buzz: Protas week to week for Capitals with lower-body injury

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Washington Capitals

Aliaksei Protas is week to week with a lower-body injury, Capitals coach Spencer Carbery announced Sunday.

The forward told NHL.com he sustained a skate cut to his foot in the third period of a 5-3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday. Protas finished with two shots on goal in 11:39 of ice time.

He is third on the Capitals with 66 points (30 goals, 36 assists) and is a team-best plus-40 in 76 games this season.

Anthony Beauvillier was in the lineup for a 4-1 loss at the New York Islanders on Sunday with Protas unavailable. Washington (49-19-9) would have clinched the Metropolitan Division with a win. -- Stefen Rosner

Ottawa Senators

Brady Tkachuk missed his fourth straight game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday because of an upper-body injury.

The forward and Senators captain did not play in a 3-0 win against the Florida Panthers on Saturday and has not resumed skating.

"I was hoping he was going to skate today, but he’s not going to," coach Travis Green said Friday. "So, it's about all I can say about it."

Tkachuk was injured on a hit by Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves during Ottawa's 1-0 overtime loss March 30. He remains day to day.

Tkachuk leads the Senators with 29 goals in 71 games, and his 55 points are third.

"He's a big piece to our team," forward Ridly Greig said. "He brings a lot of compete and that kind of emotional side of the game. Everybody has kind of got to step up a little bit and there's a lot more minutes for somebody out there, so guys have to step up."

Ottawa (41-29-6) holds the first wild card in the Eastern Conference, seven points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens. It trails Florida by four points for third place in the Atlantic Division. -- Callum Fraser

Florida Panthers

Aleksander Barkov missed his third straight game against the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday because of an upper-body injury.

The Panthers center and captain did not play in a 3-0 loss at Ottawa on Saturday.

"It's not serious, but he’s not playing this weekend," Florida coach Paul Maurice said Friday.

Barkov appeared to sustain the injury during a 3-2 overtime loss at Montreal on April 1. He left with 6:09 remaining in the second period but returned for the start of the third, ultimately playing 18:27.

He did not play in a 3-2 loss at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.

Barkov is second on the Panthers with 67 points (19 goals, 48 assists) in 64 games.

Florida is also expected to again be without forward Nico Sturm, who sustained an upper-body injury against the Canadiens and did not play Saturday.

Sturm could play when the Panthers start a four-game homestand against the Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

Florida (44-28-4) has lost four in a row (0-3-1) and is two points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for second in the Atlantic, and four ahead of the fourth-place Senators. -- Derek Van Diest

Dallas Stars

Jamie Benn returned against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday after missing two games with an upper-body injury.

The 35-year-old forward had a streak of 371 consecutive games played, the fifth-longest in the NHL -- end with the recent absence. He has 45 points (16 goals, 29 assists) in 74 games this season.

“He’ll be excited to play, so it’s nice to have him back,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “He’s missed when he’s not out there for a bunch of different reasons, not just on the ice, but his leadership off the ice.

“He’s a world-class player, and he’s a big body. He brings some things to our group that we don’t have a lot of that are really unique to him, so he’s missed when he’s not there.”

Benn was right wing of the third line alongside Wyatt Johnston and Mavrik Bourque. Colin Blackwell was a healthy scratch. -- Jessi Pierce

Los Angeles Kings

Drew Doughty is questionable against the Seattle Kraken on Monday (10:30 p.m. ET; FDSNW, KHN, KONG).

The defenseman did not practice Sunday after missing the last 7:46 of the third period in a 3-0 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. Doughty has been limited or held out of practices and morning skates to manage his left ankle after breaking it in a preseason game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sept. 25.

He made his season debut Jan. 29 and has 17 points (four goals, 13 assists) in 28 games while averaging a team-high 24:18 of ice time.

“No, I think everything is precautionary, what I could call it, but not a concern,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said Sunday. “I mean, we said he’ll be dealing with something the rest of the way, so he’s never going to be 100 (percent).

“We just want to make sure, you know, schedule, minutes, timing, all those kinds of things, that we keep him relatively fresh.”

Alex Turcotte (upper body) returned to practice Sunday in a noncontact jersey, the forward’s first on-ice work with the team after missing seven games. Turcotte has 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 64 games.

“That’s progress, back on the ice with the jersey on,” Hiller said. “I thought he looked good today. We’ll be careful where he goes. I wouldn’t expect him anytime soon, but progress for sure.” -- Dan Greenspan

St. Louis Blues

Dylan Holloway is week to week because of a lower-body injury.

The forward was hit by Penguins forward Rutger McGroarty with 2:51 remaining in the first period of the Blues' 5-4 overtime win Thursday. He played one more shift before leaving the game with 1:03 left in the first.

Holloway is third on the Blues with 63 points (26 goals, 37 assists) in 77 games.

The Blues (43-28-7), who have won 12 straight games, are four points ahead of the Wild for the first wild card in the Western Conference. -- Lou Korac