NHL Buzz: Doughty misses Kings loss to Kraken
Ehlers out again for Jets; Staal, Svechnikov, Chatfield could play for Hurricanes on Tuesday
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Los Angeles Kings
Drew Doughty did not play for the Kings in a 2-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Monday.
The defenseman did not practice on Sunday after missing the final 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.
Since making his season debut Jan. 29, Doughty has 17 points (four goals, 13 assists) in 28 games while averaging a team-high 24:18 of ice time.
Defenseman Joel Edmundson also did not play in the loss to the Kraken. He is day to day with an upper-body injury.
“Drew is whatever, he’s the same as he always is,” coach Jim Hiller said after the loss. “We got to give him a little time. And 'Eddie' is day to day, so those really weren’t hard decisions just based on that. So, we’re not sure when they’ll be back.”
Los Angeles (44-24-9) has clinched a Stanley Cup Playoff berth and is second in the Pacific Division, four points ahead of the Oilers and five behind the Golden Knights.
Alex Turcotte (upper body) returned to practice on 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
Winnipeg Jets
Nikolaj Ehlers did not play for the Jets in a 3-1 win against the St. Louis Blues on Monday.
It was the second straight game the forward has missed. Ehlers, who has 63 points (24 goals, 39 assists) in 67 games this season, left a 4-0 win at the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday after he took pucks off his foot and the inside of his leg on separate plays.
“Just obviously the comfort level, got out there with the (morning) skate, which is great,” Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said. “So, we’ll just see how he is after or this afternoon and take it from there.”
Arniel also said defenseman Neal Pionk, who has missed 12 games with a lower-body injury, is nearing a return, and forward Gabriel Vilardi (upper body), who has missed seven, is close to resuming skating.
The Jets (53-21-4) are at the top of the NHL standings, three points ahead of the Washington Capitals. -- Darrin Bauming
Carolina Hurricanes
Jordan Staal, Andrei Svechnikov and Jalen Chatfield could each return for the Hurricanes against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNO, MSG-B).
Staal, a center and the Hurricanes captain, has missed four games because of a lower-body injury. He has 33 points (12 goals, 21 assists) and is plus-13 in 71 games this season.
Svechnikov (undisclosed) has missed the past two games after the forward returned for three following a seven-game absence because of an upper-body injury. He has 45 points (19 goals, 26 assists) in 66 games.
Chatfield, a defenseman, missed a 5-1 loss at the Boston Bruins on Saturday. He has 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) and is plus-19 in 75 games.
“We’ve got a lot of guys out of the lineup; that’s not ideal,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said after practice Monday. “I don’t know what the lineup is going to be (Tuesday), I don’t know who is available yet. The guys that were skating today, that’s a positive sign, but I don’t know. More than anything, it’s mitigating risk probably by taking them out.”
Jesperi Kotkaniemi played 7:42 on Saturday before he left the game in the second period. The forward did not practice Monday and was being evaluated. Kotkaniemi has 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) in 76 games.
The Hurricanes (46-26-4) have clinched a playoff berth and are second in the Metropolitan Division, seven points ahead of the New Jersey Devils.
“It’s tough when all that is going on, but we’ve put ourselves in a good spot,” Brind’Amour said. “Inevitably, it’s not going to matter. We’re going to get to the next phase.” -- Kurt Dusterberg
Toronto Maple Leafs
Jake McCabe and David Kampf each will not travel and will miss the Maple Leafs’ next two games, against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, TSN4) and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday.
“They’ll stay home,” coach Craig Berube said Monday. “They were skating today, which is good, but they’ll be out the next two games.”
McCabe, a defenseman, left a 3-2 win against the Panthers on April 1 late in the third period with an undisclosed injury; Kampf, a forward, left the same game after the second period with an upper-body injury.
Berube said Friday each was day to day and added Monday that “it looks like (they are progressing well).”
Toronto (47-25-4) has clinched a playoff berth and is first in the Atlantic Division, two points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning. -- Dave McCarthy
Ottawa Senators
Brady Tkachuk missed his fourth straight game Sunday, a 4-0 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets, because of an upper-body injury.
The forward and Senators captain 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.
He leads Ottawa 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."
The Senators (42-29-6) hold the first wild card in the Eastern Conference, five points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens. They trail the Panthers by two points for third in the Atlantic. -- Callum Fraser
Washington Capitals
Aliaksei Protas is week to week with a lower-body injury, Capitals coach Spencer Carbery announced before a 4-1 loss at the New York Islanders on 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 replaced Protas in the lineup on Sunday. Washington (49-19-9) would have clinched the Metropolitan Division with a win. -- Stefen Rosner
Florida Panthers
Aleksander Barkov (upper body) missed his third straight game Sunday, a 2-1 loss at the Detroit Red Wings.
"It's not serious, but he’s not playing this weekend," Florida coach Paul Maurice said Friday of his team’s No. 1 center and captain.
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 Toronto on April 1 or a 3-0 loss at Ottawa on Saturday.
Barkov is second on the Panthers with 67 points (19 goals, 48 assists) in 64 games.
Center Nico Sturm (upper body) could play against the Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
Florida (44-28-4), which has lost five in a row (0-4-1), is four points behind Tampa Bay for second in the Atlantic and two ahead of the Senators. -- Derek Van Diest
