NHL Buzz: Kucherov returns from injury for Lightning against Canucks

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Tampa Bay Lightning

Nikita Kucherov returned from an undisclosed injury and had a goal and two assists for the Lightning in a 4-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.

The forward, who missed two games, hadn't played since Nov. 29.

"No coach wants to have their top players out of the lineup, and we got by without him,” coach Jon Cooper said. “It wasn't pretty at times, but he's such a lift to us. In a league where it's so hard to score, to have somebody that's gifted in that area, you want him in your lineup, and he's been such an important part of our organization for a long time, it's most definitely better to have him in than out.”

Kucherov leads Tampa Bay with 37 points (13 goals, 24 assists) in 23 games this season.

Mitchell Chaffee (undisclosed) also returned after missing four games. He had two shots in 12:40 of ice time.

“We should have our full team available today,” Cooper said. “Again, we'll see after warmups, but I'm confident for the first time in a long time we'll have hopefully everybody available.”

Philadelphia Flyers

Samuel Ersson and Jamie Drysdale were activated from injured reserve Sunday and played for the Flyers against the Utah Hockey Club.

Ersson missed 11 games and 13 of 15 because of lower-body injuries. The goalie initially left a game against the Boston Bruins on Nov. 2, missed two games and returned to play against the Florida Panthers on Nov. 9 and San Jose Sharks on Nov. 11. However, he left practice early Nov. 13 because of another injury.

Ersson is 5-2-2 with a 2.70 goals-against average and .902 save percentage in 11 games (10 starts) this season.

Aleksei Kolosov backed up Ersson against Utah, and Ivan Fedotov was scratched. Kolosov made 27 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss at the Boston Bruins on Saturday.

Drysdale, who missed 12 games, has three points (one goal, two assists) in 15 games this season. The defenseman replaced Egor Zamula in the lineup. -- Adam Kimelman

Buffalo Sabres

Rasmus Dahlin did not play in a 5-2 loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday because of back spasms and "is still being evaluated," coach Lindy Ruff said.

The defenseman played one shift in the third period of a 5-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday before leaving the game and did not play in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.

The injury is related to one Dahlin had during training camp, when he left practice early on the first day. He didn’t skate with the team for five days before rejoining them at practice, and played in a preseason game Sept. 27 in Munich, Germany, as part of the 2024 NHL Global Series presented by Fastenal.

Dahlin is third on the Sabres with 19 points (six goals, 13 assists).

Jordan Greenway (lower body) and Mattias Samuelsson (mid body) are getting closer to a return from injury but did not play Saturday.

Samuelsson, a defenseman, was injured Nov. 11 against the Montreal Canadiens and has missed 11 games; Greenway has missed 10. The forward left practice early Nov. 15 because of the injury, which he had been playing through. He had a procedure last week to help it heal. -- Heather Engel

Detroit Red Wings

Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon will miss at least one more game for the Red Wings with each out because of a lower-body injury.

Neither goalie played against the Avalanche on Saturday, a 2-1 loss, and both will be out at Buffalo on Monday.

Ville Husso made 23 saves in his third straight start Saturday. Husso, who began the season as the Red Wings' starter, is 0-4-2 with a 3.39 goals-against average and .884 save percentage in six games (five starts) this season.

Sebastian Cossa, who has yet to make his NHL debut since being recalled from Grand Rapids of the Americna Hockey League on Dec. 2, was the backup. He was a first-round pick (No. 15) by Detroit at the 2021 NHL Draft. -- Dave Hogg

Carolina Hurricanes

Brendan Lemieux had his contract terminated by the Hurricanes on Saturday.

The move came one day after the 28-year-old forward cleared waivers. He signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with Carolina on March 11.

Lemieux has not played in the NHL this season after having five points (three goals, two assists) in 32 games last season, his first with the Hurricanes. He had two goals in 12 games for Chicago of the AHL this season.

"Brendan asked to be released from his contract so he could pursue a new opportunity," Carolina general manager Eric Tulsky told the Hurricanes website Friday. "We wish him nothing but the best in the next stage of his career."

Selected by the Sabres in the second round (No. 31) of the 2014 NHL Draft, Lemieux has 74 points (36 goals, 38 assists) in 307 NHL regular-season games for the Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers and Hurricanes, and one goal in eight Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Prior to its 4-3 loss at the New York Islanders on Saturday, Carolina reassigned defenseman Riley Stillman to Chicago of the AHL.