NHL Buzz: Pettersson remains out for Canucks

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Vancouver Canucks

Elias Pettersson missed his sixth straight game when the Canucks lost 2-1 to the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.

Pettersson did take part in an optional morning skate.

"At this point with players it's how he feels," coach Rick Tocchet said. "You get the doctors and people [say], 'Hey whenever,' and then it's up to the player, if he feels comfortable. I think that's where we're at, so I'll talk to him after the skate."

Pettersson has 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) in 34 games this season. Vancouver is 1-2-3 in the six games he's missed.

Defenseman Derek Forbort, also a game-time decision after taking a hit on the knee in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, was in the lineup and had one shot in 16:06 of ice time.

Thatcher Demko took part in the morning skate but did not play. The goalie sustained back spasms during a 4-3 shootout win at the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, leaving in the second after getting spun around in a collision with teammate Noah Juulsen.

"'Demmer' is close," Tocchet said. "He felt good last practice, so he's really close."

Defenseman Filip Hronek was assigned to Abbotsford of the American Hockey League for conditioning. He has not played since Nov. 27 after having a lower-body procedure. At the time, he was sidelined because of a separate upper-body injury. -- Harvey Valentine

Carolina Hurricanes

Frederik Andersen practiced with the Hurricanes on Wednesday for the first time since he had knee surgery Nov. 22.

The 35-year-old goalie has not played since Oct. 26, when he made 18 saves in a 4-1 win against the Seattle Kraken. He was expected to miss 8-12 weeks.

"It's nice to see him practicing," coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "We don't know how long that's going to go or how long it's going to take, but that was a good Day 1 for him."

Andersen is 3-1-0 with a 1.48 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage in four games this season. He did not set a target date for returning to the lineup.

"It's tough to say," he said. "At this time of year, you try to get as many practices in as possible. Post-Christmas is usually a tough game schedule. Obviously, guys will be off a little bit more. Right now, I just focus on being on the ice as much as possible. Getting the live-action shots and as much unpredictability as possible is the next step. Today was a good first step."

In Andersen's absence, Carolina has relied on Pyotr Kochetkov. In 26 games, he is 15-9-1 with a 2.50 GAA, a .902 save percentage and one shutout. Dustin Tokarski, who signed Dec. 2, is 3-1-0 with a 2.49 GAA and an .894 save percentage in four games. Spencer Martin made nine appearances before being returned to Chicago of the AHL on Dec. 2.

Anderson missed 50 games last season with a blood-clotting issue before returning to the lineup in March.

"The last couple years haven't been easy for me in terms of adversity," Andersen said. "I just try to take it in stride with the right mind set and trust that I'm doing everything I can to be back quick and help."

Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who has missed the past six games with an upper-body injury, skated before practice Wednesday. Brind'Amour did not have a timeline for his return.

Gostisbehere has 27 points (six goals, 21 assists) in 35 games this season. -- Kurt Dusterberg

Buffalo Sabres

Jiri Kulich is week to week with a lower-body injury, the Sabres announced Wednesday.

The center was injured Monday in a 4-3 shootout win against the Washington Capitals, playing 5:18 before exiting midway through the second period.

"It's a loss for us because of how well he had played in the middle and the speed he was generating," Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. "He was getting a lot of confidence with the puck and making more plays and finishing some really good opportunities."

Kulich has nine points (seven goals, two assists) in 31 games, with eight of those points coming in 23 games since being recalled from Rochester of the American Hockey League on Nov. 16.

He was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, and Tyson Kozak was recalled from Rochester. The 22-year-old forward has one goal in three NHL games and 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 24 games with Rochester.

"He used his speed going through the middle and defended well (during his previous recall)," Ruff said. "He's played very well down there. The report is if you're looking for a guy that can play in the middle, he's the guy we should bring up."

The Sabres (15-21-5) visit the Ottawa Senators on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN5, MSG-B). -- Heather Engel

Pittsburgh Penguins

Evgeni Malkin practiced Wednesday in a regular jersey, one day after not playing in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets because of an upper-body injury, but remains day to day.

The 38-year-old forward had been a full participant at the morning skate Tuesday, skating in his normal spot at center on the second line, but did not play. Cody Glass replaced him on that line against Columbus alongside left wing Michael Bunting and right wing Anthony Beauvillier, who was expected to be a healthy scratch with forward Jesse Puljujarvi entering the lineup for the first time since Dec. 7.

"I don't know when it happened," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said after the loss. "I don't have anything else to add other than what the team put out."

It was the first game Malkin has missed since April 12-21, 2022, when he was suspended four games by the NHL for cross-checking.

The Penguins were also without forward Philip Tomasino, who is week to week with a lower-body injury. Tomasino skated on an individual basis Tuesday.

Pittsburgh hosts the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, SN, TVAS). -- Wes Crosby

Minnesota Wild

David Jiricek was recalled from Iowa of the AHL on Wednesday.

The defenseman has five points (two goals, three assists) in 15 games for Iowa since he was acquired by the Wild in a trade with the Blue Jackets on Nov. 30.

Jiricek, the No. 6 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, had one assist in six games with Columbus this season.

He could make his Wild debut against the Avalanche on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNOX, ALT) if defenseman Brock Faber, who sustained an upper-body injury against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, is unable to play.

Seattle Kraken

Daniel Sprong was placed on waivers by the Kraken on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old forward has five points (two goals, three assists) in 19 games this season. He signed a one-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks on July 20 before he was traded to Seattle on Nov. 8.

Sprong previously spent two seasons with Seattle from 2021-23, when he had 52 points (27 goals, 25 assists) in 82 games.

Selected by Pittsburgh in the second round (No. 46) of the 2015 NHL Draft, Sprong has 164 points (87 goals, 77 assists) in 363 regular-season games for the Kraken, Canucks, Detroit Red Wings, Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks and Penguins.