Welcome to the NHL Buzz. Each day during the regular season, NHL.com has you covered with all the latest news.
Carolina Hurricanes
Andrei Svechnikov was back on the ice Monday and could return at the San Jose Sharks on Thursday (10:30 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, NBCSCA).
The forward has missed the past three games with an upper-body injury. Svechnikov skated with Hurricanes assistant Jeff Daniels before practice for the first time since playing 12:41 in a 4-2 win against the Winnipeg Jets on March 9.
“We’ll find out,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said when asked if Svechnikov could play Thursday. “We’ve got a couple more days. We’ll see where he’s at.
“Obviously if he doesn’t practice with us, that will be an indicator that he probably won’t. But he tried it a little this morning, so he’s getting better.”
Svechnikov has 43 points (18 goals, 25 assists) in 63 games this season for the Hurricanes (41-22-4), who have won seven in a row and are second in the Metropolitan Division.
“You’re going to have injuries,” Brind’Amour said. “I think guys have always stepped in and done well. We’ve pieced it together, and I think that’s what we’re doing right now.” -- Kurt Dusterberg
Washington Capitals
Dylan Strome will play when the Capitals host the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, MNMT, SN360, TVAS) after missing practice Monday because of an illness.
Strome leads Washington with 65 points (21 goals, 44 assist) in 67 games this season and has scored three goals in the past four games.
Ethen Frank also missed practice Monday because of an illness, but will be a healthy scratch.
Frank, who has seven points (four goals, three assists) in 22 games this season, has been a healthy scratch in four straight games after forward Anthony Beauvillier was acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 7. -- Tom Gulitti