NHL Buzz: Ekholm, Hyman to return for Oilers against Utah
Theodore back at Golden Knights practice; Demko to travel with Canucks
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Edmonton Oilers
Mattias Ekholm and Zach Hyman will return for the Oilers against the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday (9 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN1, ESPN).
Ekholm missed six games because of an illness and undisclosed injury. The defenseman did not play the final 13:12 of a 6-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on March 4. He has 27 points (eight goals, 19 assists) in 60 games and averages 22:36 of ice time on Edmonton's top defense pair with Evan Bouchard.
“A lot better, I’ve got my voice back,” Ekholm said after the morning skate. “I’ve been battling a little bit of a lower-body injury and it’s kept me out, obviously. But the guys have done a great job and I’m feeling better, so that’s exciting.”
Hyman, a forward, missed a 3-1 win at the New York Rangers on Sunday because of an undisclosed injury. He has 37 points (22 goals, 15 assists) in 61 games this season.
“All good to go,” Hyman said. “I don’t really want to get into it too much, but I’m feeling good.”
The Oilers (39-24-4) are second in the Pacific Division, four points behind the Vegas Golden Knights. -- Gerry Moddejonge
Vegas Golden Knights
Shea Theodore practiced with the Golden Knights in a noncontact jersey Tuesday for the first time since sustaining an upper-body injury at the 4 Nations Face-Off on Feb. 12.
The defenseman, who was deemed week to week following the injury, has 48 points (seven goals, 41 assists) in 55 games while averaging 22:03.
“He's doing well skating on his own; he thought he'd try to integrate with us and do a couple of drills,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He made it through the whole practice, so obviously he's feeling better from his injury.
“Still in a red (noncontact) jersey, so until he can take contact, we won’t really worry about when he'll be in the lineup. The closer he gets with us, the better off we’ll be. It won’t be this week. Who knows?”
William Karlsson practiced in a full-contact jersey and could play against the Boston Bruins on Thursday (10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, NESN, SNO, SNE, SN360, TVAS). The forward has missed the past 20 games with a lower-body injury and has 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 38 games.
Karlsson took line rushes with Reilly Smith and Nicolas Roy at practice Tuesday.
“’Karly’s’ getting closer to being ready,” Cassidy said. “We’re trending for Thursday. A lot of it depends on Karly’s health. He traveled with us to get some practice time in. He’s not been cleared.
“… We’ll have a better idea probably Thursday morning or at least after [Wednesday’s] practice.”
Vegas (39-20-8) is first in the Pacific Division, four points ahead of Edmonton. -- Paul Delos Santos
Vancouver Canucks
Thatcher Demko took part in a full team skate Tuesday for the first time since sustaining a lower-body injury Feb. 8, and the goalie will travel with the Canucks on a six-game road trip that starts at the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.
Demko has missed more than five weeks and 12 games since leaving midway through the first period of a 2-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 8 after making six saves. He won't dress against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; SNP, TSN3), and likely needs at least one more full practice before playing, but coach Rick Tocchet.
"I know it's only a morning skate, but for him to get the full net is a big step for us to see where he'll be at here in two, three days," Tocchet said.
Kevin Lankinen, who is 23-13-7 with a 2.54 goals-against average and .904 save percentage while making an NHL career high 43 appearances this season, will start for the eighth time in nine games against Winnipeg and make his 11th start in 14 games since Demko's latest injury. Arturs Silovs started the other three games since Demko was injured, but is 2-6-1 with a 3.65 GAA and .862 save percentage this season.
It's the third time this season that Demko, who was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the top goalie in the NHL last season, has missed time because of injury. He missed training camp and the first 24 games this season recovering from a knee injury sustained in the first game of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 21. He backed up Lankinen for two games before making his season debut on Dec. 10, when he made 21 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues.
Demko also left a 4-3 shootout win at the Seattle Kraken on Jan. 2 with back spasms and missed the next two games.
He is 6-6-3 with a 2.87 GAA and .891 save percentage in 17 games this season. -- Kevin Woodley
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
Colorado Avalanche
Josh Manson did not play in a 4-3 overtime win against the Dallas Stars on Sunday because of an upper-body injury.
The 33-year-old defenseman has 15 points (one goal, 14 assists) while averaging 18:02 of ice time in 48 games for the Avalanche this season. Manson previously missed 12 games from Nov. 30-Dec. 22 with an upper-body injury, and seven games from Feb. 6-March 4 with a lower-body injury.
"He's getting looked at today, he's been looked at already,” coach Jared Bednar said after practice Monday. "He's getting other opinions and looking at trying to figure out what the rehab process is like. I don't have a timeline, but again, it's not day to day."
Bednar said it's not related to the upper-body injury Manson was dealing with earlier this season.
With Manson unavailable, Sam Malinski moved up to Manson’s spot next to Ryan Lindgren on the second defense pair.
Colorado (41-24-3) visits the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, TNT, MAX). -- Ryan Boulding
Utah Hockey Club
Liam O'Brien will miss four weeks with a lower-body injury.
The forward was injured in the third period of a 4-2 loss at the Seattle Kraken on Friday and returned to Utah for further evaluation.
"[O'Brien] is an important part of our team," coach Andre Tourigny said. "We've had an injury before, so it’s just next man up. It's unfortunate. We're thinking about him, but at the same time, we're moving on."
O'Brien has two assists in 27 games this season.
