NHL Buzz: Pietrangelo may be out for Golden Knights' road trip

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Vegas Golden Knights

Alex Pietrangelo may not play at all during the Golden Knights' three-game road trip.

The defenseman was a late scratch for a 5-1 win against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday with a lower-body injury. He is day to day.

"I don't know if he'll play on this trip, but I don't expect anything to be long term there," Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said after the game.

Pietrangelo has 32 points (four goals, 28 assists) in 67 games this season and leads Vegas in ice time per game (22:29).

Vegas has two games remaining on the road trip: at the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday and the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

Tomas Hertl did not make the road trip after the forward sustained an upper-body injury during a 4-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday.

Hertl leads the Golden Knights with 31 goals and is third with 59 points in 70 games this season. He has eight goals in his past 10 games.

Vegas (42-20-8) is first in the Pacific Division, five points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings.

Edmonton Oilers

Leon Draisaitl (undisclosed) participated in the morning skate but did not play in a 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday.

Draisaitl and Oilers captain Connor McDavid (lower body) are expected to miss Edmonton’s next few games.

“Leon will be back sooner than Connor,” coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We’re looking about a week, maybe shorter for Leon, and Connor will be longer than that.”

Draisaitl is tied for second in the NHL with 101 points (49 goals, 52 assists) in 68 games. He was injured during a 7-1 win against the Utah Hockey Club on March 18.

McDavid, who is tied for fourth in the League with 90 points (26 goals, and 64 assists) in 63 games, was injured during the second period of a 4-3 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets on March 20.

The Oilers visit the Kraken on Thursday (10 p.m. ET; KHN, KING 5, KONG, SNP, SNE, SN1) and host the Calgary Flames on Saturday.

“It was nice to see Leon skating around out there,” Edmonton forward Kasperi Kapanen said. “Obviously, we miss both Connor and Leon. I think [Draisaitl] has to get healthy first and not risk it, but it was good to see him out there.” -- Derek Van Diest

Pittsburgh Penguins

Evgeni Malkin (upper body) will not play at the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, MSG-B)

The 38-year-old forward wore a noncontact jersey at practice Wednesday after missing a 6-1 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. He's day to day.

"As talented as he is, one would think that those guys never suffer challenges with confidence, but they're human," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "When it doesn't go the right way, I think 'Geno' is one of those guys. When it goes the right way, it's the opposite; when he's feeling good and he's confident and he's satisfied with his overall game, he tends to be a momentum player. He can ride that momentum."

In his 19th NHL season, Malkin is fifth on the Penguins with 46 points (15 goals, 31 assists) in 62 games, including 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 15 games since returning Feb. 22 from a lower-body injury after a six-game absence.

Ryan Shea will return to the Penguins lineup. The defenseman missed seven games with an upper-body injury.

Pittsburgh (29-33-11) is six games behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. -- Wes Crosby

Detroit Red Wings

Petr Mrazek is out with an undisclosed injury and will not play against the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNDETX, TSN5, RDS2).

The goalie left 1:38 into the first period of a 5-1 win against the Utah Hockey Club on Monday after making one save. He did not play in a 5-2 loss at the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.

Mrazek, who was acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on March 7, is 2-2-0 with a 2.49 goals-against average and .902 save percentage in five games with the Red Wings.

Goalie Alex Lyon will start for the Red Wings against the Senators. He made 17 saves in relief of Mrazek on Monday and allowed four goals on 27 shots to the Avalanche.

Cam Talbot is available to back up after missing Tuesday because of an injury and Sebastian Cossa will be returned to Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League

The Red Wings (33-32-6) are three points behind the Canadiens for the second wild card from the East.

Carolina Hurricanes

Andrei Svechnikov is expected to return against the Canadiens on Friday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, TSN2, RDS).

The forward, who has missed seven straight games with an upper-body injury, returned to practice last week and traveled with the Hurricanes on their West Coast trip.

"I think we're at a point now where he could have went tonight," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said prior to a 3-1 loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. "But he hasn't had a real good practice, and the way that travel was, it just didn't feel like tonight would be the right night. I would anticipate if everything keeps going in the right direction, he will be in the next game."

Svechnikov has 43 points (18 goals, 25 assists) in 63 games.

The Hurricanes (43-24-4) are second in the Metropolitan Division, seven points ahead of the New Jersey Devils. -- Kurt Dusterberg