NHL Buzz: Wild's Kaprizov, Eriksson Ek skate for 1st time in weeks
Oilers goalie Skinner out with head injury; Rangers forward Rempe week to week
© Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images / John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)
Minnesota Wild
Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek skated for the first time in several weeks on Thursday.
The forwards were on the ice prior to the morning skate ahead of the Wild's game against the Washington Capitals at Xcel Energy Center.
Kaprizov has missed the past 23 games and Eriksson Ek the past 16. Coach John Hynes said they will join the team for a three-game road trip through the New York area next week.
"They started skating, they were on this morning," Hynes said. "Now I will tell you guys, it's only the first step in. It's still week to week. That's not anything different, but they are on that next protocol of getting on the ice, doing some skating, touching some pucks and things like that. But the status of their return, it's nothing imminent. It's still a week-to-week basis."
The Wild (40-27-5) have 10 games remaining and hold the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. They're two points ahead of the St. Louis Blues with one game in hand and trail the Colorado Avalanche by six points for third in the Central Division.
"When I mean week to week, and I'll be up front with you guys if it looks like they're progressing to go, but this is truly the first step of getting back on," Hynes said. "It's nothing imminent. They will not play, but they will be on the trip."
Marcus Foligno is expected to return after the forward missed five games with an upper-body injury.
"I'm going to wait and see how he is after practice, but all probability he will be [in]," Hynes said. "We're planning on him playing unless he comes off the ice and says he can't." -- Jessi Pierce
Edmonton Oilers
Stuart Skinner is out with a head injury and did not travel for the Oilers against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday.
The goalie was injured at 6:34 of the third period in a 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday. Skinner was inadvertently hit in the head by Mikko Rantanen at the top of his crease when the Stars forward cut in front of the net to circle behind the goal line chasing the puck.
"I just touched base with him. He's doing much better today," Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. "Unfortunately, he won't be joining us tonight or the next few days, and we'll see down the road when he joins us."
Skinner left the game after allowing four goals on 21 shots and was replaced by Calvin Pickard, who stopped all three shots he faced.
Pickard started against the Kraken. Goalie Olivier Rodrigue was recalled from Bakersfield of the AHL on an emergency basis, and forward Derek Ryan was sent down.
Edmonton remains without forwards Leon Draisaitl (undisclosed) and Connor McDavid (lower body), the second- and fourth-leading scorers in the NHL. The game Thursday was the third without both.
The Oilers (41-25-5) are third in the Pacific Division, two points behind the Los Angeles Kings and seven behind the Vegas Golden Knights. -- Derek Van Diest
New York Rangers
Matt Rempe is week to week with an upper-body injury.
The forward fought Tanner Jeannot of the Los Angeles Kings at 15:33 of the second period in a 3-1 loss at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday, returning to play 31 seconds of the third. He missed a 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Madison Square Garden on March 20 because of an illness.
The Rangers play the second of a three-game West Coast trip against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Friday (10 p.m. ET; Victory+, KCOP-13, MSG 2, SNP, SNW, SNE, TVAS). They've lost four of five and trail the Montreal Canadiens by one point for the second wild card into the playoffs from the East with the Canadiens holding two games in hand.
Forward Brett Berard, a healthy scratch against the Kings, could get back into the lineup in Anaheim.
Buffalo Sabres
Jason Zucker did not play against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday because of a family matter.
The forward was not on the ice for the morning skate. Isak Rosen filled his spot at left wing on a line with Peyton Krebs and Alex Tuch.
"He's not going to be available," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "He's dealing with just a family matter right now, so hopefully back [against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday]."
Zucker is fifth on the Sabres with 46 points (19 goals, 27 assists) in 62 games. He signed a two-year, $9.5 million contract ($4.75 million average annual value) with Buffalo on March 7.
Sam Lafferty rejoined the team for the morning skate and skated in his usual spot at right wing on the fourth line. However, he missed his third straight game with a groin injury.
"Lafferty is being evaluated right now, but I don't think [he'll be available]," Ruff said. -- Heather Engel
Pittsburgh Penguins
Evgeni Malkin (upper body) did not play against the Buffalo Sabres.
The 38-year-old forward wore a noncontact jersey during practice Wednesday after missing a 6-1 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. He is 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.
Pittsburgh (29-33-11) is six points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card from the Eastern Conference. -- Wes Crosby
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 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. 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.
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
Chicago Blackhawks
Kevin Korchinski was recalled from Rockford of the AHL on Thursday, and the defenseman will play against the Vegas Golden Knights at United Center on Friday (8:30 p.m. ET; CHSN, SCRIPPS, SN360).
The 20-year-old has 27 points (three goals, 24 assists) in 54 AHL games this season.
"I think his game's evolved a lot defensively in terms of he's quieter, holds his position better, knows when to go, knows when to hold," Blackhawks coach Anders Sorensen said. "And I think offensively too, I think his awareness of when there's a play to be made here or when I have to just live to fight another day and put a puck in an area.
"Playing a lot of minutes down there has helped in those situations, because you have to manage your minutes, so to speak, so that's been a real positive development area for him."
Sorensen said Alec Martinez (upper body) is improving but won't play Friday. The defenseman was injured when he was driven into the boards by Jake Neighbours in the first period of a 4-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues on March 22. -- Tracey Myers
