Welcome to the NHL Buzz. Each day during the regular season, NHL.com has you covered with all the latest news.
Carolina Hurricanes
Frederik Andersen has a lower-body injury that is going to force the goalie to miss significant time, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said Friday.
Andersen has not played since he made 18 saves in a 4-1 win at the Seattle Kraken on Oct. 26.
"We were hoping it was going to be week to week, but now it's going to be way longer," Brind'Amour said. "Let's just leave it at that because I don't have much to go on."
Brind'Amour said Saturday morning Andersen could need surgery.
"I think that was what we were debating, trying to decide,” Brind’Amour said. “But that’s a possibility right now."
Carolina was also without goalie Pyotr Kochetkov when it hosted the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. He made 15 saves before leaving during the third period of a 4-1 loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Wednesday because of an undisclosed injury. Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker collided with Kochetkov on a goal by Utah forward Jack McBain.
Kochetkov participated in the morning skate Saturday.
"We probably could've stuck him in there tonight, but we'll probably wait," Brind’Amour said.
Spencer Martin, who made two saves on three shots in relief of Kochetkov against Utah, started on Saturday and made 25 saves while posting a shutout in the 4-0 win. Carolina plays against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.
The Hurricanes recalled goalie Yaniv Perets from Chicago of the American Hockey League on Friday. The 24-year-old has one game of NHL experience, a relief appearance against the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 15.
Carolina remains without forward Seth Jarvis, who missed his third game because of an undisclosed injury. He did not practice Friday and was placed on injured reserve Saturday retroactive to Nov. 10.
"We're obviously being really cautious with him," Brind'Amour said. "I was expecting maybe to see him out there in the next few days, but that's probably unlikely now. I think maybe next week we will get him out there."
Jarvis has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 13 games. -- Kurt Dusterberg
Chicago Blackhawks
Seth Jones (foot) has been placed on injured reserve and did not play against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said the defenseman may have sustained the injury blocking a shot in their 3-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday.
“I think it's right foot, but we won't really know any more on that until we get home and get more in-depth evaluation,” he said.
Jones, who leads NHL skaters in ice time per game this season (25:43), has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 17 games.
Chicago recalled defenseman Louis Crevier from Rockford of the AHL.
Forward Taylor Hall was scratched Saturday. Hall, who played four games last season before having season-ending knee surgery in November 2023, has six points (two goals, four assists) in 17 games.
“I think just coming off eight, nine months out, to us, we just want to get him a little bit more work, and then it's hard to do that in the games and not get too frustrated and chase it, so that's our plan,” Richardson said. “Players never like to sit out, so he's not happy sitting out. But hopefully this is a good step for him and it will help our team.” -- Tracey Myers
Buffalo Sabres
Tage Thompson missed his second straight game because of a lower-body injury when the Sabres lost 5-2 against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday but expects to return against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday.
The forward skated on his own Friday and took part in an optional morning skate Saturday.
"I felt great out there today ... felt good the other day," Thompson said. "I feel comfortable, so I would imagine that I'll be back [Wednesday] if things progress the same way."
Thompson said the injury occurred during the first period of the Sabres' 7-5 loss to the Canadiens on Monday. He left the game after playing one shift in the second period.
"It was kind of off a face-off," he said. "Took the draw and then went to take a couple strides to join the rush, and just felt something. Kind of thought it would go away, and it kind of lingered the rest of the first period. I thought it would go away after that, got some treatment [between periods], came back out, and it was still there and a little bit worse too. So, figure it is one of those things where if I pushed through it, it would just get worse and prolong the timeline.
“Those are always tough calls; you never want to be out of the game and you always want to grind through it. But sometimes it's smarter to pull yourself out, and that was one of those cases."
Buffalo was also without forward Jordan Greenway on Saturday. He had left practice early Friday because of what coach Lindy Ruff called a "nagging ailment."
Forward Jiri Kulich was recalled from Rochester of the AHL and played his first game since Nov. 2.
Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen also practiced Saturday did not play. Ruff said Friday he expected Luukkonen to be available Wednesday.
"I feel like we're just trying to be smart with it now," he said. "We just feel with where the schedule is, why push him when we have four or five more days." -- Adam Kimelman
Minnesota Wild
Mats Zuccarello was placed on injured reserve Friday after he had surgery for a lower-body injury sustained during a 3-0 win against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Zuccarello, who is week to week, left the game at 12:52 of the first period after being hit in the stomach by a shot from teammate Brock Faber.
“I don’t know for sure (how long Zuccarello will be out)," coach John Hynes said Friday. "I would probably say 3-4 weeks, maybe."
Forward Joel Eriksson Ek also sustained a lower-body injury against the Canadiens and is considered day to day.
Defenseman Jonas Brodin, who did not play against Montreal because of an upper-body injury sustained during a 2-1 overtime loss at the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, also is day to day.
Neither player was in the lineup Saturday when the Wild (11-2-3), who are second in the Central Division, hosted the Dallas Stars (10-5-0). -- Jessi Pierce
Philadelphia Flyers
Sean Couturier returned to the lineup against the Sabres on Saturday after missing one game because of a lower-body injury and had one assist in Philadelphia's 5-2 win.
The forward took part in the morning skate, including drills with the first power-play unit.
"I felt good," he said. "Ready to go."
Couturier said he could have played in the Flyers' 5-4 overtime win at the Ottawa Senators on Thursday but felt sitting out for one game was the better long-term decision.
"It's kind of just trying to be smart and not [have it] linger long term and make it become a bigger thing than it is," he said. "Just that day off, one night off, two, three days in a row of treating it, definitely helped it and it feels good now. So, I'm not worried."
Defensemen Jamie Drysdale (upper body) and Cam York (upper body) also took part in the morning skate but neither played, and each is on injured reserve. Drysdale skated in a noncontact jersey. -- Adam Kimelman
Los Angeles Kings
Alex Turcotte (upper body) was activated off injured reserve and returned when the Kings hosted the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.
Turcotte, a forward, was injured in a 3-0 win at the Nashville Predators on Nov. 11. It was not a head injury or related to any previous concussions.
Turcotte, who has five points (one goal, four assists) in 13 games, practiced on the top line with center Anze Kopitar and forward Adrian Kempe on Friday.
Andre Lee was loaned to Ontario of the AHL. -- Dan Greenspan
Montreal Canadiens
David Savard was scratched from the Montreal Canadiens lineup before a 5-1 win against Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday due to an upper-body injury.
The defenseman had played in all 17 games for Montreal this season, recording four assists while averaging 18:36 of ice time.
Savard was replaced in the lineup by Jayden Struble.
Anaheim Ducks
Robby Fabbri is expected to be out for 6-8 weeks after he had arthroscopic knee surgery Friday.
The forward sustained the lower-body injury during the third period of a 4-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 10.
Fabbri, along with defenseman Cam Fowler, had been placed on injured reserve Wednesday. Fowler is out 2-4 weeks with an upper-body injury; Mason McTavish (upper body) is day to day.
The Ducks were also without defenseman Urho Vaakanainen for a 6-4 victory against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday because of an upper-body injury. -- Dan Arritt
