NHL Status Report: Malkin week to week for Penguins

Welcome to the NHL Status Report. Here is the latest lineup/injury news around the NHL.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Evgeni Malkin and Blake Lizotte were placed on injured reserve and are each week to week for the Penguins with an upper-body injury. Malkin missed a 3-2 shootout loss at the Dallas Stars on Sunday after he had two goals and an assist in a 4-3 win at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. He is second on the Penguins with 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) in 26 games. "It's not easy to replace 'Geno.' Pretty much can't," captain Sidney Crosby said. "I think it's just by committee. He's been playing great hockey for us, so we're all going to have to step up and get some points here and play some good hockey until he's back." Lizotte had an assist in 13:59 of ice time Sunday. He has five points (three goals, two assists) in 27 games. Forwards Danton Heinen and Sam Poulin were recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. ... Rickard Rakell skated with the Penguins on Tuesday for the first time since having had surgery in October. The forward has missed the past 19 games.

Colorado Avalanche

Scott Wedgewood will start for the Avalanche against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday (9:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, ALT, SNP) after the goalie missed three games with a back injury. He has 13 wins, a 2.07 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage in 19 games this season. ... Forward Martin Necas (illness) will be a game-time decision.

Dallas Stars

Thomas Harley returned to the lineup for the Stars against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday after missing 12 games with a lower-body injury. The defenseman had been week to week since being injured Nov. 13. He has 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 18 games this season. … Ilya Lyubushkin (undisclosed) did not travel on the two-game road trip. The defenseman missed a 3-2 shootout win at Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Vancouver Canucks

Thatcher Demko is expected to return for the Canucks against the Buffalo Sabres in Vancouver on Thursday (10 p.m. ET; SNP, MSG-B). The goalie has been out since Nov. 11 because of a lower-body injury, missing the past 12 games and 14 of 15. … Elias Pettersson did not play in a 4-0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Monday. The forward, who is being evaluated for an upper-body injury, left warmups and was a late scratch for a 4-2 home win against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, when coach Adam Foote said after the game the injury was discovered in the morning but they thought he would be OK to play. Pettersson did not practice on Tuesday but could return to practice on Wednesday.

St. Louis Blues

Jordan Kyrou is week to week for the Blues with a lower-body injury. The forward missed a 4-3 win at the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday after he was injured in the first period of a 2-1 win at the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. "Not a specific return date," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. "We know it's at least a week and we're labeling it week to week right now because we don't know how quickly it will heal." Kyrou is third on the Blues with 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 28 games.

Buffalo Sabres

Jason Zucker will "miss some time" for the Sabres with a lower-body injury, coach Lindy Ruff told WGR 550 in Buffalo on Tuesday. The forward was injured in a 7-4 loss to the Calgary Flames on Monday. He left the game briefly after falling into the boards but returned and ended up with two assists in the game. He has 18 points (nine goals, nine assists) in 21 games this season.

New York Islanders

Jean-Gabriel Pageau returned to the lineup for the Islanders against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. The forward had missed the previous eight games with a upper-body injury. "I'm super excited [to be back]," Pageau said. "It's never fun to not be healthy and not be able to compete with my friends and teammates, and, you know, I think I needed the time to recover. And I'm fully healthy now and ready to roll. Boys have been playing some good hockey, so I'm excited to join the group."

San Jose Sharks

Yaroslav Askarov was not available to be the backup goalie against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday because of an illness. San Jose coach Ryan Warsofsky said the plan had been for Askarov to start Tuesday but "things shifted, obviously," resulting in Alex Nedeljkovic getting the nod . It was the first time Nedeljkovic had start consecutive games this season after he made 28 saves in a 4-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. With Askarov unavailable, San Jose had to use an emergency backup for the game.

Seattle Kraken

Berkly Catton is week to week for the Kraken. The forward blocked a shot with his right hand in the third period of a 4-3 loss to the Red Wings on Saturday and was seen flexing it on the bench. Catton did not leave the game. "I felt like it was only a matter of time before he broke through," Seattle coach Lane Lambert said. "So, some of that, some of those offensive abilities that he brought to the table, we're going to miss that." Catton has five assists in 21 games this season.

Utah Mammoth

Logan Cooley is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury, the Mammoth announced Monday before a 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. Cooley, a forward, last played on Dec. 5 in a 4-1 win at Vancouver. He is third on the Mammoth with 23 points (14 goals, nine assists) in 29 games. "Unfortunately, he'll be missing some time," Utah coach Andre Tourigny said. "With that said, I think every team is going through adversity and it's an opportunity for someone else to step in."

Chicago Blackhawks

Nick Foligno skated on his own on Tuesday, but there's still no timeline on when the Blackhawks captain will return. Foligno sustained an injury to his left hand on Nov. 15 against the Toronto Maple Leafs when he blocked a shot from Jake McCabe at 18:29 of the second period and immediately went to the locker room. Blashill said Foligno, "is obviously itching to get in sooner than later, but we're still a little ways away." He has six assists in 15 games this season and will miss his 11th game when Chicago hosts the New York Rangers on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, TVAS).