NHL Playoffs Buzz: Thompson practices, could return for Capitals for Game 1
Heiskanen upgraded to day to day for Stars; Bjorkstrand to miss series for Lightning
© John McCreary/NHLI via Getty Images
Washington Capitals
Logan Thompson returned to practice for the Capitals on Saturday and could return for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Montreal Canadiens on Monday (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, ESPN, SN, TVAS).
Thompson missed the final seven games of the regular season because of an upper-body injury. He was 31-6-6 with a 2.49 goals-against average, .910 save percentage and two shutouts in 43 games (42 starts).
Forward Aliaksei Protas (lower body) and defenseman Martin Fehervary (lower body) did not practice.
"I'm just going to leave it as we've got a bunch of guys working through some things, progressing, potentially playing on Monday, potentially not," coach Spencer Carbery said. "Once we get going in the series, I can give you more updates as guys are obviously warming up and are in the lineup or not."
Protas missed the final six games after sustaining a cut to his foot in the third period of a 5-3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on April 4. He finished tied for third on the Capitals with an NHL career-high 66 points (30 goals, 36 assists).
"He's probably our best 5-on-5 player this year," forward Dylan Strome said Saturday. "I don't think that's crazy to say. I think he can do so much for the lineup, and obviously it hurts. Hopefully we get him back at some point. I don't know when that's going to be."
Fehervary left a 3-1 win against the New York Islanders on Tuesday after turning his ankle late in the first period. He returned and finished the game, but did not play in a 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.
Washington recalled defenseman Ethan Bear from Hershey of the American Hockey League. -- Harvey Valentine
Dallas Stars
Miro Heiskanen was upgraded to day to day for the Stars, but did not play Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.
The top-pair defenseman has been out since sustaining a knee injury in a collision with Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone on Jan. 28. He had surgery Feb. 4 and has recently been skating on his own.
The optional morning skate Saturday was the first time Heiskanen has been on the ice with the Stars since his injury.
"That's a development," coach Pete DeBoer said. "It's another step. He's being reintegrated into our group. Now, it's at a morning skate so there's no contact. That would probably be the next step, that he's in a full practice with us with full contact, but definitely a step in the right direction from where he's been the last two, 2 1/2 months."
Heiskanen had 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) and averaged 25:10 of ice time in 50 games prior to the injury. He also played on the top power-play unit.
"I don't even want to [consider his return] in my head," DeBoer said. "It's not tonight. My focus is on the group we've got tonight to beat Colorado. If he becomes available to play, we obviously know the impact he has on our team, on our game."
The Stars were also without forward Jason Robertson, who is week to week with a lower-body injury. -- Taylor Baird
Tampa Bay Lightning
Oliver Bjorkstrand will not play for the Lightning in their first-round series against the Florida Panthers, coach Jon Cooper said Saturday.
The forward sustained a lower-body injury in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings on April 11 and missed the final three games of the regular season. He had been ruled week to week.
Game 1 of the best-of-7 series is at Tampa Bay on Tuesday (8:30 p.m. ET; FDSNSUN, SCRIPPS, ESPN, TVAS2, SN360). Game 7 would be May 4.
Bjorkstrand had 46 points (21 goals, 25 assists) in 79 regular-season games, including nine points (five goals, four assists) in 18 games since he was acquired in a trade with the Seattle Kraken on March 5.
He has been replaced in the lineup by Conor Geekie, who has scored twice in three games since being recalled from Syracuse of the American Hockey League. Geekie has 14 points (eight goals, six assists) in 52 games this season.
Forwards Luke Glendening (upper body) and Mitchell Chaffee (upper body) were full participants in practice and Cooper said the extra days will help their availability for the best-of-7 series.
"It does nothing but help," Cooper said. "We were a little nervous about having to play that Thursday game on a one-off trip going all the way up to New York, but to get those two more days...it's rest for the guys. If you go all the way, it's two demanding months. Who knows how it's going to play out." -- Corey Long
Edmonton Oilers
Ty Emberson signed a two-year, $2.6 million contract with the Oilers on Saturday. It has an average annual value of $1.3 million.
The 24-year-old defenseman had 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) and averaged 15:07 in 76 regular-season games. He could have become a restricted free agent after the season.
Traded to the Oilers by the San Jose Sharks for defenseman Cody Ceci and a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft on Aug. 18, 2024, Emberson has 23 points (three goals, 20 assists) in 106 regular-season games for the Oilers and Sharks.
Edmonton visits the Los Angeles Kings for Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round at Crypto.com Arena on Monday (10 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SN, TVAS2, FDSNW).
Toronto Maple Leafs
Jake McCabe will play for the Maple Leafs in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN2).
McCabe, a defenseman, missed the final seven games of the regular season with an upper-body injury. He had 23 points (two goals, 21 assists) in 66 games.
Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who missed the final four games with an upper-body injury, "felt pretty good the last couple days," and could play Sunday.
He had 29 points (four goals, 25 assists) in 77 regular-season games. -- Dave McCarthy
Carolina Hurricanes
Alexander Nikishin joined the Hurricanes for his first practice with the team Saturday but isn't expected to play in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, SN360, TVAS, FDSNSO, MSGSN).
The 23-year-old defenseman was selected in the third round (No. 69) of the 2020 NHL Draft. He signed a two-year contract with Carolina on April 11.
"He's very excited to come to America," Nikishin said, using Hurricanes goalie Pyotr Kochetkov as a translator. "We had a team dinner yesterday. It's a little bit fun and great for him to see the guys for the first time, no locker room."
Nikishin recently completed his contract with SKA St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League, his third season with the team. He had 46 points (17 goals, 29 assists) in 61 regular-season games.
Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour cautioned that Nikishin will need time to acclimate before he is ready to play. The Hurricanes enter the Stanley Cup Playoffs with seven healthy defenseman who played in the regular season.
"That takes a lot of time, especially with the language," Brind'Amour said. "I think we will just progress as it goes. I don't think we have a set-in-stone plan. We've just got to get him on the learning curve."
Nikishin was named KHL Defenseman of the Month seven times over the past three seasons.
"He just tries to play calm," Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov said. "I think he's a physical guy that crushes people sometimes. For his size (6-foot-4, 216 pounds), he moves very well, he moves the puck very well. We'll see. It's going to be an exciting time. I think he's going to be very good for us." -- Kurt Dusterberg
New Jersey Devils
Ondrej Palat will return to the lineup when the Devils play at the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, MSGSN, ESPN, SN360, SN, TVAS).
The forward missed a 5-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday with a lower-body injury sustained when he blocked a shot in the first period of a 5-4 overtime win at the Boston Bruins one day earlier.
Palat took line rushes with center Justin Dowling and right wing Nathan Bastian at practice on Friday.
"I feel good," Palat said. "It was a good practice today with the group, so I'm happy about that. The players need to embrace the challenge (of the playoffs), playing against [a] very good team. We can't be stressed out; enjoy it. We're playing for Stanley Cup and don't take it for granted."
Coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed after practice that Palat would play Sunday.
Palat had 28 points (15 goals, 13 assists) in 77 regular-season games. A two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning (2020, 2021), Palat has 101 points (51 goals, 50 assists) in 150 playoff games. -- Mike G. Morreale
