Tuesday’s NHL slate will test several blue lines, with Buffalo captain Rasmus Dahlin and Montreal workhorse Mike Matheson both sidelined for the Sabres-Canadiens meeting, while Ottawa remains short two defensemen for its home date with St. Louis.
Buffalo and Montreal lose key defenders
Dahlin is listed day to day after sustaining an upper-body injury early in the second period of Buffalo’s 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers on Monday. The Sabres captain was hurt while firing a slap shot and is not expected to accompany the club to Montreal for Tuesday’s 6:30 p.m. ET game.
Coach Lindy Ruff said keeping Dahlin in Buffalo would allow the defenseman to receive treatment rather than travel immediately. Dahlin has posted two goals and two assists through six games and is averaging 23:38 per night.
The Canadiens will also be without Matheson, who is day to day with a lower-body issue. He logged 23:01 in Montreal’s 1-0 shootout win against Detroit on Saturday but will miss the Buffalo game. Matheson has one assist in five appearances and leads Montreal’s regular defense corps at 24:09 per game.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division, Toronto placed Chris Tanev on injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 10 after the veteran defenseman exited Saturday’s 6-3 victory over Colorado with an upper-body injury. Tanev left at 11:08 of the first period. Marshall Rifai has been called up from the Toronto Marlies.
John Tavares returned to Maple Leafs practice Monday and is expected to be available against the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET. Tavares missed the win in Colorado after the birth of his son, Tucker. He has one goal and two assists in five games. Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson did not practice as part of a maintenance day.
Ottawa’s defense remains thin
Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub are not expected to play when the Senators host the Blues on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Neither defenseman joined Ottawa’s morning skate before Monday’s 4-1 win in New Jersey.
Sanderson has been out since the Oct. 3 season opener in Toronto with an undisclosed injury. Last season, he paced Senators defensemen in goals with 14, assists with 40, points with 54 and average ice time at 24:50.
Zub has been skating as he recovers from a knee injury but has not yet made his 2026-27 debut. In 81 games last season, he recorded five goals, 25 assists and a plus-22 rating while averaging 20:48.
Winnipeg’s Josh Morrissey remains day to day with an upper-body injury, though the Jets’ top defenseman was able to skate Monday. Morrissey was injured after a first-period hit involving Colorado forward T.J. Hughes on Oct. 7. He took one shift to open the second period of that 3-2 Jets win, then did not return. Winnipeg hosts Minnesota on Tuesday at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Capitals adjust before Carolina trip
Washington will be without center Pierre-Luc Dubois for Tuesday’s road game against the Carolina Hurricanes at 6:45 p.m. ET. Dubois did not travel after missing Monday’s practice because of illness. He has a goal, three assists and a plus-4 rating in four games.
Alex Tuch also missed practice for maintenance, but coach Spencer Carbery expects the forward to dress against Carolina.
The Capitals placed defenseman Matt Roy on injured reserve as he continues to recover from a lower-body injury sustained Oct. 3 against Tampa Bay. Roy skated Monday and remains day to day; he has no points in two games. Washington recalled defenseman Justin Holl from AHL Hershey and shifted Rasmus Sandin to long-term injured reserve following ACL surgery.
Penguins could welcome Kuzmenko back
Andrei Kuzmenko rejoined Pittsburgh practice Monday and could be an option when the Penguins visit the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. Kuzmenko had been on non-roster status following the Sept. 24 death of his father.
The winger worked alongside Ben Kindel at center and Ville Koivunen on the right side in practice. Coach Dan Muse said Kuzmenko was a full participant, with further discussions still needed before a decision is made for Chicago.
Defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk did not practice and did not leave with the team for the opening leg of Pittsburgh’s four-game trip because of a lower-body injury. He is day to day, though Muse said he could return before the trip finishes against the Utah Mammoth on Oct. 19.
Forward Justin Brazeau skated Monday but remains week to week with a lower-body injury.
Possible returns in Dallas and New Jersey
Dallas expects forwards Joel Kiviranta and Radek Faksa to be ready for Tuesday’s home game against Colorado at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Kiviranta has missed two games after blocking a shot during the Stars’ 5-0 shutout of San Jose on Oct. 5. The forward has one goal in two games. Faksa was struck on the knee by an Erik Karlsson shot during the third period of Saturday’s 2-1 shootout loss in Pittsburgh. Coach Glen Gulutzan indicated both players should be available unless there is a late change.
New Jersey forward Connor Brown skated Monday morning and could make his season debut later this week. Brown was injured in practice Sept. 28. The Devils visit Detroit on Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET, host the New York Rangers on Thursday and travel to Washington on Saturday.
Brown finished his first Devils season with 18 goals and 25 assists in 75 games. Coach Sheldon Keefe said the limited practice time on New Jersey’s schedule has complicated Brown’s final ramp-up, with game readiness the next hurdle.
Western clubs make injury moves
Calgary forward Samuel Honzek is week to week with a lower-body injury. He has not played since Oct. 8, when the Flames lost 7-3 to Colorado. Honzek has no points in four games. Calgary visits Anaheim on Tuesday at 9:45 p.m. ET.
Minnesota placed Marcus Foligno on injured reserve Monday after the forward missed Saturday’s 4-1 win over Florida. His most recent appearance was Thursday against Tampa Bay, when he played 10:54 in a 3-2 loss. Tyler Pitlick has been recalled from the AHL’s Iowa Wild ahead of Minnesota’s game in Winnipeg.
