Saturday’s NHL board was crowded with goaltending moves, injured-reserve transactions and several key players edging back toward their teams. Edmonton lost a goalie and a top-pair defenseman after Thursday’s win, while Washington welcomed two centers back into its lineup and Chicago received a boost with Andrew Mangiapane nearing his return.
Edmonton loses Levi, Ekholm after Carolina game
- Devon Levi went on injured reserve before Edmonton faced the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. The goaltender was hurt in Thursday’s 6-5 shootout victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, a game in which he stopped 22 shots and played start to finish.
- Levi has started seven games for the Oilers, posting a 6-1-0 record, a 3.11 goals-against average and an .887 save percentage.
- Edmonton brought up Matt Tomkins from AHL Bakersfield on emergency recall to cover the crease.
- Defenseman Mattias Ekholm is expected to miss between one and two weeks. He needed help getting off the ice early in the third period Thursday after his head struck the ice on a board check from Carolina forward William Carrier.
“Obviously, it didn’t look very pretty,” Oilers coach Mike Babcock said. He added that Ekholm is tough and should be back in roughly a week to 10 days, leaving another player with an opportunity in the meantime.
Penguins shorthanded; Capitals add bodies
Evgeni Malkin did not dress for Pittsburgh against the Nashville Predators on Saturday because of an illness. The forward joined the optional morning skate but had missed Friday’s practice.
The Penguins also placed defenseman Samuel Girard on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. Girard, who last played Oct. 17, has three assists through nine games and skated Saturday in a noncontact jersey. Forward Bryan Rust is out with a lower-body injury and will be assessed again in six weeks.
Washington got Pierre-Luc Dubois and Justin Sourdif back from illness for Saturday’s game against Buffalo. Dubois had sat out five games, while Sourdif missed two.
“I feel really good,” Dubois said. “It was one of those situations where I got unlucky and one thing led to another. It feels like I’ve played two games in 25 days or something. I missed plenty of time, but fortunately not too many games, and I’m ready to go tonight.”
Capitals goalie Logan Thompson, day to day with a lower-body issue, skated Saturday but was unavailable. He was slow getting up after consecutive saves against Los Angeles forward Artemi Panarin in Tuesday’s 5-2 loss, though he completed the game. Washington recalled Mitchell Gibson from AHL Hershey to back up against the Sabres.
“It’s encouraging that he was able to take shots this morning,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said.
Washington also claimed defenseman Jack St. Ivany from Winnipeg on waivers. The 27-year-old had played four games for the Jets this season, averaging 13:31 per game and 5.54 blocked shots per game. He owns nine assists in 57 NHL appearances with Winnipeg and Pittsburgh.
Western clubs manage absences
- Mitch Marner missed a second consecutive game for Vegas at Columbus while away from the Golden Knights for the birth of his second child. He has two goals and 10 assists in 11 games.
- Utah defenseman John Marino has moved from day to day to week to week with an upper-body injury. He was a late scratch before Monday’s 5-4 win over Pittsburgh and has five points, a plus-5 rating and a 20:23 average ice time in nine games.
- Seattle forward Jared McCann was ruled out against Minnesota while the Kraken evaluate a lower-body injury suffered Thursday against Utah. McCann has three goals and five assists in 11 games, with a plus-5 rating. Seattle recalled forward Jani Nyman from AHL Coachella Valley.
- Los Angeles center Quinton Byfield missed his second straight game Saturday at New Jersey with an upper-body injury. He exited Tuesday’s win in Washington during the first period and was also unavailable for Thursday’s overtime win at the Islanders. Byfield has one goal and one assist in seven games.
- San Jose forward Igor Chernyshov returned to the Bay Area and is considered week to week. He left Thursday’s 6-2 win at Ottawa after blocking a Nikolas Matinpalo slap shot with his left arm in the opening period.
Blue-line returns and setbacks around the league
- Philadelphia activated Rasmus Ristolainen from injured reserve, and the defenseman returned in Saturday’s 5-4 loss to Anaheim. He had missed nine games since Oct. 3, when he played 14:26 in an overtime defeat against Carolina.
- Ristolainen recorded one shot in 14:34 against the Ducks. He has one goal in four games this season. The Flyers reassigned forward Garrett Wilson to AHL Lehigh Valley.
- Anaheim placed Pavel Mintyukov on injured reserve Friday with a lower-body injury. He missed Thursday’s loss in New Jersey and did not play in the Ducks’ 5-4 win at Philadelphia, the final stop on their four-game road trip.
- The Ducks called up defenseman Travis Mitchell from AHL San Diego.
- Ottawa defenseman Thomas Chabot skated in a noncontact jersey Saturday, one week after he was hurt during the third period of the Senators’ Oct. 17 loss to Philadelphia. Chabot is projected to miss one to two weeks.
Chabot, named Senators captain Sept. 29, has one goal and three assists in nine games, carries a plus-5 rating and leads heavy minutes at 25:20 per game.
Toronto placed defensemen Nick Blankenburg and Marshall Rifai on injured reserve after both were injured Thursday. Blankenburg was hurt on a hit from Rangers forward Will Cuylle, while Rifai left the morning skate. Both are considered week to week. The Maple Leafs recalled defensemen Cole McWard and Dakota Mermis from AHL Toronto.
Calgary, Chicago and Dallas watch for returning forwards
Calgary’s Mikael Backlund skated in a noncontact sweater Saturday morning but was set to miss a second straight game against Detroit. The forward suffered an upper-body injury in an Oct. 18 win over Carolina and has one goal and one assist in eight games.
Jonathan Huberdeau also joined the Flames in a noncontact jersey as he continues his recovery from March hip resurfacing surgery. The 33-year-old has not appeared this season.
“Huby will be with us periodically,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said. “He isn’t close yet, but he is progressing through the steps we need. It was good to have him out there. That was an important milestone, and you could see the energy he had being around the group.”
Chicago defenseman Bowen Byram took part in Saturday’s practice for the first time since sustaining an upper-body injury last week. He remained in a noncontact jersey and will not play Sunday against Florida. Byram has missed time since logging 24:37 in Chicago’s Oct. 13 win against Pittsburgh and has one assist in six games.
“It’s good to have him on the ice and involved in a significant part of practice, then see how he responds,” Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said. “I can’t offer a further timeline.”
Forward Andrew Mangiapane practiced and is expected to play for Chicago on Sunday. He has been out since suffering a lower-body injury in the Blackhawks’ Sept. 30 season-opening loss to Vegas.
Dallas could give David Perron his Stars debut Sunday against the New York Islanders. The 38-year-old has practiced with the club since signing a one-year deal Oct. 16. Radek Faksa is also a possibility after leaving Thursday’s overtime win over Winnipeg during the third period with an undisclosed issue. Sam Steel will miss the Islanders game after receiving an injection as part of treatment Friday.
Panthers monitor Forsling
Florida defenseman Gustav Forsling is questionable for Sunday’s game against Chicago. Forsling was struck in the face by a puck late in the third period of Thursday’s 4-0 loss at Pittsburgh, and coach Paul Maurice had no postgame update.
