Tuesday’s NHL injury ledger brings a new crease change in Nashville, a depleted Detroit forward group and encouraging skating updates for a pair of high-profile players, though neither Connor Bedard nor Jason Zucker is ready to rejoin his club.
Key takeaways
- Nashville placed goaltender Justus Annunen on injured reserve and recalled Matt Murray, who is set to dress behind Juuse Saros against Toronto.
- Detroit will be without Mason Appleton, Marco Kasper and J.T. Compher when it visits Ottawa.
- Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson remains out for the final game of Ottawa’s road swing after leaving Saturday’s game in Toronto.
- Edmonton expects center Jason Dickinson to make his season debut Wednesday in Anaheim.
- Connor Bedard has resumed non-contact work with Chicago, but the Blackhawks still expect their captain to be out until sometime next month.
Crease moves and road-trip absences
Annunen has yet to appear for the Predators after being hurt in practice last Thursday. The undisclosed issue sent him to injured reserve Tuesday, opening the door for Murray’s recall from Milwaukee of the American Hockey League. Murray is expected to serve as Saros’ backup when Nashville meets the Maple Leafs on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.
Annunen went 10-12-2 in 28 games last season, including 23 starts, while posting a 2.68 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.
Detroit’s lineup is getting thinner up front. Appleton and Kasper have both been listed week to week and will miss Tuesday’s game against the Senators. Appleton was injured during Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Winnipeg, skating 9:23. Kasper had already been held out of that contest with an upper-body injury.
Compher is also unavailable against Ottawa. He is considered day to day.
Sanderson will not be in the Senators lineup in Detroit after sitting out Monday’s 4-1 win over Boston. The defenseman was injured 12:45 into the opening period of Ottawa’s 3-2 victory in Toronto on Saturday, departing after six shifts and 4:29 of ice time. He returned home for testing rather than continuing to Boston with the club.
Coach Travis Green indicated the news was better than the Senators initially feared, but said Sanderson would not play again on the trip. Sanderson also missed a portion of training camp with another undisclosed injury. Ottawa returns home to face the Philadelphia Flyers in its home opener Thursday.
In Buffalo, goalie Alex Lyon and forward Jason Zucker both joined the Sabres for Tuesday morning’s skate, but neither has a return date. Lyon has been out since suffering an upper-body injury while sprawling forward for a save late in the first period of Buffalo’s Sept. 24 preseason game against Detroit.
Zucker is still recovering from sports-hernia trouble that kept him out through training camp and Buffalo’s first two regular-season games. Coach Lindy Ruff said the forward remains roughly a couple of weeks away.
The Rangers will be without fourth-line center Joe Veleno against the Islanders on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET as his lower-body injury is still being assessed. Veleno was hurt in the first period of New York’s 4-2 win over the Utah Mammoth on Sunday.
Oliver Bjorkstrand worked at center between Matt Rempe and Jaroslav Chmelar during Monday’s practice, though New York could call up another center from Hartford. Defenseman Matthew Robertson did not practice for roster-management reasons. Coach Mike Sullivan said the club was still sorting through medical and roster matters.
Oilers near a return, Blackhawks await their captain
Dickinson is in line to make his Edmonton debut Wednesday when the Oilers open a three-game road trip against the Ducks at 10 p.m. ET. The center has been sidelined by a foot injury that dates to a blocked shot against San Jose on April 8.
He continued playing through the issue during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, then aggravated it during training camp. Dickinson said he never fully reached 100 percent during the summer, describing progress that repeatedly stalled after each improvement.
The 31-year-old joined Edmonton from Chicago in a March 4 trade and produced one goal and three assists in 17 regular-season games. He added two goals and an assist in four playoff appearances. Edmonton signed him to a five-year, $20 million contract on June 21, carrying a $4 million average annual value.
Bedard took part in selected drills and fired pucks during Monday’s Blackhawks practice, his first on-ice work with the team this season. The 21-year-old center underwent left-shoulder surgery after he was injured during an offseason workout in Vancouver on July 2.
Chicago coach Jeff Blashill said Bedard remains barred from contact and left practice once the session moved into more physical work. Blashill welcomed having the captain around teammates during non-contact segments, but said there is no date for the medical examination that would clear him for contact. Bedard is still projected to return sometime next month.
The Blackhawks could get a defenseman back Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues at 8 p.m. ET. Bowen Byram returned to practice and is expected to play after missing Saturday’s 4-3 loss to Buffalo for the birth of his twins.
Forward Andrew Mangiapane has moved to a week-to-week designation with a lower-body injury. He was hurt in the second period of Chicago’s 5-2 loss to Vegas last Tuesday and did not finish the game.
