Opening weekend brings a few important reinforcements around the league, with Ottawa defenseman Jake Sanderson cleared for the Senators’ first game, Andrei Kuzmenko set for his Pittsburgh debut and Seattle expecting Mackie Samoskevich back in the lineup at Edmonton.
Key takeaways
- Sanderson and Senators forward Warren Foegele are ready to play against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.
- Kuzmenko returns to Pittsburgh after leaving the club following the death of his father and is expected to face Montreal.
- Seattle activated Samoskevich from injured reserve, while Jacob Melanson has been moved to IR on a week-to-week timeline.
- Islanders center Mathew Barzal has not resumed skating but could get on the ice late next week.
- Penguins forward Blake Lizotte says he is available after missing the opener, while Ben Kindel did not practice Saturday.
Saturday lineup board
Sanderson will be in uniform when Ottawa opens its season against Toronto on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. The defenseman exited a Sept. 26 preseason game as a precaution and missed time on the practice sheet before returning Friday.
Foegele, listed with an undisclosed issue, is also expected to dress for the Senators. Ottawa is still monitoring two other players: defenseman Artem Zub skated Friday in a non-contact jersey while working back from a knee injury, and forward Andre Burakovsky wore a non-contact sweater as he recovers from an upper-body problem.
In Pittsburgh, Kuzmenko is slated to play his first game with the Penguins when they host the Montreal Canadiens at 7 p.m. ET. He rejoined the club Friday after traveling to Russia following the death of his father, a respected hockey coach who died during a fishing trip. Kuzmenko had left the team Sept. 24.
“I’m happy to go back to Pittsburgh. I missed everyone,” Kuzmenko said. “I go back to reality, back to my job. Let’s keep working. I missed hockey.”
He returns to a Penguins group coming off a 7-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday. Kuzmenko said he believes Pittsburgh can put together a strong season.
Lizotte could also give the Penguins another option up front. He missed the regular-season opener with a lower-body injury but joined Saturday’s optional skate and said he expects to be able to play.
“I feel good,” Lizotte said. “I do anticipate to play; I’m available.”
Kindel did not practice Saturday after taking full contact in each of the previous two days. He remains listed with a lower-body injury.
Seattle gets a forward back as New York waits on Barzal
The Kraken activated Samoskevich from injured reserve and expect him to make his Seattle debut against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. The forward missed Thursday’s 6-1 season-opening win over the Calgary Flames because of an upper-body injury.
Samoskevich arrived in Seattle in the June 21 trade with the Florida Panthers. His availability gives the Kraken a new forward option as they move from Calgary into Edmonton for the second half of their Alberta trip.
Melanson is headed the other direction on the health front. The forward has been placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury and is expected to miss time on a week-to-week basis. He logged 9:31 in the win against Calgary before the injury update.
On Long Island, Barzal is making progress but has not yet begun skating. The Islanders forward aggravated a previous injury, missed training camp and was unavailable for Wednesday’s 2-1 season-opening loss in Toronto.
New York expects Barzal to return to the ice by the end of next week. He led the Islanders in scoring last season with 72 points, including 19 goals and 53 assists, across 81 games.
