Eastern Conference teams are still juggling bodies early in the season, and the list of unavailable or banged-up players keeps growing across the conference.
In Buffalo, Rasmus Dahlin won’t even get on the road trip with the Sabres to open it. Coach Lindy Ruff said the defenseman is day-to-day.
Montreal may have a shorter wait than originally feared on Ivan Demidov. Sources say the Canadiens forward’s foot injury could land closer to the two-week mark than the four-week mark. The team announced on October 6th that the timeline was 2-4 weeks.
The Canadiens also had Florian Xhekaj back on the ice yesterday, but only for a few minutes.
In Detroit, J.T. Compher is getting closer, though it still isn’t clear whether he’ll be available tonight. The Red Wings also had Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton out of practice.
Florida got a scare when Jacob Markstrom was pulled from yesterday’s game, but coach Paul Maurice said, “he just tightened up, so we pulled him. We don’t think…there’s no injury there…Just standard stuff.”
On Long Island, Mathew Barzal is still working his way back. Coach Pete DeBoer said Barzal skated again yesterday and is skating harder every day.
He added, “We’ll keep crossing our fingers.” Defenseman Adam Pelech had a maintenance day yesterday, but he is expected to play tonight.
Ottawa is waiting on a couple of key blue-liners, too. Coach Travis Green said Artem Zub and Jake Sanderson are getting close, but neither will play tonight. Nikolas Matinpalo left last night’s game with an upper-body injury.
Pittsburgh placed Trevor van Riemsdyk on injured reserve, while Justin Brazeau skated on his own yesterday and is not traveling with the team.
New Jersey moved Connor Brown to injured reserve retroactive to September 28th.
Toronto is still unsure about Chris Tanev. Coach Jim Hiller said he doesn’t know how long Tanev will be out, and when asked about the injury, he said, “I’m not going to get into any of that.” Tanev was placed on injured reserve retroactive to October 10th.
In Washington, the Capitals put Rasmus Sandin on long-term injured reserve. That lets them exceed the cap by $3.85 million, and after recalling Justin Holl, they have $3.1 million in space.
In Other News...
Penguins Let Another Winnable Game Slip Away In Chicago
Sidney Crosby did his part in Chicago, scoring twice to keep the Penguins in the game, but it still wasnt enough to prevent a 5-3 loss to the Blackhawks at the United Center. Roman Kansterov matched that with a two-goal night for Chicago, and the teams traded blows in a game that kept feeling there for the taking before slipping just out of Pittsburghs reach.
The latest missed chance adds to the familiar frustration of a winnable night getting away, especially once the third period tilted and Chicago found the separating goal. Pittsburgh was left to sort through another result that had enough encouraging individual moments to feel close, but not enough finishing or late-game execution to turn Crosbys production into points. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Prospects Are Starting To Separate Themselves Fast
The Penguins prospect pipeline is getting a lot easier to sort through early in the season, and that is a good sign for an organization that needs young players to start pushing the conversation. Across the AHL, NCAA and WHL, several of Pittsburghs better-known prospects are showing why they remain part of the long-term picture, with production and consistency beginning to separate the top names from the rest of the group.
Bill Zonnon and Joel Blomqvist are two of the clearest examples of that trend. Zonnon has jumped out quickly in the AHL, while Blomqvists play has given Pittsburgh another reason to watch the goaltending depth chart closely. With roster spots never handed out lightly and organizational depth still a real issue, the next stretch matters for every prospect trying to turn a strong start into an NHL opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Defensive Issues Were Hard To Ignore In Another Costly Loss
Chicagos 5-3 win over the Penguins was the kind of result that offered a little bit of everything for the Blackhawks, including one of their more encouraging all-around performances this season. The atmosphere around the game shifted quickly once Connor Bedard was back in the lineup after his shoulder injury, and his presence was part of a night that also featured useful contributions from several younger players as the group continued to show signs of growth.
For Pittsburgh, though, the familiar concern was what kept showing up without enough correction. Even in a loss that had plenty of offense to go with it, the Penguins were again left sorting through defensive breakdowns that made life too easy for Chicago and turned a manageable game into another costly one. The broader issue is not hard to spot, and it is the kind of thing that can erase the good moments if it does not get cleaned up soon. [Read more 🡒]