Calgary is getting some encouraging news on captain Mikael Backlund, even if his return won’t come tonight.
Ryan Pike of Daily Faceoff Calgary reported earlier today that Backlund is close to coming back for the Flames after sitting out the past week with a lower-body injury. The 37-year-old forward remains out against the Detroit Red Wings, but he could be an option Monday when Calgary hosts the Toronto Maple Leafs. Backlund had one goal and two points in eight games before getting hurt.
The update on Jonathan Huberdeau is more tempered. Pike also said the winger, who has been working back from offseason hip-resurfacing surgery, is not close to returning yet. Huberdeau will start practicing with Calgary from time to time, but there’s still a ways to go before he’s back in the lineup.
In Edmonton, the Oilers are facing a tougher short-term loss on defense. Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reported that Mattias Ekholm is dealing with a concussion, leaving him out for the foreseeable future.
The Oilers had not specified netminder Devon Levi’s injury, but the update on Ekholm makes the picture clearer for a team that usually pairs him with Evan Bouchard. That duo has put up a 56.7% xGoals% this season, per MoneyPuck.
There was also a setback for San Jose forward Igor Chernyshov. Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group reported that Chernyshov had already gone home before the Sharks’ game against the Boston Bruins, after suffering an upper-body injury against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.
He’s expected to miss the next few weeks. Chernyshov has two goals and four points in 11 games this season.
In Other News...
Sharks Linked To A Young Defenseman Worth Fighting For
Simon Edvinssons contract situation in Detroit has become one of the more interesting young-defenseman stories around the league, and the Sharks are now in the mix. The 23-year-old restricted free agent has drawn interest from as many as 10 NHL teams, including San Jose and Boston, after carving out a reputation as a shutdown defender while logging meaningful minutes over the past two seasons.
For a Sharks club still trying to steady its blue line, a player like Edvinsson would make obvious sense. The wrinkle is that the standoff has reportedly gone on long enough that a move may be more appealing to him than waiting it out, which only adds another layer to a situation already being watched closely across the league. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Hot Start Comes With One Problem Fans Cant Ignore
The early returns have been encouraging for a San Jose team that spent the summer trying to prove last seasons promise was real. After finishing a six-game road trip with a 3-2-1 mark, the Sharks sit at 6-5-1, their second-best start in five years, and theyve gotten real help from the crease with Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic providing steady work behind them. The power play has also been a difference-maker, giving this group enough edge to stay in games and cash in when chances have opened up.
Still, theres a familiar source of unease hanging over the strong start, and it keeps showing up when games should be getting closed out. San Jose has been dragged back late far too often, and the third-period issues have already turned what should have been comfortable nights into stressful ones for both the bench and the fan base. For a team trying to build credibility, that kind of habit can erase a lot of good work in a hurry, even when the overall record looks respectable. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Let Another Winnable Game Slip Away Late
The Sharks had enough offense to make things interesting at TD Garden, with Michael Misa, Kiefer Sherwood, Dmitry Orlov and Will Smith all finding the net in a back-and-forth game against the Bruins. For stretches, San Jose looked capable of turning a road night into something better, piecing together scoring chances and keeping itself in the fight against a Boston team that was ready to push back.
San Jose's latest miss came in the kind of game that stings because the opening was there. The Sharks carried a lead into the late stages before the Bruins surged at the finish, turning a one-goal gap into a 6-4 loss and leaving the visitors to sort through another reminder of how thin the margin can be when a game gets loose in the third period. [Read more 🡒]