Ice Chips: Vilardi remains in non-contact sweater at Jets skate
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Winnipeg Jets
Forward Gabriel Vilardi is continuing to work himself back from an upper-body injury but is not ready for contact yet, according TSN's John Lu.
Head coach Scott Arniel told reporters that he doesn't know when Vilardi will be cleared for contact but he will travel with the team to St. Louis.
Vilardi, 25, was injured during the Jets' 5-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on March 23 and has missed the team's last 13 games, including Games 1 and 2 against the Blues.
The 6-foot-3 centre was fifth on the team in scoring this season with 27 goals and 61 points in 71 games.
Winnipeg enters Game 3 of their series with the Blues holding a 2-0 series lead with the series shifting to St. Louis on Thursday.
The Jets used these lines during their practice on Wednesday:
Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane was a full participant during the team's morning skate and will be in the lineup when they take on the Los Angeles Kings in Game 2 of their first-round matchup, according to TSN's Ryan Rishaug.
Kane, 33, has not played this season after undergoing abdominal surgery in the off-season and knee surgery in January.
The 6-foot-2 winger appeared in 76 games with the Oilers last season, recording 26 goals and 43 points. He added four goals and eight points in 20 playoff games, helping the Oilers to a Stanley Cup Final appearance.
He skated on the second line during the team's morning skate along with forwards Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman.
Drafted fourth overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2009, Kane has 326 goals and 617 points in 930 career games split between the Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres, San Jose Sharks, and Oilers.
He also has 26 goals and 43 points in 76 playoff games split between the Sharks and Oilers.
Additionally, defenceman John Klingberg is expected to be in the lineup for the Oilers in Game 2 versus the Kings.
Klingberg, 32, has been out with an undisclosed injury since March 27.
The 6-foot-2 right-shot defenceman has a goal and four points in 11 games this season.
Edmonton used these lines during Wednesday's morning skate, according to Rishaug:
Draisaitl - McDavid - Perry
Kane - Nugent-Hopkins - Hyman
Frederic - Henrique - Brown
Podkolzin - Janmark - Arvidsson
Skinner/Jones- Ryan - Kapanen
Nurse - Bouchard
Walman - Klingberg
Kulak - Emberson
Dineen - Brown
Skinner
Dallas Stars
Top pairing defenceman Miro Heiskanen was on the practice ice once again ahead of Game 3 in Colorado but will remain out, according to head coach Peter DeBoer.
Heiskanen, 25, has been recovering from knee surgery he underwent on Feb. 4, and has not played since Jan. 28. He also skated on Monday before Game 2.
DeBoer told reporters while he won't be available on Wednesday, he is getting closer to a return.
The seventh-year player scored five goals and finished with 25 points in 50 games in the regular season for the Stars. He led the team in average ice time, at 25:09.
The series is tied at a game apiece.
Washington Capitals
Forward Aliaksei Protas skated prior to the Capitals morning skate ahead of Game 2 of their first-round series with the Montreal Canadiens, according to Tarik El-Bashir of the Monumental Sports Network.
Protas, 24, missed the Capitals 3-2 overtime win in Game 1 due to a foot injury that that also caused him to miss the last six games of the regular season.
The 6-foot-6 centre was skating in a regular sweater on Wednesday, but his status for Game 2 has not been determined.
Protas was a key offensive force for the Capitals this season, recording 30 goals and 66 points in 76 games.
Washington has a 1-0 series advantage over the Canadiens entering Game 2.
Colorado Avalanche
Head coach Jared Bednar told Denver's Altitude Sports Radio that there's a good chance captain Gabriel Landeskog will paly in Game 3 of their first-round matchup against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday.
Landeskog, 32, hasn't had any NHL action since the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2022.
The 6-foot-1 winger appeared in two games with the AHL's Colorado Eagles, recording a goal and two points as he continues to gear up for playoff action.
Landeskog has played his entire 11-plus season career in Colorado, recording 248 goals and 571 points in 738 career games. He added 27 goals and 67 points in 69 career playoff games.
Colorado is tied with Dallas 1-1 in their first-round series entering Game 3 on Wednesday.
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings assigned goaltender Pheonix Copley to the AHL's Ontario Reign and recalled goalie Carter George from the Reign for the purposes of emergency.
George played this season with the Ontario Hockey League's Owen Sound Attack where he had a 17-22-6 record with a .909 save percentage and 3.35 goals-against average.
The 18-year-old netminder appeared won both his appearances with the Reign, allowing one goal and recording a shutout.
George also represented Canada at the 2025 World Juniors, going 2-2 with a 1.76 GAA and .936 save percentage in a fifth-place finish.