Ice Chips: Knies skates ahead of Maple Leafs practice
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Forward Matthew Knies was on the ice Sunday morning as he continues to work his way back from an upper-body injury suffered earlier this week.
TSN's Mark Masters reports this is the first time he's seen Knies skate since taking a big hit from Vegas Golden Knights defenceman Zach Whitecloud that caused the Leafs to place him on injured reserve retroactive to Nov. 20.
Knies will not play Sunday against the Utah Hockey Club as the earliest he would be eligible to return is next Saturday in Tampa against the Lightning.
During the second period of Wednesday's matchup, Whitecloud caught a slightly hunched over Knies up under the chin with his shoulder while Knies was skating in the neutral zone. The hit knocked Knies hard to the ice and forced him out of the game.
The 22-year-old has eight goals and 12 points in 20 games so far this season for Toronto.
Meanwhile, forward Auston Matthews skated again Sunday morning as he works his way back from an upper-body injury that sent him to Germany earlier this week for treatment.
The 26-year-old has been out of the lineup since Nov. 3 with the injury and told reporters Saturday that this is an ailment he's been dealing with since the preseason.
Matthews also said Saturday that while he doesn't know when he can return to game action, it's possible he could return on Wednesday against the Florida Panthers.
Masters notes that Joseph Woll is not on the ice for the morning skate, which indicates he will get the start Sunday against Utah. Head coach Craig Berube later confirmed Woll would get the nod.
"Woll’s coming off a real solid game against a real good team and we wanted to go back with him," Berube said.
This would put goalie Anthony Stolarz in line to face his former team when the Leafs play the Florida Panthers on Wednesday.
Ottawa Senators
The Senators have recalled forward Zack Ostapchuk from the AHL's Belleville Senators, it was announced Sunday.
The 21-year-old has one assist in six games with the big club this season. He has one goal and seven assists for eight points in nine AHL games.