Ice Chips: Canucks' Hughes skates in non-contact jersey; out again Tuesday vs. Canadiens
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Keep updated on all the injury news and roster updates from around the NHL with daily Ice Chips.
Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes skated in a non-contact jersey at practice but will not play Tuesday, according to head coach Rick Tocchet.
Hughes has missed his team's last three games after "tweaking something" in a 6-3 loss to the Seattle Kraken on March 1. The American blue liner has been listed as day-to-day since sustaining the undisclosed injury.
The 25-year-old blue liner was also forced to miss six games for Vancouver in February, as well as the entirety of the 4 Nations Face-Off with what was reported to be an oblique injury.
The 2023-24 Norris Trophy winner has posted 14 goals and 46 assists for 60 points across 50 games played this season.
The Canucks play host to the Montreal Canadiens Tuesday just one point back of the Calgary Flames for the last wild card spot in the Western Conference.
Winnipeg Jets
Luke Schenn appears set to pair with Haydn Fleury in his first game with the Jets, based on the lines in Tuesday's gameday skate.
With Schenn coming in after being acquired at the trade deadline, Logan Stanley is set to serve as a healthy scratch for the first time this season.
Fellow trade-deadline add Brandon Tanev, who has already played in two games with the Jets, skated on the fourth line with Mark Barron and Alex Iafallo.
Connor - Scheifele - Vilardi
Ehlers - Namestnikov - Perfetti
Niederreiter - Lowry - Appleton
Tanev - Barron - Iafallo
Morrissey - DeMelo
Samberg - Pionk
Fleury - Schenn
Hellebuyck
Comrie
Scratches: Kupari, Gustafsson, Stanley, Miller, Heinola
The Jets host the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.
Ottawa Senators
Leeve Merilainen has been recalled by the Ottawa Seantors from the American Hockey League's Leevi Merilainen, the team announced Tuesday.
Merilainen, 22, has made 11 starts for Ottawa this season, posting a 1.99 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage. His last NHL appearance came on Feb. 1 in a 6-0 drubbing of the Minnesota Wild for his eighth win and third shutout of the season.
The Finnish net-minder was sent down to Belleville on Feb. 2 after the team activated Linus Ullmark (back) off of injured reserve.
Postmedia's Bruce Garroich reports that Merilainen is expected to dress as the back-up Tuesday, as Ullmark should get the night off having made eight straight starts dating back to Feb. 8.
In 25 AHL appearances this season, Merilainen holds a 12-7-3 record with a 2.30 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.
Ottawa takes on the Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday, and sit atop the wild card standings with 33-25-5 record for 71 points through 63 games.
Florida Panthers
Brad Marchand took part in his first skate with his new team on Tuesday morning, but will not make his team debut when the Florida Panthers take on the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.
Marchand was in a regular jersey in Tuesday's gameday skate, working on a line with Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe.
However, head coach Paul Maurice said after the session that the team simply remains hopeful Marchand will play before the end of the regular season. He labelled Tuesday's skate as progress, but noted it doesn't change his status as he remains out week-to-week.
The Bruins stunningly traded Marchand to their division rivals ahead of the trade deadline on Friday for a conditional second-round pick. The pick will upgrade to a first if Florida reaches the Eastern Conference Final with Marchand playing in at least 50 per cent of their games.
The 36-year-old forward has been out since March 1 due to an upper-body injury. He has 21 goals and 47 points in 61 games this season.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Andrei Vasilevskiy will get the start in net for the Tampa Bay Lightning Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes, head coach Jon Cooper told reporters.
Vasilevskiy, 30, is set for his league-leading 51st start of the season as the Lightning look to rebound from a 4-0 loss to the Boston Bruins last time out.
In his 11th season in the league, the Tyumen, Russia native has posted a record of 30-17-3 with a 2.25 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage.
Tampa Bay occupy third place in the Atlantic with 78 points, just three behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second spot in the division.
Minnesota Wild
Filip Gustavsson was the first goaltender off the ice for the Minnesota Wild and is in line to make his 43rd start of the season Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche.
The 26-year-old net-minder has recorded a 24-14-3 record with a 2.60 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage this season for Minnesota.
Gustavsson is making his fifth start in the Wild's last six games, holding a 2.43 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage.
The Skelleftea, Sweden native is in his third season with the team since being acquired from the Ottawa Senators in a trade for Cam Talbot in July 2022.
Minnesota holds the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference with a 36-24-4 record, six points clear of the second-place Calgary Flames.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Tommy Novak has been listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, while defenceman Ryan Shea is week-to-week with an upper-body injury, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters on Tuesday.
Sullivan also added the Pierre-Olivier Joseph remains out while nursing an upper-body injury sustained against the Boston Bruins on March 1.
Novak, 27, was acquired by the Penguins from the Nashville Predators on March 5. He has played in two games for his new team, going without a point in 13:01 of ice time per night.
The St. Paul, Minn. native spent the first first four seasons of his career with the Predators, scoring 49 goals and 117 points while appearing in 201 games.
Shea, 28, was injured in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Sunday after playing a career-high 24:18 across 27 shifts.
In 61 games, the blue liner has recorded three goals and three assists for the Penguins since debuting with the team during the 2023-24 campaign.
He inked a one-year contract with Pittsburgh last week that will keep him with the team through the end of next season.
Joseph, 25, was acquired by Pittsburgh from the St. Louis Blues in December, registering one assist in 24 games since the trade. He was placed on injured reserve before the trade deadline.
The Laval, Que. native spent the first four seasons of his career with the Penguins before being non-tendered by the team last summer.
In 194 career games, Joseph has scored eight goals and 40 points. He is set for unrestricted free agency at the end of the 2024-25 season.
Pittsburgh has struggled to a 25-31-10 record this season and sit just four points ahead of the Buffalo Sabres for last place in the Eastern Conference.
They are back in action against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night.