Ice Chips: Tkachuk practices with Senators but departs early
Published
Keep updated on all the injury news and roster updates from around the NHL with daily Ice Chips.
Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk participated in one line rush in the team's practice on Tuesday, but left afterwards, according to TSN's Claire Hanna.
Tkachuk suffered a lower-body injury playing for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier in February that forced him to miss Ottawa's first game after the break on Feb. 22.
He said he left practice early to be cautious, and that the injury was suffered against Sweden in the third game of the tournament. He played in the final against Canada.
"Nothing major, want to address it and be an animal the next 25 games," Tkachuk said after practice.
Tkachuk has a team-leading 21 goals in 56 games this season, with 44 points in total.
Defenceman Josh Norris, who has been out since Feb. 3 with an upper-body injury, skated in a regular jersey at Tuesday's practice.
Shane Pinto participated in the practice session in a red non-contact jersey, per Hanna.
Pinto has not played since Feb. 4, having missed the team's last three games with an upper-body injury. The 24-year-old played just under three minutes before departing with the injury against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Senators skated the following lines in practice:
Tkachuk*-Stützle-Giroux
Perron-Norris-Batherson
Gregor-Greig-Amadio
Highmore-Pinto-Gaudette
Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Jensen
Kleven-Matinpalo
Hamonic-JBD
Ullmark/Forsberg
Ottawa returns to action against the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Anthony Stolarz was in the visitor's/starter's net in Tuesday's practice and is expected to start in net against the Boston Bruins Tuesday night.
Stolarz has played in only two games since Dec. 12, when he suffered a knee injury. He returned to action on Feb. 6 in a 3-1 victory against the Seattle Kraken before the 4 Nations Face-Off break, and was in net on Feb. 22 in a 6-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.
The 31-year-old has a sterling 2.13 goals-against average and .928 save percentage in 19 games this season with the Maple Leafs, his first in Toronto.
Forward Calle Jarnkrok is nearing a return to the lineup, per head coach Craig Berube. "He's feeling excellent & he has to see the doctor yet & he will do that shortly here. He's feeling great on the ice. Like, he's really ready to play."
The Maple Leafs are going to roll with the same lineup as the weekend. The team won both of their games in a back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday.
New York Rangers
Chris Kreider participated in practice with the New York Rangers on Tuesday, per The Athletic's Peter Baugh.
Kreider suffered an upper-body injury at the 4 Nations Face-Off playing for the United States. He missed their final two games at the tournament, and was not in the lineup in New York's two games since the NHL schedule returned.
The 33-year-old has 17 goals and 21 points in 48 games.
Minnesota Wild
Minnesota Wild centre Joel Eriksson Ek was injured in practice and has been placed on injured reserve, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo.
Eriksson Ek will miss at least seven days, but Russo notes that the veteran will miss a lot more time than that.
The 28-year-old has nine goals and 24 points in 42 games this season, his ninth in the NHL with the Wild since the team selected him in the first round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
Eriksson Ek scored a goal and chipped in two points for Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier in February.
Calgary Flames
Dan Vladar is slated to start in net for the Calgary Flames on Tuesday, per head coach Ryan Huska.
Defenceman Kevin Bahl is going to return to the lineup on Tuesday for the first time in eight games as well. He missed seven games with an upper-body injury before an illness kept him out of the lineup on Sunday.
The Flames are in Washington to take on the Capitals.
Philadelphia Flyers
Samuel Ersson is set to start in net for the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday, according to head coach John Tortorella.
Ersson has a 17-10-3 record this season, his third in the NHL. He has a .894 save percentage and a 2.81 goals-against average.
The Flyers (25-26-7) host the Pittsburgh Penguins in the battle of Pennsylvania on Tuesday.