Ice Chips: Red Wings' Larkin skates Thursday, remains unavailable
Keep updated on all the injury news and roster updates from around the NHL with daily Ice Chips.
Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin participated in practice Thursday for the first time since leaving Saturday's game against the Ottawa Senators with an upper-body injury. He will remain on injured reserve and will be unavailable through the weekend, according to head coach Derek Lalonde.
Larkin has 11 goals and 25 points in 24 games played this season.
Forward J.T. Compher remains day-to-day with an undisclosed injury and will remain on injured reserve.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Head coach Sheldon Keefe says defenceman Timothy Liljegren is close to returning and is working on his conditioning as part of his return.
The 24-year-old has been out of the lineup since Nov. 2 due to a high ankle sprain suffered in a game against the Boston Bruins.
In 10 appearances this season, he has one assist.
Montreal Canadiens
Forward Emil Heineman practiced Thursday for the first time since being recalled from the AHL's Laval Rocket. He has only played seven games this season due to an upper-body injury, recording four points in seven games.
Christian Dvorak, Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher, Mike Matheson and Cayden Primeau did not participate due to therapy days.
Ottawa Senators
The Sens practiced with the following lines at their morning skate in St. Louis, ahead of tonight's matchup with the Blues.
Tkachuk-Norris-Giroux
Tarasenko-Stützle- Batherson
Kubalik-Greig-Joseph
Kelly-Chartier-Kastelic
MacEwen
Sanderson-Bernard-Docker
Chychrun-Zub
Brannstrom-Hamonic
Larsson
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers projected lineup for tonight's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning:
Nugent-Hopkins - McDavid - Hyman
Janmark - Draisaitl - Foegele
Kane - McLeod - Brown
Gagner - Hamblin - Ryan
Nurse - Ceci
Ekholm - Bouchard
Kulak - Desharnais
Skinner
Pickard
Scratches: Ben Gleason, Adam Erne
Vancouver Canucks
Forward Pius Suter will return to the lineup when the Canucks take on the Florida Panthers, according to team reporter Kate Pettersen.
Suter, 27 has been out since Nov. 27 with a lower-body injury.
The 5-foot-11 forward has four goals in 15 games this season.
Minnesota Wild
Wild captain Jared Spurgeon will not be available as his team takes on the Calgary Flames.
Spurgeon, 34, is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
The 5-foot-9 defenceman has four assists and a plus-6 in 13 games this season.
Washington Capitals
Forward Sonny Milano has been placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
Milano, 27, last played on Dec. 10 in the Capitals' 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks and had 10:15 of icetime.
The 6-foot winger has four goals and eight points in 23 games this season.
The Capitals recalled Joe Snively from the AHL's Hershey Bears in a corresponding move.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins is expected to get the start against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, according to team reporter Jeff Svoboda.
Merzlikins, 29, missed the Blue Jackets last three games due to an illness.
The 6-foot-3 netminder has a 6-8-4 record with a .910 save percentage and 3.10 goals-against average this season.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning recalled defenceman Sean Day from the AHL's Syracuse Crunch and re-assigned defenceman Philippe Myers and forward Mitchell Chaffee to the AHL.
Defenceman Victor Hedman will miss his second straight game as the Lightning take on the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, according to team reporter Gabby Shirley.
Hedman, 32, is out with an upper-body injury he sustained during the Lightning's 4-3 overtime win over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.
The 6-foot-7 defenceman has five goals and 27 points in 29 games this season.
Boston Bruins
The Bruins placed defenceman Charlie McAvoy and centre Pavel Zacha on injured reserve on Thursday.
McAvoy, 25, has missed the team's last three games with an upper-body injury.
The 6-foot-1 defenceman has three goals and 17 points in 21 games this season.
Zacha, 26, missed Wednesday;s 2-1 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils with an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day.
The 6-foot-4 centre has eight goals and 19 point sin 26 games this season.
Boston recalled defenceman Parker Wotherspoon and forward Patrick Brown from the AHL's Providence Bruins in a corresponding move.
Seattle Kraken
Goaltender Philipp Grubauer is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury, according to head coach Dave Hakstol.
Grubauer, 32, was injured during the second period of the Kraken's 4-3 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning and was placed on injured reserve on Sunday.
The 6-foot-1 netminder has a 5-9-1 record with an .884 save percentage and 3.25 goals-against average this season.
Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres placed forward Jeff Skinner on injured reserve on Thursday due to an upper-body injury he sustained on a hit from Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon on Wednesday.
The team recalled Forward Brett Murray in a corresponding move.
Skinner has 12 goals and 10 assists in 30 games this season.