Ice Chips: Backlund's status for Tuesday TBD
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Keep updated on all the injury news and roster updates from around the NHL with daily Ice Chips.
Calgary Flames
Captain Mikael Backlund joined teammates in a regular jersey for the team's skate Monday.
Backlund has missed the past five games with an upper-body injury.
After Monday's skate, head coach Ryan Huska said it was too soon to say if Backlund would play Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken. He took line rushed Monday alongside Blake Coleman and Joel Farabee and worked on the penalty kill.
Defenceman MacKenzie Weegar and forward Martin Pospisil did not skate Monday.
Weegar missed the session with a lower-body injury while Pospisil sat out for maintenance. Huska said Weegar is expected to play on Tuesday against the Kraken.
Washington Capitals
Defenceman Jakob Chychrun is dealing with a skate cut on his wrist and did not practise on Monday, head coach Spencer Carbery said via Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network.
Carbery said Chychrun is expected to travel with the team but there is concern about his status for Tuesday's heavyweight matchup against the Winnipeg Jets.
Chychrun suffered the injury in Saturday's game against the Florida Panthers.
"We’ll see how he feels tomorrow, but got very fortunate that there was no significant damage. But it’s still a significant cut," Carbery said.
Chychrun played 16:25 in Saturday's 6-3 win, recording four shots on net and two blocked shots.
Ottawa Senators
Captain Brady Tkachuk did not attend practise on Monday for maintenance but will play Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres, Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch reports.
Tkachuk has dealt with hip issues over the past month after suffering an injury during February's 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
The 25-year-old left winger has 28 goals and 26 assists over 67 games in 2024-25, his seventh season playing in the nation's capital.
The Senators recalled centre Stephen Halliday from the AHL's Belleville Senators on Monday.
Halliday has 15 goals and 43 points in 59 games with the AHL club this season.
Selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft, he has yet to appear in an NHL game.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Leafs hit the practice ice on Monday ahead of hosting the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.
Maple Leafs' Practice Lines - Mark Masters, TSN
F
Knies - Matthews - Marner
McMann - Tavares - Nylander
Laughton - Domi - Robertson
Lorentz - Holmberg - Jarnkrok
Kampf
D
McCabe - Tanev
Rielly - Carlo
Benoit - Ekman-Larsson
Myers
G
Stolarz & Woll
Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens defenceman Kaiden Guhle will travel with the team on their upcoming road trip as he continues to progress in his recovery from a lacerated quad.
The 23-year-old has not played since having surgery to repair the injury in late January. He began skating March 7.
The Canadiens will open their trip on Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues in the first of four games on the road, concluding with Sunday's game against the Florida Panthers.
Guhle had four goals and 14 points in 44 games this season, averaging 21:14 of ice time.
Prior to the start of the season, he signed a six-year, $33.3 million contract extension.
Originally selected 16th overall by the Canadiens in the 2020 NHL Draft. the Edmonton native has 14 goals and 54 points in 158 career NHL games.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Centre Sean Monahan will play his first game since Jan. 7 on Monday as the Blue Jackets face the New York Islanders.
Monahan has been sidelined with a wrist injury, and has been a key loss for Columbus after a point-per-game start to the season.
The 30-year-old Monahan has 14 goals and 27 assists for 41 points in 41 games this season. He split last season between the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets, tallying 26 goals and 33 assists for 59 points in 83 regular season games combined between the two teams.
Defenceman Erik Gudbranson will also play just his fourth game of the season on Monday after being sidelined since October after undergoing shoulder surgery.
The 33-year-old is without a point in three games after posting six goals and 26 points in 78 games last season.
The Blue Jackets continue to fight for a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, with Monday marking a key game in the race. With a 2-7-1 record in their last 10 games, Columbus has slipped to four points back of the Montreal Canadiens for the final wild-card spot. The Islanders are two points ahead of the Blue Jackets as they also remain in the race.
New Jersey Devils
Ondrej Palat will be back in the lineup for Monday's game against the Vancouver Canucks after missing the past week.
Jacob Markstrom will get the start in net for New Jersey as the team looks to snap a two-game losing skid.
New York Islanders
Ilya Sorokin is set to start in net for the Islanders as their playoff chase continues Monday against the Blue Jackets.