Ice Chips: Leafs to only have five defencemen vs. Canadiens

Keep updated on all the injury news and roster updates from around the NHL with daily Ice Chips.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson was missing from Maple Leafs practice on Friday and is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, according to TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston.

Ekman-Larsson skated a team-high 25:14 while blocking two shots and handing out a hit during Toronto's 4-3 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday.

He has four goals and 29 points in 77 games this season while averaging 21:04 of ice time with a plus-14 rating.

Injuries to Ekman-Larsson and defenceman Jake McCabe leaves the Maple Leafs down to five defencemen as they try to stay under the salary cap for the remaining four games of the season.

Forward David Kampf and McCabe skated on their own on Friday but did not participate in Maple Leafs practice, according to TSN's Mark Masters.

Kampf and McCabe missed the Maple Leafs' last three games with undisclosed injuries.

McCabe has been a key defenceman for Toronto, averaging 21:31 of ice time with a plus-23 rating. He has two goals and 23 points in 66 games this season.

Berube told reporters on Friday that he expects McCabe to return before the conclusion of the regular season.

Kampf appeared in 59 games this season, recording five goals and 13 points.

The Maple Leafs used these lines during practice on Friday:

Edmonton Oilers

Forwards Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl are not expected to be in the lineup when the Oilers take on the San Jose Sharks on Friday.

Nugent-Hopkins, 31, missed Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues due to an illness.

The 6-foot-1 centre has 20 goals and 49 points in 76 games this season.

Draisaitl missed the team's last three games with an undisclosed injury and is considered to be day-to-day.

He leads the league with 52 goals to go along with 106 points in 71 games this season.

Defenceman Mattias Ekholm will return to the lineup against the Sharks, head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed.

Ekholm, 34, missed the team's last seven games with an undisclosed injury.

The 6-foot-5 left-shot defenceman has nine goals and 33 points in 64 games while averaging 22:31 of ice time.

Additionally, Calvin Pickard will be in net against the Sharks on Friday.

Pickard has a 21-9-1 record this season with a .901 save percentage and 2.65 goals-against average.

Ottawa Senators

One day after stating he expected to skate on Friday, Senators captain Brady Tkachuk was absent from the optional session. 

Four forwards took the optional, including Nick Cousins as he continues to work towards playing for the first time since January.

Head coach Travis Green did not speak after the session, leaving no update on Tkachuk's status as he appeared to miss another checkpoint in his recovery.

Tkachuk was cautious while speaking Thursday about confirming his status for the playoffs, which are set to start next weekend. He has missed Ottawa's past five games with an upper-body injury. 

"I don't think I'd ever miss an opportunity to play in the playoffs," Tkachuk said. "But [I'm] not looking too far in advance. [I'm] looking forward to skating tomorrow, feeling good, and going from there."

The Senators cliched their first playoff berth in seven years on Tuesday and are currently battling with the Montreal Canadiens for playoff positioning. They sit fourth in the Atlantic Division with a 42-30-6 record and are in possession of the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, three points ahead of the Canadiens. 

The two teams will faceoff on Friday, with Ottawa potentially taking a massive step towards locking up the top wild-card spot with a win.

When asked if he would prefer to get rest before the playoffs or to get some game action to get warmed up, Tkachuk said he would like a little of both.

"I'm in the mental state where [I believe] there's two more months of hockey left," said Tkachuk. "It's going to be a long, grueling, and taxing [time] on the body and mind so I think it's a combination of resting up for that.

"I haven't played since March 30 so [I also] got to make sure I'm ready physically. I know mentally, [I've] been waiting for this moment so I'm not worried about that one bit."

Tkachuk also missed some time after he represented the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February with an undisclosed injury that hindered him during that tournament and cost him two games when the Senators returned to action.

The 6-foot-4 winger leads the team with 29 goals and is third on the team in scoring with 55 points in 78 games.

Ottawa wraps up the regular season with a four-game homestand, beginning with the Canadiens on Friday. They then take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday and Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday before finishing the season against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche recalled defencemen Wyatt Aamodt, and Jack Ahcan, and forward Jere Innala from the AHL's Colorado Eagles on Friday.

Aamodt, 27, has three goals and 16 points in 66 games with the Eagles this season.

Ahcan recorded five goals and 41 points in 67 AHL games this season.

Innala, 27, appeared in 15 games with the Avalanche this season with a minus-3 rating. He also has 16 goals and 27 points in 42 AHL games.

Minnesota Wild

Head coach John Hynes told reporters that there is potential for defenceman Jake Middleton to play against the Calgary Flames as both teams continue to fight for a playoff spot.

Middleton, 29, missed the team's last three games with an upper-body injury.

The 6-foot-3 right shot defenceman has eight goals and 20 points in 66 games this season while averaging 21:56 of ice time and a plus-12 rating.

Additionally, forward Vinnie Hinostroza will take Justin Brazeau's spot in Friday's lineup.

Hinostroza has five goals and 10 points in 37 games split between the Nashville Predators and Wild this season.

New Jersey Devils

Defenceman Dougie Hamilton skated with the team's scratches on Friday as he continues to work towards a return for the first round of the playoffs.

Hamilton has been out since March with a lower-body injury, but could be back for the first round as he remains ahead of schedule in his recovery.

"I think there's a chance (he could return for the first round of the playoffs), but it's just a matter of how he continues to progress," head coach Sheldon Keefe said Tuesday. "He is on the ice, which is a positive sign. There has been no discussion at this point yet of him joining the team, which speaks to the fact he's not where he needs to be. But obviously that's a significant checkpoint for us that's on the horizon."

The Devils will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the first-round of the playoffs, entering as the third seed out of the Metropolitan Division.

Jake Allen will be in net on Friday when the Devils take on the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Allen, 34, has a 12-15-1 record with a .911 save percentage and 2.59 goals-average this season.

Seattle Kraken

The Kraken have placed defenceman Cale Fleury and forward John Hayden on waivers Friday.

Fleury, 26, appeared in 14 games this season in Seattle, registering an assist on 12:52 of ice time.

He also has six goals and 24 points in 36 games with the AHL's Coachella Valley Firebirds.

Hayden, 30, appeared in 19 games with the Kraken record a goal and two points.

The 6-foot-3 centre also recorded 11 goals and 27 points in 43 AHL games this season.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Forward Luke Glendening will not be available on Friday when the Lightning take on the Tampa Bay Lightning, according to team reporter Benjamin Pierce.

Head coach Jon Cooper says that he hopes Glendening will be ready for the playoffs with the regular season concluding on April 17.

"He's going to continue to get evaluated," said Cooper. "Hard to say if he'll play in the regular season, just for the fact that we won't really need him to. Our hope is he'll be good for the playoffs."

The 5-foot-11 centre appeared in 77 games this season, recording four goals and seven points.