NHL Buzz: Jeannot will miss start of Stanley Cup Playoffs for Lightning

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Tampa Bay Lightning

Tanner Jeannot will miss the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a lower-body injury and is "more than day to day," coach Jon Cooper said Monday.
The forward was injured against the New York Islanders on Thursday when he got tied up with defenseman Scott Mayfield along the boards and his right leg bent back awkwardly under his body as they both fell to the ice.
Tampa Bay will play the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Eastern Conference First Round.
"Hopefully he'll be back here at some point in the playoffs," Cooper said. "But he's definitely not going to start with us. I don't expect him to play in Game 1."
Jeannot was acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators on Feb. 26 for defenseman Cal Foote and a package of five draft picks, including a first-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft. He has four points (one goal,three assists) in 20 games with the Lightning.
Michael Eyssimont took Jeannot's spot on a line with Anthony Cirelli and Ross Colton during practice Monday -- Corey Long

Washington Capitals

T.J. Oshie will not return this season for the Washington Capitals, coach Peter Laviolette announced after the morning skate Monday in advance of the game against the Islanders.
The 36-year-old forward has missed three games with an upper-body injury.
"He's dealt with something that's specific and has really pushed him down a little bit, so he's battling that," Laviolette said.
Oshie has been out on three occasions this season and played 58 games. His 19 goals are third on the Capitals behind forwards Alex Ovechkin (42) and Dylan Strome (21), and he has 16 assists.
Last season, Oshie was limited to 44 games and had 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists).
Ovechkin did not play against the Islanders because of an upper-body injury but could return before the end of the season, Laviolette said. The Capitals visit the Boston Bruins on Tuesday and host the New Jersey Devils on Thursday in their season finale.
Center Nic Dowd (undisclosed) did not take part in the morning skate. Washington will play 11 forwards and seven defensemen against New York. -- Harvey Valentine

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Minnesota Wild

Brock Faber will make his NHL debut when the Wild visit the Chicago Blackhawks (9 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN NOW), two nights after playing for the University of Minnesota in the NCAA championship game, a 3-2 overtime loss to Quinnipiac.
"Just to be here is a dream come true for me," said Faber, a native of Maple Grove, Minnesota. "Throwing on that Wild practice jersey is pretty darn cool."
The 20-year-old defenseman described the past 48 hours as "a lot of highs and lows" and the loss to Quinnipiac as "one of the hardest things I've ever gone through. It's going to sting for a while, but I'm here, and I'm here to do anything I can for this team."
The Wild signed Faber to a three-year, entry-level contract. He will be paired with Alex Goligoski.
"It's just hockey," coach Dean Evason said of the decision to put Faber into lineup right away. "He signed a contract, he's ready to play hockey. He's going to play hockey tonight.
"Just from the outside, watching the interviews and watching how he's conducted himself, not only as a player but as the leader of that team, [he is] somebody who is not only a good hockey player but is a team-first mentality. What better guy to bring into our organization right now?"
Faber will have a large contingent of family and friends at the game, including his parents, sisters, grandmother and girlfriend.
Forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello and defensemen Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin did not make the trip and are out Monday.
"I guess it looks like we're resting players," Evason said. "You guys [media] know the history of our group. The four that aren't here are all banged up. Could they play, like we've talked about before? Sure." -- Bruce Miles

Vegas Golden Knights

Mark Stone skated in a non-contact jersey at practice Monday, but there's no timeline yet for his return from back surgery.
The forward has been out since Jan. 12 and had surgery Jan. 31.
"It's a good sign. He looked good," coach Bruce Cassidy said. "This is the next phase of his return to play, recovery. Get integrated with the team. I don't know how long that has to be. That's Step 1. We'll see how he responds to it tomorrow. It was good to have him around."
Stone has 38 points (17 goals, 21 assists) in 43 games this season.
"When you're on your own and not skating it's tough, I didn't know when we could expect to have him back," Cassidy said. "He's continuing onto the next phase is always a good time. It's a good sign. To be with the guys has to be good for him mentally, as well. The guys get a boost having their captain back whether it's having him in the room or participating in drills, whatever it is. It's always good."
Jack Eichel is not expected to play when the Golden Knights host the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; ATTSN-RM, ROOT-NW, ESPN+, SN NOW) because of an undisclosed injury. The forward missed a 2-1 shootout win against the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
Shea Theodore skated Monday, but will not play Tuesday. The defenseman has been out since March 28 with an undisclosed injury.
Defenseman Zach Whitecloud is also expected to be out and is being reevaluated for a lower-body injury.
"I don't think he's long term," Cassidy said. "I saw him this morning, he wasn't doing too bad. We're certainly out for tomorrow. We'll see on Thursday."
Alex Pietrangelo did not practice Monday. Cassidy said it was a maintenance day and the defenseman will likely play Tuesday.
Defenseman Kaedan Korczak was recalled from Henderson of the American Hockey League. -- Paul Delos Santos

Pittsburgh Penguins

Nick Bonino, Dmitry Kulikov and Marcus Pettersson could return for the Penguins against the Chicago Blackhawks at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; ATTSN-PT, NBCSCH, ESPN+, SN NOW).
Bonino, a forward, and Kulikov and Pettersson, defensemen, took full contact in practice Monday. Bonino has missed 16 games with a lacerated kidney; Kulikov and Pettersson have each been out with a lower-body injury, Kulikov since March 12 and Pettersson since March 18.
Forward Drew O'Connor practiced in a no-contact jersey after missing a 5-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday with an undisclosed injury.
"The only one that was in a non-contact jersey was [O'Connor]. The other guys were full participation, which obviously, is the last step before the return to play," coach Mike Sullivan said. "We'll see where these guys are. They're obviously a whole lot closer. We'll see where these guys are tomorrow."
Bonino was fourth-line left wing with center Jeff Carter and right wing Josh Archibald on Monday. Kulikov was on a third defense pair with Jan Rutta.
Each was acquired before the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline on March 3.
Bonino, who won the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017, does not have a point in three games since being brought back in a three-team trade with the San Jose Sharks and Montreal Canadiens. Kulikov has one assist in four games since being traded to the Penguins from the Anaheim Ducks.
"It was as frustrating as it could have been," Bonino said. "You leave your family, especially. Come out, excited to get here. Play three games and then, effectively, sit on a couch for two weeks with zero anything. Can't do anything physical. Happy to be back, moving around."
Pettersson rotated on a fourth defense pair with Mark Friedman and Chad Ruhwedel. He has 24 points (one goal, 23 assists) in 67 games this season. -- Wes Crosby

Los Angeles Kings

Mikey Anderson will return for the Kings against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday (10:30 p.m. ET; BSW, SNP, ESPN+, SN NOW).
The defenseman missed five games because of an undisclosed injury he sustained on a hit from Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid on March 30 that resulted in a boarding penalty.
Anderson leads Kings defenseman and is tied for second on the team with a plus-20 rating and has 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in 75 games this season.
He signed an eight-year, $33 million contract Feb. 15 that begins next season. -- Dan Greenspan