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Vegas Golden Knights
Tomas Hertl could make his Golden Knights debut against the Arizona Coyotes on Friday.
The 30-year-old forward, who has been skating on his own, hasn't played since Jan. 27 and opted to have surgery to clean out loose cartilage in his left knee Feb. 12. He said March 11 he was hoping to be back on the ice with Vegas in two weeks.
Hertl practiced in a regular white jersey with the Golden Knights for the first time Tuesday but did not play in a 6-3 win against the Vancouver Canucks.
"I don’t know the answer (when he will play)," Cassidy said. "I’m not saying no (to Friday) because he’s full. If he’s not playing, I don’t know if he’ll travel or if they want him to go. Again full contact. The next step is playing, so I’ve not ruled him out for Friday or putting him in, but he’s progressing."
The Golden Knights (42-25-8) are third in the Pacific Division, five points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings.
“It’s important for [Hertl] to get around his teammates and that type of environment," Cassidy said after practice Monday. "He’s been skating on his own here a little bit while we were away. I think it’s great for him to start interacting, see what it looks like, how we practice. … This is good for him, and obviously he’s getting closer."
Hertl, who sustained the injury with the San Jose Sharks, was acquired by Vegas prior to the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline on March 8 for forward David Edstrom and a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. The Golden Knights also received a third-round pick in the 2025 and 2027 NHL Draft in the deal.
Hertl, who has 34 points (15 goals, 19 assists) in 48 games this season, has six seasons remaining on an eight-year contract he signed with San Jose on March 16, 2022. He had to waive his no-movement clause in order to be acquired by Vegas. -- Paul Delos Santos
Washington Capitals
T.J. Oshie did not play in a 6-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday because of an undisclosed injury.
The forward was briefly on the ice for an optional morning skate after missing practice Monday for a maintenance day.
Oshie, who has 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 47 games, played 19:07 in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday.
With Oshie out, Nicolas Aube-Kubel entered the lineup.
Rasmus Sandin, who was a full participant at practice Monday, played after he was a late scratch Saturday with a lower-body injury.
The defenseman has 23 points (three goals, 20 assists) in 65 games and is second on the team with an average ice time of 21:19, behind defenseman John Carlson (25:43). -- Heather Engel
Toronto Maple Leafs
Morgan Rielly will be available to play against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, BSSN).
The defenseman has missed the past four games with an upper-body injury sustained during a 2-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on March 24. He has 51 points (seven goals, 44 assists) in 65 games this season.
"I feel good," Rielly said Tuesday. "It’s just day by day right now so we will see for tomorrow. But I feel good. It's nothing major, nothing I really want to get into. It's just about making sure you’re right for playoffs."
The Maple Leafs cancelled practice Tuesday so it's not clear who Rielly would be paired with.
Forward Mitch Marner likely will return this weekend; he has missed 11 games with a high ankle sprain. Marner has 76 points (25 goals, 51 assists) in 62 games.
"I haven't had a chance to discuss with him here yet since he's come off the ice, but with him we are just going to feel it out and talk to him and likely make it more of a target for the weekend," Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said.
After playing the Lightning, the Maple Leafs next play the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. -- Dave McCarthy
Minnesota Wild
Marcus Foligno will miss the remainder of the regular season for the Wild after undergoing core muscle surgery on Tuesday.
The 32-year-old forward, who hadn not played since March 23, is expected to be ready for the start of training camp in September.
Foligno had 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 55 games this season for Minnesota (36-29-9), which is six points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
Dallas Stars
Chris Tanev was a full participant at practice Tuesday after the defenseman appeared to sustain a significant injury in an awkward collision into the boards on a hit by Seattle Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson in the third period of a 3-0 win Saturday.
“It was an awkward hit. Weird motion going into the boards like that," Tanev said after practice Tuesday. "Good to be out there today and take it day by day. If you can get out there and play and help the team, then you’re going to do that.”
Tanev has a goal and an assist in 12 games with Dallas since being acquired in a three-way trade with the Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils on Feb. 28.
“You listen to the guys in Calgary when he was playing there, and everyone admired his courage and his durability. His willingness to play through pain and block shots and do whatever it took,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “Most guys wouldn’t have come back in that game. Not only did he come back, he came back and played. Most guys wouldn’t be out here at practice today, and he’s out here at practice and he’s the first guy on and the last guy off. That’s great leadership.”
Dallas (47-19-9) hosts the Edmonton Oilers (45-23-5) at American Airlines Center on Wednesday (9:30 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SNW, SN360). -- Taylor Baird
