NHL Buzz: Saad out 2-4 weeks for Avalanche with lower-body injury

Welcome to the NHL Buzz. Throughout the 2020-21 season, NHL.com will have you covered with the latest news.

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Colorado Avalanche

Brandon Saad has a lower-body injury and will be out 2-4 weeks.
The forward had three shots on goal in 13:53 of ice time in a 5-3 loss at the St. Louis Blues on Saturday. He has scored 24 points (15 goals, nine assists) in 44 games this season.
Goalie Philipp Grubauer has joined the Avalanche after being removed from the NHL COVID-19 protocol list Friday, but he did not dress for a 4-1 loss at the Blues on Monday.
"He's doing cardio stuff, been working out off the ice for the last three days," coach Jared Bednar said before the game. "He can hit the ice tomorrow, which is why he's with us."
Jonas Johansson allowed four goals on 20 shots Monday in his first game since April 11; Devan Dubnyk was the backup. Johansson is 3-1-1 with a 2.27 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage and one shutout in six games (five starts) for Colorado since being acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres on March 21.
The Avalanche, who have clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, are second in the eight-team Honda West Division, four points behind the Vegas Golden Knights. -- Mike G. Morreale

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St. Louis Blues

Defensemen Colton Parayko and Vince Dunn were not in the lineup for the win against the Avalanche on Monday.
Parayko sustained an upper-body injury and left a 5-3 win against Colorado on Saturday at 12:40 of the first period. Dunn exited that game with an upper-body injury at 12:24 of the third.
Parayko missed 21 games earlier this season with an upper-body injury.
"I don't know how long they're out for," coach Craig Berube said. "It's kind of up in the air on that yet."
Defensemen Niko Mikkola and
Steven Santini
replaced Parayko and Dunn in the lineup. Santini, who was recalled from the taxi squad, had two shots on goal and two hits in 5:55 in his Blues debut, and Mikkola had three hits and one blocked shot in 16:53. St. Louis used seven defensemen and 11 forwards.
"Other guys got to come in and play well," Berube said. "I don't really think it's anything more than that. The guys that are in there, keep doing their job. That's the way it goes."
The Blues are fourth in the eight-team Honda West Division, one point ahead of the fifth-place Arizona Coyotes. The top four teams qualify for the playoffs. -- Louie Korac

Philadelphia Flyers

Shayne Gostisbehere is expected to be out 7-10 days with a sprained MCL in his knee.
The defenseman was injured during a 4-1 loss at the New York Rangers on Friday. Gostisbehere played 20:17 and was on the ice when the game ended.
With Gostisbehere out,
Egor Zamula
is expected to make his NHL debut when the Flyers visit the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; MSG+, NBCSP, NHL.TV). The 21-year-old skated on a defense pair with Travis Sanheim at practice Monday.
Zamula was promoted to the taxi squad Sunday after starting the season with Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League. He has five assists in 17 AHL games.
"I really haven't seen him in Lehigh Valley, but [general manager] Chuck [Fletcher] told me that the last stretch, last 3-5 games, that he has been playing better, has been moving the puck well," coach Alain Vigneault said. "We figured that it was an opportunity for him to get a game in and see how he does."
The Flyers are sixth in the eight-team MassMutual East Division, nine points behind the fourth-place Boston Bruins. The top four teams will qualify for the playoffs. -- Adam Kimelman

Chicago Blackhawks

Ryan Carpenter (concussion protocol) and Calvin de Haan (hip) did not practice Monday.
Carpenter was injured when he was hit by Nashville Predators defenseman Erik Gudbranson during the second period of Chicago's 3-1 loss Friday, according to coach Jeremy Colliton, who said the forward is "likely to miss some time." Carpenter has scored five points (four goals, one assist) in 40 games.
De Haan has missed three of Chicago's past six games with an injury sustained in the second period of a 4-3 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 10. The defenseman has scored 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 44 games.
"He's not likely to play in the near future, but we don't really have a specific timeline for him," Colliton said of de Haan.
Forward Patrick Kane did not practice Monday because of a maintenance day but is expected to play against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, NBCSCH+, BSFL, NHL.TV). Kane leads the Blackhawks and is tied with Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs for fifth in the NHL with 58 points (15 goals, 43 assists) in 48 games.
The Blackhawks are sixth in the eight-team Discover Central Division, five points behind the fourth-place Nashville Predators. The top four teams will qualify for the playoffs. -- Tracey Myers

Los Angeles Kings

Quinton Byfield
, the No. 2 pick of the 2020 NHL Draft, was assigned to the taxi squad Monday.
The forward's 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in 30 games are second for Ontario, the Kings' AHL affiliate.
"He has had a real good run at the [AHL] level," Los Angeles coach Todd McLellan said. "He's learned a lot about the pro game. The coaches did a tremendous job with him to this point down there and he's responded appropriately.
"He's up here this week on the taxi squad. ... It'll give him a chance to be around our team, the coaching staff, future teammates and in particular [center] Anze [Kopitar] and absorb it all throughout the week, and then we'll see as time goes on how and where he fits in."
The Kings defeated the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 on Monday. They are seventh in the eight-team Honda West Division, six points behind the fourth-place St. Louis Blues. The top four teams in the division qualify for the playoffs.