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Florida Panthers
Aaron Ekblad will likely miss the rest of the regular season with an undisclosed injury, but the Panthers are "quite confident that he's 100 percent and ready to go by the first game" of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, coach Paul Maurice said.
Ekblad played 7:16 in a 5-3 loss against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday before being ruled out with an injury. The defenseman has 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) and is plus-27 in 51 games this season.
"This is not new and it's not unknown to us, what it is," Maurice said of Ekblad's injury. "He's got a real good handle on how long it's going to take and he's progressing really well today from it, so we're getting there. We're going to miss him."
Defenseman Josh Mahura played in Ekblad's absence and had an assist in 15:28 of ice time when Florida defeated the Ottawa Senators 6-0 on Thursday.
Maurice said defenseman Uvis Balinskis, who was recalled from Charlotte of the American Hockey League on Wednesday, also will play during the final weeks of the regular season.
Florida also is without forward Carter Verhaeghe, who is week to week because of an upper-body injury sustained during a 6-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday.
"We have lots of confidence he'll be ready for start of the playoffs," Maurice said Tuesday. "He may make the last [regular season] game, but we don't think he'll play many regular-season games."
Verhaeghe is fourth on the Panthers with 71 points (33 goals, 38 assists) in 75 games. -- Callum Fraser
Ottawa Senators
Thomas Chabot could make his return from a lower-body injury this weekend, Senators coach Jacques Martin said Thursday.
"Thomas is getting close," Martin said. "I think he's had some good skates yesterday and today."
The defenseman hasn't played since leaving during the third period of a 6-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres on March 27. Chabot practiced Thursday in a regular jersey as the extra defenseman. After their 6-0 loss to the Florida Panthers on Thursday, the Senators host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday and visit the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Defenseman Jakob Chychrun left the morning skate early Thursday after being involved in a collision behind the net. He was minus-2 in 21:51 against the Panthers.
Forward Angus Crookshank is out indefinitely because of a lower-body injury, and defenseman Travis Hamonic did not play Thursday because of an undisclosed injury.
Forward Rourke Chartier was cleared from an upper-body injury and returned to Belleville of the American Hockey League on Thursday. -- Callum Fraser
Vegas Golden Knights
Tomas Hertl is nearing a return but won't make his Golden Knights debut against the Arizona Coyotes on Friday (10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, SCRIPPS, SNP, SNO, SNE).
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 jersey with the Golden Knights for the first time Tuesday but did not play in a 6-3 win against the Vancouver Canucks. After its game Friday, Vegas plays at the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.
"We're coming back here [to Vegas] after Arizona," Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. "He's not going to play tomorrow, so he won't travel. Sunday, when we practice, I'll have a better idea of how it's shaping out for the Vancouver and Edmonton trip."
The Golden Knights (42-25-8) are third in the Pacific Division, one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings.
Hertl, who sustained the injury with the San Jose Sharks, was acquired by Vegas on March 8 for forward prospect 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
Philadelphia Flyers
Sean Couturier will miss at least the next two games for the Flyers because of an upper-body injury.
The forward is considered day to day. He did not travel with the team for their games at the Buffalo Sabres on Friday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSP, MSG-B) and at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.
Couturier left a 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Islanders on Monday with 7:39 remaining in the first period after falling hard into the boards in the Islanders zone.
Philadelphia (36-29-11) has lost five straight games (0-3-2) and is tied for third in the Metropolitan Division with the Islanders, one point ahead of the Washington Capitals and two points ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins. -- Adam Kimelman
Minnesota Wild
Marcus Foligno will miss the remainder of the regular season for the Wild after undergoing core muscle surgery Tuesday.
The 32-year-old forward, who had 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 (36-30-9), which is 10 points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
The Wild lost 5-2 to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, and the Kings defeated the San Jose Sharks 2-1.
