NHL Buzz: Zuccarello back for Wild against Devils

Welcome to the NHL Buzz. Throughout the 2021-22 season, NHL.com will have you covered with the latest news.

Minnesota Wild

Mats Zuccarello returned to play for the Wild against the New Jersey Devils after missing two games with an upper-body injury.
The forward scored two goals in a 7-1 win against the Winnipeg Jets on Nov. 26 before leaving the game following a slash to his left hand.
"It was a fluky incident," Zuccarello said. "Nothing you can do about it. Just have to take the time it takes to heal and go from there. Just make sure it doesn't pop back up and heals so it's nothing that you're struggling with for a longer period of time. Hopefully it's good now."
Zuccarello scored 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 16 games.
"[He's] certainly a big part of our hockey club. Not only does things offensively, but has done a lot of really nice leadership things this year as well," Wild coach Dean Evason said. "As we explained when he got hurt, for him to backcheck on that play, it just says and shows our group his commitment." -- Jessi Pierce

Montreal Canadiens

Brendan Gallagher and Sami Niku were placed in COVID-19 protocol by the Canadiens.
Gallagher, a forward, and Niku, a defenseman were not in the lineup against the Colorado Avalanche.
Gallagher scored 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 23 games. Niku had three assists in nine games.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Goalie Daniil Tarasov will make his NHL debut for the Blue Jackets against the Dallas Stars on Thursday.
Elvis Merzlikins was the backup, with Joonas Korpisalo unavailable because of a non-COVID 19 illness.
Tarasov was recalled from Cleveland of the American Hockey League but did not arrive in time for the morning skate. Selected in the third round (No. 86) of the 2017 NHL Draft, the 22-year-old is 5-2-2 with 2.96 goals-against average and .897 save percentage in nine games with Cleveland this season.
Casey Sherwood, a 36-year-old construction worker, was the only goalie on the ice for the Blue Jackets during their morning skate. Sherwood is friends with Blue Jackets team relations specialist Aaron Johnson, a retired NHL player.
"'Johnny' called me and asked if I wanted to get hit in the head for an hour and boost their confidence," Sherwood told The Athletic.

Buffalo Sabres

Casey Mittelstadt returned to play for the Sabres at the Florida Panthers.
The center missed 21 games with an upper-body injury sustained in the season opener against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 14. He rejoined the Sabres for practice Nov. 24.
"I'm excited," Mittelstadt said Wednesday. "I've been champing at the bit for a while now. I'm definitely excited."
Mittelstadt scored 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 41 games last season.
"Not only is [Mittelstadt] a talented guy and an emerging guy, where he's at in the stage of his career, like we see with [forward Tage] Thompson, he's going to get better game by game, week by week," Sabres coach Don Granato said. "And he's already good. And he's a leader. He's an ultra-competitor, which makes him a leader."
Forward Alex Tuch (shoulder) skated for a third straight day Wednesday, and goalie Craig Anderson (upper body) skated on his own. Tuch has not played this season and Anderson has not played since Nov. 2.
"We wanted to get [Tuch] involved as much as we could with our guys," Granato said. "We felt that was an opportunity to get him in. It's tough when you're injured. We brought Craig Anderson on the [two-game] trip as well for that reason. … We're going to have a lot of team time where we're not playing so we wanted to include those guys." -- Heather Engel

Edmonton Oilers

Darnell Nurse and Devin Shore could return to the lineup for the Oilers against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday.
Each took part in practice Thursday; neither will play at the Seattle Kraken on Friday.
"They're not players tomorrow, but we will see where it gets when we practice Saturday," Oilers coach Dave Tippett said after practice.
Nurse has missed five games with a broken finger sustained in a 2-1 shootout win against the Winnipeg Jets on Nov. 18. The defenseman, who was expected to miss 2-3 weeks, has 11 assists in 16 games.
Shore has missed 11 games with a lower-body injury. The forward, who last played in a 6-5 overtime win against the New York Rangers on Nov. 5, has scored two points (one goal, one assist) in eight games.