NHL Buzz: Rielly expected back for Maple Leafs on Thursday

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Toronto Maple Leafs

Morgan Rielly is expected to return for the Maple Leafs against the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday (9 p.m. ET; BSAZ, SNO, ESPN+, SN NOW).
The defenseman, who has missed 15 games with a knee injury, skated with Timothy Liljegren at practice Wednesday.
Rielly sustained the injury during a collision with New York Islanders forward
Kyle Palmieri
1:06 into the third period of a 3-2 overtime loss on Nov. 21. He played one more shift before leaving the game and finished with two shots on goal in 16:38 of ice time.
Rielly has 16 assists in 20 games this season.

Philadelphia Flyers

Carter Hart was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, but the goalie is expected to miss only one game.
Coach John Tortorella said Hart is in concussion protocol, and if cleared he'll play the final two games of a three-game road trip, at the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday and the Anaheim Ducks on Monday.
Samuel Ersson will start when the Flyers start the trip at the San Jose Sharks on Thursday (10:30 p.m. ET; SN1, SNE, SNW, NBCSCA, NBCSP, ESPN+, SN NOW).
Hart practiced for the second straight day Wednesday.
"Carter continues to go about his business, go through the protocol of getting ready to play," Tortorella said. " … Carter continues to work, and we'll see where it all goes as far as the protocol.
"I had spoken to the goalies prior to all of this, before the practice yesterday, that I wanted Ersson to get another start after his third period in Carolina. Carter will get the next two games on the west coast trip."
The Flyers will have three goalies on the trip, along with Felix Sandstrom, who practiced for the second straight day after missing the two previous games because of an illness.
Hart was injured during the second period of a 6-5 loss at the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday after Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis was checked into him. Hart had replaced Ersson, but Ersson made eight saves and the Flyers scored three goals in the third.
Hart is 10-11-6 with a 2.89 goals-against average and .911 save percentage. He's faced 840 shots, second in the NHL to Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets (847).
The Flyers also recalled forward Olle Lycksell from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League. Lycksell does not have a point in three NHL games this season.
Forward Max Willman was placed on waivers. He does not have a point in nine games this season. -- Adam Kimelman

Columbus Blue Jackets

Patrik Laine is in NHL COVID-19 protocol, and the forward is questionable to play at the Islanders on Thursday.
Goalie Elvis Merzlikins is also out due to COVID-19.
Laine has 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) in 20 games this season.
Columbus was supposed to host the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, but that game was postponed because of severe weather in Buffalo.

New Jersey Devils

Ryan Graves is week to week for the Devils because of a lower-body injury.
The defenseman was injured in the first period of a 4-2 win at the Florida Panthers on Dec. 21 after getting tangled with Panthers forward Zac Dalpe and falling into the boards.
Graves has nine points (three goals, six assists) in 33 games this season. His plus-18 rating is second on the Devils (Tomas Tatar, plus-20), as is his 53 blocked shots (Jonas Siegenthaler, 62).
Defenseman John Marino is also week to week with an upper-body injury sustained late in the second period of a 4-1 loss at the Carolina Hurricanes on Dec. 20.
Marino has nine points (three goals, six assists) in 32 games this season.
New Jersey hosts the Boston Bruins on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; TNT, TVAS).

Winnipeg Jets

Cole Perfetti will be out 7-10 days because of an upper-body injury.
The forward was injured in a 3-2 loss at the Boston Bruins on Dec. 22 and did not play in a 4-1 loss at the Washington Capitals the following day.
Perfetti has 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in 33 games this season. He ranks tied for third in rookie scoring.

Minnesota Wild

Marcus Foligno was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.
The forward did not play in the Wild's 5-2 loss to the Sharks on Dec. 22.
Foligno has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 27 games this season and leads Minnesota in hits (90).