NHL Buzz: O'Reilly, Buchnevich to return for Blues

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St. Louis Blues

Ryan O'Reilly and Pavel Buchnevich will return for the Blues against the Coyotes on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; BSMW, BSAZ, ESPN+, SN NOW).
O'Reilly and Buchnevich each took part in the morning skate on the top line with Brandon Saad.
O'Reilly, a center, has missed the past 14 games since sustaining a broken left foot when he blocked a shot in the second period of a 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 31. Buchnevich, a forward, has missed four games after having a procedure to address an ankle infection. He has 38 points (15 goals, 23 assists) in 38 games this season.
"A very good feeling. Having the captain back, just in practice the last couple days, the intensity goes up and the excitement, and 'Buchy' too obviously," coach Craig Berube said. "Having those guys back really drives up things and drives the practice, the intensity, good play."
St. Louis has lost five in a row and is 6-8-0 in O'Reilly's absence.
"Gosh, it's been a while, that's for sure," O'Reilly said. "I'm very excited. It's nice to be back with the boys and get things rolling again. It's tough watching, tough not being able to help out in any way. I'm excited. It'll be good. I think this is going to be a good one for us. It's going to be a good test for us. We've got to come out with some energy and it's going to be fun to be back."
Robert Thomas will be back in the lineup, too. The forward missed two games with a lower-body injury and has not played since Jan. 26.
"We probably dodged a bullet there on that one because obviously he could be out a lot longer," Berube said. "He seems fine."-- Lou Korac

Carolina Hurricanes

Jaccob Slavin will return for the Hurricanes when they host the New York Rangers on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, BSSO, MSG 2, SN NOW).
The defenseman missed six games with a lower-body injury sustained in a 5-2 win against the Minnesota Wild on Jan. 19. The game was the first of a seven-game winning streak for the Hurricanes.
"The fact that we were able to do well without him, that was great," coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "We took our time with him to make sure he was 100 percent. Now he is, and obviously you want him in your lineup whenever you can."
Slavin has 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) in 45 games. He is third on Carolina averaging 22:26 in ice time per game, behind defensemen Brent Burns (23:23) and Brett Pesce (22:32). -- Kurt Dusterberg

Detroit Red Wings

Lucas Raymond missed his first NHL game when the Red Wings defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 on Saturday.
The forward is day to day with a lower-body injury sustained in a collision with teammate Ben Chiarot during practice Friday.
Raymond was scheduled to undergo tests Friday. Results were not announced prior to Detroit's game Saturday afternoon.
He is second on the Red Wings with 15 goals and tied for third with 33 points in 50 games this season.
Defenseman Jake Walman also did not play against Vancouver. He sustained an upper-body injury on a hit by Calgary Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov on Thursday. He returned to the game and is day to day. -- Dave Hogg

Winnipeg Jets

Mason Appleton will return when the Jets host the Chicago Blackhawks (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, CITY, NBCSCH+, ESPN+), after missing 38 games with a "fluky, freaky" injury that required surgery.
The forward broke his wrist in a 3-2 overtime win at the Seattle Kraken on Nov. 13 when his stick got caught in the hole in the glass referees use to communicate with the timekeeper.
"Fluky, freaky, it's all the above," Appleton said following his first full-contact practice with teammates on Thursday. "Just glad they fixed (the holes in the glass) and changed it in all the rinks now so that can't happen again, which is nice to see. But yeah, weird accident, and hopefully nothing like that happens to anybody else moving forward."
Appleton will play on a line with Saku Maenalanen and Kevin Stenlund on Saturday. The versatile, penalty-killing winger has six points (one goal, five assists) in 14 games this season.
"We've missed him, there's no question, and we're happy to get him back," Jets coach Rick Bowness said. "He hasn't played in three months, so we're going to slowly work him into the lineup and watch his minutes very closely and give him a chance to get a feel of the pace of the game again." -- Darrin Bauming

Los Angeles Kings

Trevor Moore and Arthur Kaliyev will return for the Kings when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins (10:30 p.m. ET; BSW, ATTSN-PT, ESPN+, SN NOW).
Moore and Kaliyev, both forwards, have been practicing since Thursday when the Kings resumed workouts following their bye week and were activated off injured reserve Saturday.
"I think it's a good time for both of them to be joining the group," coach Todd McLellan said Thursday. "They didn't get the 10-day break or whatever it was because they're injured and had to have treatments and stuff like that, so those two probably should have their legs and their hands. … For those two, it's easier to integrate right now than if we were playing every second night."
Moore missed 16 games because of an upper-body injury and has not played since Dec. 23 at the Arizona Coyotes. He has 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 37 games and will return to the second line with center Phillip Danault and forward Viktor Arvidsson.
Kaliyev missed 18 games because of a lower-body injury and has not played since Dec. 20 against the Anaheim Ducks. He leads the Kings with seven power-play goals and has 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) in 34 games.
Gabriel Vilardi practiced the past two days in a no-contact jersey and is close to returning. The forward, who is third on the Kings with 17 goals in 45 games, has not played since Jan. 14 against the New Jersey Devils because of an undisclosed injury.
"For our team to have the quality of player coming back in … We had a vision of what we wanted to look like throughout the summer and what we think we need to look like if we're going to try and challenge for a playoff spot, and eventually we'll try and work back to that," McLellan said. -- Dan Greenspan

Colorado Avalanche

Cale Makar will be out at least one more game for the Avalanche with an upper-body injury.
The defenseman did not play in a 5-0 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday and will not play against the Florida Panthers on Saturday (6 p.m. ET; TVAS, BSFLX, ALT, ESPN+, SN NOW).
Makar was hit high by Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jeff Carter in the third period of a 2-1 overtime loss Tuesday.
"It's a head injury from the hit the other night," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said Thursday. "So, you just kind of keep an eye on it day by day and see how it goes. But he's going to miss the remainder of this road trip at minimum, and then we'll reevaluate and get back to them.
"All [head injuries] are different. He didn't feel very well obviously, he hasn't been on the ice in the last couple of days. So, we've got to give him some time."
Makar, who previously missed four games with an upper-body injury from Jan. 18-24, has 45 points (13 goals, 32 assists) in 45 games this season.

Chicago Blackhawks

Jonathan Toews did not play for the Blackhawks against the Arizona Coyotes on Friday, but could join them on the road.
"I think right now he's going to work out here today and get on the ice by himself. I think if he feels good, maybe he'll join us on the trip,"
Chicago coach Luke Richardson said Friday. "We're just letting him get his feet wet and get some strength back. He had a really solid bike ride yesterday and felt good after, so that's a good first step."
The Blackhawks begin a four-game road trip Saturday at the Winnipeg Jets (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, CITY, NBCSCH+, ESPN+, SN NOW).
Toews has not skated with them since they resumed practice Sunday following their bye week.
Defenseman Jarred Tinordi (facial fracture), who was activated off injured reserve Tuesday is expected to play Saturday. It would be his first game since Dec. 18 against the New York Rangers, when he was hit in the face by the puck in the second period. -- Tracey Myers