NHL Buzz: Shesterkin expected to play for Rangers this weekend after upper-body injury

Welcome to the NHL Buzz. Each day during the regular season, NHL.com has you covered with all the latest news.

New York Rangers

Igor Shesterkin practiced fully Thursday and could play this weekend.

The Rangers announced Feb. 8 their No. 1 goalie would be out 1-2 weeks because of an upper-body injury. Shesterkin started the night before and made 23 saves in a 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He stayed down on the ice after a net-front scramble late in the first period but remained in the game after being checked on by a trainer.

Shesterkin is 18-19-2 with a 2.87 goals-against average, .906 save percentage and three shutouts in 39 games this season.

New York (27-24-4) visits the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday when the NHL returns from the 4 Nations Face-Off. It also visits Pittsburgh on Sunday.

"I expect him to be in practice tomorrow and then available for us for the weekend," Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said Thursday.

Laviolette said forward Mika Zibanejad, who played for Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off, skated on his own Thursday and likely will practice Friday. Zibanejad has 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in 55 games this season.

“I’m assuming he’ll be with us tomorrow for practice,” Laviolette said.

Vancouver Canucks

Quinn Hughes (undisclosed) will practice again Friday, and assistant coach Adam Foote is optimistic the Canucks’ top defenseman will be cleared to play against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, CITY, SN, CBC).

The reigning Norris Trophy winner, voted as the best defenseman in the NHL, hasn’t played since Jan. 31 because of an undisclosed injury. Hughes practiced in Vancouver in a noncontact jersey Tuesday and then in a regular jersey Wednesday, ramping up his participation in battle drills.

Vancouver did not practice Thursday. The team will travel to Las Vegas on Friday before practicing there in the afternoon.

“Tomorrow will be his second day of contact,” Foote said Thursday. “And then they'll go through with the medical staff, they'll go through what they do and I'm optimistic myself, but we'll see what (the) outcome is. We'll probably put him in a couple even harder 1-on-1s in the corner [on Friday] if he's ready for it and we'll see.”

There was talk the previous two days that Hughes might join the United States for the 4 Nations Face-Off final against Canada on Thursday, especially after he was cleared for contact in practice Wednesday, but Foote indicated after he hadn’t been cleared for games.

Hughes was one of the first six players named to the U.S. roster on June 28, 2024. The 25-year-old has 59 points (14 goals, 45 assists) in 47 games this season, which leads Vancouver and is tied for second among NHL defensemen. But he missed the Canucks’ final four games before the 4 Nations Face-Off and was replaced by Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson on Feb. 9.

“It was an unfortunate injury before break, and I know how bad he wanted to go and was looking forward to it,” Canucks forward and fellow American Brock Boeser said. “That's just the type of person and leader he is. He wants to be there supporting those guys and helping them win, so I feel bad for him, but I keep telling him, ‘Get ready for the Olympics next year.’ He'll obviously be there.”

Foote said goalie Kevin Lankinen, who played for Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and forward Elias Pettersson, who represented Sweden, will meet the Canucks in Las Vegas for practice Friday. -- Kevin Woodley

New Jersey Devils

Nico Hischier could return against the Dallas Stars on Saturday (6 p.m. ET; MSGSN, Victory+).

"I wouldn't say he's cleared at this point; it's his first day back, so doctors will play a role in it, and he'll get assessed," Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said Tuesday. "But he knows how his body feels and it didn't seem like he was in any sort of discomfort today (during practice), so I suspect he'll be ready to go."

Hischier took a cross-check up high late in the second period of a 4-3 overtime win at the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 25 and did not play the remaining 2:10 of the period. He returned to the bench to begin the third and was on the ice for a 36-second shift before returning to the locker room.

The Devils captain was placed on injured reserve Feb. 6 retroactive to Jan. 25 and has missed six games because of an oblique injury. New Jersey was 3-3-0 without him.

"It obviously wasn't fun watching those games," Hischier said. "Nobody's having fun watching games; you always want to be out there helping, win or lose.

"I feel better now. I had a great break and it felt good to be back out there with the guys. We recharged the battery and still got a few days to get into it, so I should be fine."

Hischier is tied for the Devils lead with 24 goals in 51 games and is second among New Jersey forwards with an average ice time of 20:21. He ranks second in the NHL in face-off attempts (1,220) and wins (677) and is first on the Devils with a 55.5 percent face-off winning percentage. -- Mike G. Morreale

Nashville Predators

Jeremy Lauzon will be out for the remainder of the season because of a lower-body injury.

The defenseman last played Dec. 31, logging 6:19 of ice time in a 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild. He was placed on injured reserve Jan. 6 and his timeline was changed to 4-6 months Tuesday.

Lauzon, who has one assist in 28 games this season, also missed 10 games earlier in the season because of a lower-body injury. He has 127 hits this season after setting the NHL single-season record with 383 last season.