Vegas Golden Knights
Jack Eichel will not play for the Golden Knights against the Calgary Flames on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, TVAS2, CITY, SN, CBC) because of a lower-body injury sustained during a 2-1 overtime win against the Boston Bruins on Thursday.
"He's going to miss a little bit of time," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said of the center. "But I don't know how much time. Obviously, not good news for us or Jack. But we'll see how it plays out."
Eichel left the game Thursday but returned and later scored.
He leads the Golden Knights with 19 goals and 44 points in 42 games this season and was named to the 2024 NHL All-Star Game last week.
Vegas recalled forward Byron Froese from Henderson of the American Hockey League. He is expected to play Saturday. -- Paul Delos Santos
Minnesota Wild
Filip Gustavsson and Kirill Kaprizov returned when the Wild hosted the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, BSWIX, BSN).
It will be the first time Gustavsson has dressed since the goalie sustained a lower-body injury in a 4-2 loss at Winnipeg on Dec. 30.
Gustavsson, who started Saturday, is 10-9-2 with a 2.96 goals-against average and .903 save percentage in 22 games this season.
Kaprizov, a forward, missed seven games with an upper-body injury. He leads Minnesota with 34 points (13 goals, 21 assists) in 34 games this season.
Jonas Brodin, a defenseman, will miss his 17th game with an upper-body injury after being a game-time decision. -- Jessi Pierce
Winnipeg Jets
Mark Scheifele did not play for the Jets at the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; CITY, NBCSP).
The forward left and did not return following his first shift of the second period of a 2-1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday because of a lower-body injury.
Following practice Friday, coach Rick Bowness listed Scheifele as day to day.
"That's a good thing, the way he pulled up when he was skating and the way he left the ice and didn't come back," Bowness said. "You know he's a tremendous competitor and those guys fight through anything. So we took the precautionary route, which is the smart thing to do."
Scheifele leads Winnipeg with 41 points (14 goals, 27 assists) in 41 games this season.
Scheifele's linemate Nikolaj Ehlers was in the lineup after being a game-time decision because of an upper-body injury, and forward Rasmus Kupari also played after missing 26 games with a shoulder injury sustained Nov. 14.
Forward Kyle Connor, who leads the Jets with 17 goals, has missed 16 games with a knee injury but is nearing a return. Connor skated Saturday wearing a full-contact jersey for the first time since he was placed on injured reserve Dec. 13. -- Darrin Bauming
Washington Capitals
Alex Ovechkin did not play for the Capitals in a 3-2 win against the New York Rangers on Saturday because of a lower-body injury.
The 38-year-old left wing was injured when he clipped legs with Jordan Staal in the third period of a 6-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 5. He was able to play through the injury in a 4-3 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday and a 4-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday after being a game-time decision prior to each.
It was the first game Ovechkin missed this season. He leads Washington with 27 points (eight goals, 19 assists) in 39 games, including points in each of his past six games (two goals, five assists).
Capitals coach Spencer Carbery did not rule out Ovechkin for the game at the Rangers on Sunday.
"It's an outside chance, but I think there is a chance he plays tomorrow," Carbery said after the game Saturday.
Forward Tom Wilson returned to the lineup Saturday after missing the game against Seattle because of a broken nose. He did not have a shot on goal in 15:08 of ice time -- Tom Gulitti
Arizona Coyotes
Matt Dumba was looking forward to his return to Minnesota when the Coyotes visited the Minnesota Wild on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, BSWIX, BSN).
"I'm sure there's going to be a lot of [emotions], but at the same time, I'm excited for it and been looking forward to this day for a while now," Dumba said. "It's always fun to play against your friends. It keeps you in the game, keeps you having fun. You're chirping, you're talking the whole game. Yeah, I expect this to be a good game tonight."
The 29-year-old defenseman, who was selected by Minnesota in the first round (No. 7) of the 2012 NHL Draft, had 236 points (79 goals, 157 assists) in 598 games during 10 seasons with the Wild and was an alternate captain from 2021-23.
Dumba signed a one-year contract with the Coyotes on Aug. 6. He has five points (two goals, three assists) and is minus-11 in 39 games this season
"It's good. Good group of guys. We've got a really fun team," Dumba said. "To come to the rink every day and play high skill and really fast-paced, so I've been enjoying that part of things. Arizona living is pretty nice. Got a little soft. I went straight to the closet last night and grabbed a Goose jacket. I was freezing. It's good to be back." -- Jessi Pierce
Carolina Hurricanes
Pyotr Kochetkov is in concussion protocol after the goalie left a 6-3 win against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday. He collided with Ducks forward Isac Lundestrom at 12:55 of the second period.
Antti Raanta, who made three saves in relief of Kochetkov on Thursday, started against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PNC Arena on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, BSSO). He's 8-5-2 with a 3.27 goals-against average, .862 save percentage and one shutout in 17 games (14 starts).
The Hurricanes recalled Yaniv Perets from Norfolk of the ECHL to serve as the backup. The first-year pro dressed for four games in December but has yet to make his NHL debut.
Carolina already is without goalie Frederik Andersen, who is dealing with blood clotting issues. The 34-year-old hasn't played since Nov. 2, when he made 24 saves in a 2-1 loss to the Rangers. He is 4-1-0 with a 2.87 GAA and .894 save percentage in six starts this season.
Kochetkov has emerged as the Hurricanes' No. 1 goalie in Andersen's absence; he's 11-7-3 with a 2.58 GAA, .900 save percentage and one shutout in 23 games (21 starts).
Carolina brought in free agent goalies Jaroslav Halak in November and Aaron Dell in December on professional tryout (PTO) agreements, but did not sign either.
"We've got to deal with what we have here," coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "That's about all I can comment on because I don't have an answer for you." -- Kurt Dusterberg
Chicago Blackhawks
Seth Jones was activated off injured reserve and returned for the Blackhawks against the Dallas Stars on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; BSSWX, NBCSCH).
The defenseman missed 15 games since sustaining a shoulder injury in a 4-2 loss to the Capitals on Dec. 10.
"It was an SC (sternoclavicular joint), kind of where your collarbone connects to your sternum here, so that popped up," Jones said Friday. "So, I had doctors telling me four weeks, no contact. It wasn't what I expected, because when I was first told, they said it was two weeks. We took a closer look, and it was double that time. It [stinks] sitting out. Whether the team's winning or losing, it [stinks] sitting out and watching. So, I'm happy I can get back into the lineup tomorrow."
Jones has 11 assists in 27 games this season and leads Chicago in ice time per game (25:25).
"I think players always give you a boost when they come back, because they're excited," coach Luke Richardson said. "Obviously he's a good player, so we're looking forward to it." -- Tracey Myers
St. Louis Blues
Justin Faulk returned against the Boston Bruins on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; BSMW, NESN).
The defenseman, who was activated off injured reserve Friday, missed five games with a lower-body injury sustained Dec. 29 in a 2-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
"I'm all right," Faulk said Friday after practice. "Just trying to ramp up more every day, just keep the process going, trying to be as comfortable as I can. ... I've probably skated six days now or so. Every day for the most part has gotten to be more and more. It's been good. No setbacks or anything. We're at a point where we're trying to max out every day and see what we can handle."
Faulk was injured in the closing seconds of the game when the Blues were playing with an extra skater and he got clipped from behind by Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson. He limped to the bench and after the game was ruled out for the game at Pittsburgh the next day.
Faulk has 17 points (two goals, 15 assists) in 35 games this season.
In his absence, Matthew Kessel was recalled from Springfield of the AHL He has no points in five games and is averaging 17:34 of ice time.
"He's played well," Faulk said of Kessel. "It's nice and we've won a few games. It doesn't really change too much but it's nice to know guys are coming in and stepping up."
To make room on the roster for Faulk, the Blues assigned forward Jakub Vrana to Springfield. -- Lou Korac
