NHL Buzz: Ovechkin game-time decision for Capitals against Sabres

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Washington Capitals

Alex Ovechkin is a game-time decision for the Capitals against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSWA, MSG-B, ESPN+, SN NOW).
The forward did not play in a 5-3 loss at the New York Rangers on Tuesday because of a lower-body injury.
Washington is five points behind the New York Islanders for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference
The Capitals are 0-6-0 without Ovechkin this season, getting outscored 27-12.

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Chicago Blackhawks

Anton Khudobin was recalled from Rockford of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.
Khudobin, who hasn't played in the NHL since last season, was acquired by the Blackhawks with a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft in a trade with the Dallas Stars for forward Max Domi and goalie prospect
Dylan Wells
on March 3. Khudobin was 13-4-4 with a 2.89 goals-against average and .899 save percentage in 24 games with Texas of the AHL.
Khudobin was recalled one day after Petr Mrazek sustained a groin injury at 8:48 of the second period of Chicago's 6-3 win against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday. He made 16 saves before being replaced by Alex Stalock, who allowed three goals on 26 shots.
Coach Luke Richardson said Mrazek's injury is "very similar to earlier in the year, but not as severe."
"As of now, he's probably not going to start the trip with us, but [the doctors] think he'll probably join us on the trip, so that's the good news," Richardson said of Mrazek.
The Blackhawks begin a five-game road trip against the Nashville Predators on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, SN NOW).
"I think [the trainers] just said he pulled himself because he knows it could get worse if he stayed in, it could have been really bad," Richardson said. "So, I think it was a smart call to get him out." -- Tracey Myers

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Dallas Stars

Mason Marchment returned to Dallas to be evaluated after the forward sustained an apparent left leg injury late in the third period of a 5-2 win at the Seattle Kraken on Monday.
Marchment exited after he collided with defenseman Vince Dunn behind the Kraken net with 4:33 remaining.
"I don't have an update," Stars coach Peter DeBoer said Tuesday. "It was a knee-on-knee hit. … We'll see what the results are."
Marchment has 31 points (12 goals, 19 assists) in 67 games this season, his first with Dallas after signing a four-year contract as a free agent on July 13.
Dallas forward Luke Glendening returned in a 5-2 loss at the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday after missing 11 games with an upper-body injury. He has four points (two goals, two assists) in 57 games this season. -- Kevin Woodley

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Philadelphia Flyers

Sean Couturier remains hopeful he can play this season.
The forward had back surgery Feb. 11, 2022, and again Oct. 27. He hasn't played an NHL game since Dec. 18, 2021.
"I think the goal ever since I got surgery was to come back at some point this year," Couturier said Tuesday after taking part in a morning skate for the first time this season. "That's something I've had my mind on for a while. It's been tough at times not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Here we are getting closer and being able to finally join the team for a morning skate, maybe get a practice in by the end of the week and go from there.
"I feel good skating, shooting pucks, passing. But it's by myself most of the time. Not like a team thing or if I'm on a line or game situations. That's what I'm really looking forward to."
The Flyers (24-32-11) have lost four straight games and with 15 games remaining, likely will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third straight season. One of the reasons they've struggled is the absence of Couturier, their top-line center, a two-time 30-goal scorer and winner of the Selke Trophy voted as the best defensive forward in the NHL in 2019-20.
Philadelphia plays its final game of the regular season April 13.
Couturier understands getting his timing back could take longer than the days left in the season but said getting into at least one game would put him in the right mindset heading into the offseason.
"If I wait until next year, it'll be almost two years since I played an NHL game," the 30-year-old said. "I'm not getting any younger. I want to get a feel for the game and know going into the summer what I have to do to be back at the level I need to be. And Just feeling good about yourself, that you're back being a hockey player and not rehabbing. I've done that enough the last year and a half." -- Adam Kimelman

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Pittsburgh Penguins

Dmitry Kulikov is out week to week with a lower-body injury.
The defenseman did not play in a 6-4 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday after missing the third period of a 3-2 overtime win against the New York Rangers on Sunday.
Pittsburgh is without two players it acquired before the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline. Kulikov arrived from the Anaheim Ducks on March 3, the same day forward Nick Bonino (week to week, lacerated kidney) was acquired in a three-team trade with the San Jose Sharks and Canadiens.
"I just don't think we have the luxury of frustration," coach Mike Sullivan said. "We're trying to put a lineup on the ice every night that's going to give us a chance to win. The reality is that injuries are part of the sport. Every team has them."
Kulikov has 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) in 65 games this season, including one assist in four games with the Penguins.
Pierre-Olivier Joseph replaced Kulikov on a defense pair with Jan Rutta against Montreal on Tuesday. Joseph had been a healthy scratch the past three games. -- Wes Crosby