NHL Buzz: Poehling expected to play for Penguins against Rangers

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Pittsburgh Penguins

Ryan Poehling is expected to play against the New York Rangers on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; SN360, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS, MSG, ATTSN-PT, ESPN+, SN NOW).
Poehling, who was activated off injured reserve, hasn't played since Feb. 11. The forward has missed the past 15 games because of an upper-body injury.
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan did not confirm Poehling would play, but he skated on Pittsburgh's third line with Mikael Granlund and Drew O'Connor at the morning skate.
Poehling has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 38 games this season.
"He's a talented guy," Sullivan said. "He brings a lot of speed, size (6-foot-2, 196 pounds) and reach. Good on the penalty kill. Can play center. Can play the wing. Just a versatile player. He's a smart player. He's a cerebral player. He's conscientious defensively. I think that's an important aspect of his game. But he's got an offensive dimension as well. He's good on the forecheck. He brings a ton of speed. He can really skate. I think that's an important aspect of something that he brings to our group."
Sullivan said defensemen Jeff Petry and Jan Rutta were available to play after each was injured during a 6-4 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.
"Everything is good right now," Petry said.
The Penguins also announced that forward Alex Nylander's recall status has changed from emergency recall to regular recall. He is expected to play in his fourth straight game and fifth in the past six games.

Ottawa Senators

Mathieu Joseph is out week to week for the Senators because of a lower-body injury.
The forward left in the first period of a 5-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Sunday. He missed a 6-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, and did not practice Thursday.
Coach D.J. Smith could not confirm whether Joseph would return before the end of the season.
"That is not my call," Smith said. "That will be the trainers and how he rehabs and how he comes along. I think it's too soon to make that call."
Joseph has 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in 47 games this season.
Derick Brassard will take his spot on the third line against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; TSN5, RDS2, ALT, ESPN+, SN NOW).
With forward Parker Kelly also out (undisclosed; day to day), Ottawa recalled forward
Ridly Greig
from Belleville of the American Hockey League on Wednesday. He will center Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux on the second line. -- Callum Fraser

Chicago Blackhawks

Anton Khudobin will be the backup goalie for the Blackhawks against the Nashville Predators (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, SN NOW).
He 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. Stalock will start against the Predators.
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 [five-game road] trip with us, but [the doctors] think he'll probably join us on the trip, so that's the good news," Richardson said Wednesday.
The Blackhawks play at the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday and at the Colorado Avalanche on Monday before concluding the trip against the Washington Capitals (March 23) and Minnesota Wild (March 25).
"I think [the trainers] just said [Mrazek] 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

Vegas Golden Knights

Logan Thompson has begun skating and is expected to rejoin the Golden Knights in the near future.
He, along with teammate Laurent Brossoit skated on a separate rink Thursday prior to Vegas' game against the Calgary Flames (10 p.m. ET; ATTSN-RM, SN360, SN1, TVAS, ESPN+, SN NOW).
"They're back skating, so that's encouraging," coach Bruce Cassidy said of the goalies, who are each out with a lower-body injury. "They did a little work by themselves. That's step one. Now they're going to integrate some shooting. Hopefully, they'll be in full practice soon. That's good news."
Goalie Adin Hill (lower body) hasn't progressed as quickly.
"He' s not skating, so he's a little further out," Cassidy said. "Unfortunately for him, it's stretching out longer than we originally thought. … He just hasn't recovered as quickly as the other guys."
Thompson hasn't played since Feb. 9; Broissoit last played Feb. 25; and Hill has been sidelined since he was injured March 7.
Jonathan Quick is expected to make his fourth start in the past five games against the Flames, with Jiri Patera backing up.
Forwards Keegan Kolesar (upper body) and Nicolas Roy (lower body) are also expected back soon, but forward William Carrier (lower body) is expected to be out longer.-- Paul Delos Santos