NHL Buzz: Celebrini game-time decision for Sharks against Maple Leafs

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San Jose Sharks

Macklin Celebrini will be a game-time decision at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; Prime, NBCSCA).

The rookie center and No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft had two assists in the Sharks’ 5-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday but did not practice Sunday because of a lower-body injury.

Celebrini, who has 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) in 49 games, did participate in an optional morning skate Monday.

Defenseman Henry Thrun was placed on injured reserve, and defenseman Jimmy Schuldt was recalled from San Jose of the American Hockey League.

Thrun has not played since Feb. 27 because of an upper-body injury he sustained during a 4-3 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens. -- Dave McCarthy

Pittsburgh Penguins

Tristan Jarry was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL on Monday.

The goalie returns to Pittsburgh after being placed on waivers Jan. 15 and assigned to the AHL once he cleared. Joel Blomqvist, a 23-year-old rookie goalie, was sent to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in a corresponding move after allowing six goals on 33 shots in the Penguins’ 6-5 overtime loss to the Maple Leafs on Sunday.

Expected to be the primary starter for Pittsburgh entering training camp, Jarry is 8-8-4 with a 3.31 goals-against average and .884 save percentage in 22 NHL games (21 starts) this season.

The 29-year-old is 6-5-1 with a 2.67 GAA and .908 save percentage in 12 games across two stints with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He went there on a conditioning loan Oct. 26 and was 4-1-0 with a 2.16 GAA and .926 save percentage before being recalled Nov. 9.

"The previous stint (in the AHL) was as it was deemed -- conditioning,” Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said on Jan. 15. “He really didn't go down there to try to get his big game back on track. We knew it was going to be two weeks. There's no timeline on this one. The job is now, if he were to clear, to go and earn his way back up. It's solely circumstantial with this.”

A two-time NHL All-Star (2020, 2022), Jarry is 144-93-29 in nine seasons since being selected by the Penguins in the second round (No. 44) of the 2013 NHL Draft.

He will resume a goalie tandem with Alex Nedeljkovic, who has allowed a goal on the first shot faced in each of his past three starts. In his eighth NHL season, and second in Pittsburgh, Nedeljkovic is 12-12-5 with a 3.18 GAA and .892 save percentage.

The Penguins (24-29-10), who have lost six of seven (1-5-1), visit the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday (9 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, ALT, SNE, TVAS). -- Wes Crosby

Vancouver Canucks

Quinn Hughes missed practice Sunday and is day to day with a new injury he sustained in a 6-3 loss at the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.

The Canucks captain only played five shifts in the third period and sat out the final 9:05. It was the third game back for the reigning Norris Trophy winner as the League's top defenseman after being out for more than three weeks (missed six games).

"He tweaked something else, and it was a more of a kind of cautionary, so kind of a maintenance day," coach Rick Tocchet said. "We'll see how he is tomorrow and go from there."

Vancouver is off Monday but is scheduled to practice Tuesday before hosting the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; SNP, KCOP-13, Victory+). Hughes has 60 points (14 goals, 46 assists) in 50 games, which leads Vancouver and is third among NHL defensemen.

"We'll see if he gets on the ice Tuesday," Tocchet said.

Tocchet also confirmed No. 1 goalie Thatcher Demko has resumed skating after leaving midway through the first period of a 2-1 win at Toronto on Feb. 8 with a lower-body injury. He was considered week to week at the time.

"Demko just started skating a few days ago, so I think he's been on the ice, I don't know if it's two or three times to skate," Tocchet said. "They'll ramp it up. I don't know exactly when, but you know at least he's skating." -- Kevin Woodley

Seattle Kraken

Philipp Grubauer was recalled from Coachella Valley of the AHL on Sunday.

The 33-year-old goalie had been in the AHL since Jan. 30 after being placed on waivers by the Kraken. He went 5-2-0 with a 2.87 GAA and an .893 save percentage in seven games for Coachella Valley.

At the time he was placed on waivers, Grubauer was 5-15-1 with a 3.83 GAA and .866 save percentage in 21 NHL games. His GAA and save percentage were last among the 54 goalies to play at least 15 games this season.

“It’s great to be back,” Grubauer said Monday. “Great to go down [to the AHL], get in a couple of games and get into a rhythm a little bit and see some pucks and see a couple of game situations.”

Grubauer is in the fourth season of a six-year, $35.4 million contract ($5.9 million average annual value) he signed July 28, 2021. In four seasons with the Kraken, he is 54-76-12 with a 3.10 GAA, .890 save percentage and five shutouts in 151 regular-season games (145 starts).

Seattle (26-31-4), which trails the Calgary Flames by nine points for the second wild card in the West, hosts the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; FDSNWIX, FDSNNOX, KHN, KONG).

“Good to see him back,” Kraken coach Dan Bylsma said of Grubauer. “I think a few weeks ago, he had the opportunity to go down to [Coachella Valley] with the mind to play some games and get his game back.

“… A true pro. He served as an example for the group down there in terms of dealing with some adversity in his spot and career and putting his head down and going about his work.”

New York Rangers

Chris Kreider (upper body) will likely miss his fifth straight game Monday against the New York Islanders (7 p.m. ET; MSGSN, NHLN, MSG).

The forward participated in the morning skate Sunday but did not play in a 4-0 win against the Nashville Predators. Kreider was placed on injured reserve Saturday but can be activated at any time.

The injury is not related to the back injury that Kreider dealt with earlier in the season. He has 21 points (17 goals, four assists) in 48 games this season.

Brett Berard was recalled from Hartford of the AHL and scored in the win against the Predators. The rookie forward has eight points (four goals, four assists) in 20 games with the Rangers this season. He was first recalled from Hartford on Nov. 24 and reassigned on Jan. 11. -- Dan Rosen

Edmonton Oilers

Darnell Nurse is expected to return from an undisclosed injury against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday (9 p.m. ET; SN1, Victory+).

The Oilers defenseman missed the last two of a five-game road trip that concluded with a 3-1 win at the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. He went crashing into the corner boards attempting to hit forward Mitchell Chaffee in the first period of a 4-1 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 25.

Nurse was slow to get up and was seen laboring on the bench, although he played the rest of the game. Chaffee lost an edge right before impact and Nurse went into the boards hard with his left shoulder absorbing most of the impact.

“Hopefully, we’ll see,” Nurse said after practice Monday. “It’s not fun to watch anytime, especially a trip like that. I thought we played well in Florida (4-3 loss on Feb. 27) and then had a great team game in Carolina. They’re tough to watch, but it’s a lot of fun when you see guys going out there and making huge plays like we did in Carolina.”

Nurse has 22 points (four goals, 18 assists) in 55 games while averaging 21:49 of ice time.

The 30-year-old missed three games from Nov. 18-21 following a hit by Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves in a 4-3 overtime loss Nov. 16. Reaves was suspended five games for an illegal check to the head.

“Darnell looked really good (in practice),” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said Monday. “I haven’t checked with our medical staff, but I think there’s a very good likelihood that he will (play).” -- Derek Van Diest