Welcome to the NHL Buzz. Each day during the regular season, NHL.com has you covered with all the latest news.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Matthew Knies was placed on injured reserve, retroactive to Nov. 20, and will not play when the Maple Leafs host the Utah Hockey Club on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, TSN4, NHLN, Utah16) because of an upper-body injury.
The forward left a 3-0 win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday in the second period after taking an open ice hit from defenseman Zach Whitecloud.
"He's improving which is good, that's good news," Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said. "That's about it. He'll be out Sunday. It's upper body still. If he keeps progressing in the right direction then possibility down the road here soon."
Knies, who has 12 points (eight goals, four assists) in 20 games this season, did not practice Friday and was replaced by Nick Robertson on a line with center Pontus Holmberg and right wing William Nylander.
Forward Max Domi, who did not play against the Golden Knights because of a lower-body injury, was not at practice Friday but could potentially play Sunday.
"I'm not going to rule out Sunday on him," Berube said. "We've got to see. That's the best I can give you right now."
Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson did not practice Friday because of an illness but is expected to play Sunday.
On Friday the Maple Leafs signed Alex Nylander to a one-year, $775,000 contract and recalled him from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League. Nylander has 12 points (eight goals, four assists) in 12 AHL games this season and 49 points (25 goals, 24 assists) in 121 NHL games.
The Maple Leafs also recalled defenseman Philippe Myers, who was with Toronto of the American Hockey League on a conditioning loan.
Auston Matthews has returned from visiting a doctor in Germany relating to an upper-body injury, though there was no date set for him to resume skating.
Matthews has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 13 games this season. The Maple Leafs are 6-1-0 in his absence. --Dave McCarthy
Vancouver Canucks
Brock Boeser returned to practice wearing a noncontact jersey for the Canucks on Friday.
The forward left a 4-2 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 7 after being hit by Tanner Jeannot midway through the first period. He has missed the past six games.
"He had a noncontact practice today so that’s protocol," coach Rick Tocchet said. "We’ll see how he is [Saturday]. He's not going to play [Saturday], but it’s day to day. I think he had a good day today but once you add contact, then you've got to make those other decisions."
Boeser has 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 12 games this season.
The Canucks (9-6-3) play the Ottawa Senators on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, SN1, SNP, TVAS2) to start a six-game road trip that will continue at the Boston Bruins on Tuesday.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Kris Letang was in the lineup for the Penguins against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.
The 37-year-old defenseman was a game-time decision and has been day to day with an undisclosed illness that has kept him out the previous three games. He was a full participant in practice Thursday, skating on the top defense pair with Matt Grzelcyk.
He first joined the Penguins for an optional morning skate Tuesday, ahead of a 3-2 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Letang has six points (two goals, four assists) in 18 games this season.
Forward Kevin Hayes, who has missed seven games with an upper-body injury, was a full participant Thursday and is also a game-time decision. -- Wes Crosby
Edmonton Oilers
Darnell Nurse skated with the Oilers on Thursday for the first time since sustaining a head injury at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.
Nurse was hit by Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves 2:41 into the second period of a 4-3 overtime loss. Reaves received a five-minute major for checking to the head and was suspended five games by the NHL Department of Player Safety on Sunday.
Nurse, who missed his third straight game when the Oilers played the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, is listed as day to day, coach Kris Knoblauch said.
"I feel good," Nurse said prior to a 5-3 loss to the Wild. "With these things, timeline is up to multiple people so what I feel sometimes isn't indicative of what's going to happen, so we'll see."
Nurse was hit by Reaves after collecting the puck along the end boards and skating out from behind the net and left the game with a head injury.
"He came after and apologized," Nurse said of Reaves. "In situations like that, there's definitely an onus on the player with the puck to be aware where everyone else is on the ice for sure. With that said, even if you put yourself in a bad spot, there is lots of body in a 6-foot-4 hockey player to hit and not one piece was touched other than my head."
Nurse has nine points (two goals, seven assists) in 18 games this season, averaging 20:49 of ice time per game. Following their game against the Wild, the Oilers next play the New York Rangers on Saturday and then have a five-day break before their next game.
"Absolutely there's caution, but he still has to go through the protocol, how long it's going to take and the amount of times he has to have a light workout, a light skate, practice and then be able to be ready for the game," Knoblauch said. "Right now, things are moving along nicely if he is ready for Saturday, and if not we will postpone that."
Forward Zach Hyman missed his first game of the season Thursday after taking a hit late in the second period of a 5-2 win at the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.
He is day to day with an undisclosed injury and will be out "probably four to seven days," Knoblauch said
Hyman has eight points (three goals, five assists) in 20 games this season. -- Derek Van Diest
Montreal Canadiens
Patrik Laine practiced for the second straight day Thursday.
The forward stayed for the entire practice. On Wednesday he took part in the opening session of drills wearing a noncontact jersey before leaving the ice about 15 minutes into practice.
Laine was expected to be out 2-3 months after he sprained his left knee in a collision with Cedric Pare of the Toronto Maple Leafs in a preseason game at Bell Centre on Sept. 28. He opted not to have surgery and began skating again Nov. 6.
"I expect it's going to take him a little while to get back into it," Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said Wednesday. "You don't know exactly what it will be, is it a game? Is it two weeks? You don't know, so we'll see how it progresses."
Laine, who was acquired by the Canadiens in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Aug. 19 along with a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft for defenseman Jordan Harris, was limited to 18 games last season, the last coming Dec. 14, 2023, because of a broken clavicle. He had nine points (six goals, three assists).
Laine began receiving care from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on Jan. 28 and was cleared from the program July 26.
He scored 44 goals for the Winnipeg Jets in 2017-18, but had nine points (six goals, three assists) in 18 games last season and has two seasons remaining on a four-year, $34.8 million contract ($8.7 million average annual value) he signed July 22, 2022. -- Sean Farrell
