Los Angeles Kings
Drew Doughty skated in a full-contact jersey Wednesday for the first time since injuring his knee Oct. 22.
The defenseman, who resumed skating in a non-contact jersey last Friday, was injured after taking a knee-to-knee hit from defenseman Jani Hakanpää during a 3-2 overtime loss at the Dallas Stars.
Doughty was expected to be out eight weeks and to need six weeks to resume skating. Friday marked four weeks since the injury.
"He had a doctor's appointment yesterday and the doctors cleared him to take it up a notch," Kings coach Todd McLellan said. "He's going to be fully involved in the skate today and our practices over the next little bit, and he's getting closer to playing."
At the time of the injury, Doughty was second on Los Angeles with seven points (one goal, six assists) in four games and first in average ice time per game (22:37).
Vegas Golden Knights
Max Pacioretty had an assist in his return to the lineup in a 5-2 win against the Nashville Predators on Wednesday.
The forward had missed the previous 17 games after sustaining a lower-body injury against the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 14.
"He's a thoroughbred as a player," Golden Knights coach Peter DeBoer said. "He had a non-weight bearing injury that he had to basically stay off for five weeks. So he wasn't allowed to do anything. He's had a week of skating, and he jumps in, played 17 minutes tonight (17:13), looked really good. Not many guys can do that."
Nashville Predators
Filip Forsberg scored two goals against the Golden Knights in his return to the lineup.
The forward had missed the previous nine games after sustaining an upper-body injury against the Calgary Flames on Nov. 2.
"I got better as the game went on," Forsberg said. "I think in the first period I was definitely shaking off the rust a little bit. You can skate all you want, but playing hockey is a different thing than anything else. So I think I got better. … It's definitely something to build on."
Washington Capitals
Nicklas Backstrom skated with the Capitals for the first time this season when he participated in their morning skate Wednesday.
The center, who was wearing a non-contact jersey, has not played this season because of a hip injury but has been skating on his own for the past month.
Coach Peter Laviolette said there remains no timetable for when Backstrom will be ready.
"This is another step," Laviolette said. "It's really good to have him out there just to see him on the ice. It's a little bit different when somebody's out for a week and they come back in a blue jersey and they're working their way back in, so he's still got work to do. We're still going to work in the best interest of Nick, but certainly the fact that he joined us in a skate is a real positive for everybody. Really good." -- Tom Gulitti
