Welcome to the NHL Buzz. Each day during the regular season, NHL.com has you covered with all the latest news.
Colorado Avalanche
Nathan MacKinnon will be a game-time decision for the Avalanche when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday (9 p.m. ET; BSSUN, ALT).
MacKinnon was absent from the morning skate with an illness.
“We'll see. I couldn't tell you that [now],” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said of MacKinnon’s availability for the game. “He's under the weather this morning.”
The 28-year-old forward had a goal and an assist in a 3-1 win against the Calgary Flames on Saturday and extended his season-opening home-ice point steak to nine games (five goals, 11 assists).
He currently has a four-game point streak (one goal, five assists).
MacKinnon has 26 points (seven goals, 19 assists) in 20 games this season, tying him with forward Mikko Rantanen for second on the Avalanche behind defenseman Cale Makar (30). His 19 assists tie him with forward Leon Draisaitl for seventh among all NHL players. -- Ryan Boulding
San Jose Sharks
Tomas Hertl will not be in the lineup when the Sharks host the Washington Capitals (10:30 p.m. ET; MNMT2, MNMT, NBCSCA).
San Jose coach David Quinn said that the forward sustained a mid-body injury during a day off Sunday. He expects Hertl to be on the Sharks' upcoming six-game road trip, which starts Thursday at the Boston Bruins.
Hertl has 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in 21 games this season. He has four assists over his past two games, including two in a 4-3 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. -- Chelena Goldman
Pittsburgh Penguins
Bryan Rust is expected to be a game-time decision when the Penguins visit the Nashville Predators on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, BSSO).
The forward took full contact in practice Monday after missing the previous three games with a lower-body injury. Rust, normally first-line right wing with center Sidney Crosby and left wing Jake Guentzel when healthy, practiced on the top power-play unit.
"It is a possibility,” Rust said of playing Tuesday. “We'll just see how things react here overnight."
Rust hasn't played since Nov. 19, finishing a 3-0 win against the Vegas Golden Knights with three shots on goal in 18:36 of ice time.
Pittsburgh (10-10-0) has lost two of three without Rust.
The 31-year-old has nine goals in 17 games this season, tied with center Evgeni Malkin for second on the Penguins behind Crosby (13). He is fifth in points with 16, behind Crosby (24), Guentzel (23), Malkin (18) and defenseman Erik Karlsson (18).
"He entered this League as a defensive player, a checker, and I still think that's a strength of his game,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. “But he's developed an offensive side of the game in his time in the NHL. He's developed into a legitimate top-six forward in this League that can score goals and create opportunities for his linemates.” -- Wes Crosby
New York Islanders
Sebastian Aho was placed on injured reserve Monday. The move is retroactive to Nov. 24.
The 27-year-old defenseman left a 5-3 win against the Ottawa Senators on Friday after he sustained an upper-body injury early in the first period.
Aho got tangled up with Senators forward Rourke Chartier trying to retrieve a loose puck deep in the Islanders zone under 1:30 into the game. He stayed on the ice for a few seconds before skating off. He didn't return.
"I don't have one," Islanders coach Lane Lambert said regarding a timeline for Aho.
Aho, who must be out a minimum of seven days, can return Dec. 1 and be eligible to play against the Sharks at UBS Arena on Dec. 2.
Defenseman Grant Hutton was recalled from Bridgeport of the AHL and played 10:11 in a 1-0 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.
Mike Reilly was claimed off waivers from the Florida Panthers on Saturday and the defenseman could make his Islanders debut when they visit the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; MSGSN2, MSGSN).
"Was just kind of waiting around once it got close to two o'clock and then I didn't have a full idea that it was gonna be here but I kind of thought there was maybe a chance that could happen and just kind of waited around," Reilly said about being placed on waivers. "I'm very excited to get this opportunity." -- Stefen Rosner
Vancouver Canucks
Andrei Kuzmenko will play when the Canucks host the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; SNP, BSSC, BSSD) after the top-line forward was a healthy scratch the past two games.
The 27-year-old forward did not play in Vancouver’s 5-1 win at the Seattle Kraken on Friday or a 4-3 loss at the San Jose Sharks on Saturday but was back alongside Elias Pettersson and Ilya Mikheyev in practice Monday. Kuzmenko has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in 19 games this season despite skating almost exclusively on the top line and power play unit. He had 74 points (39 goals, 35 assists) in 81 games last season, his first in the NHL.
“It’s [a] very interesting moment for me,” Kuzmenko said. “There's a lot of moments I need [to be] better -- forecheck, backcheck, good [defensive] play, just so simple. I need [to] play better.”
Kuzmenko played eight seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League in his native Russia before signing a one-year, entry level contract as a free agent with the Canucks on July 14, 2022. He signed a two-year, $11-million contract ($5.5 million average annual value) with Vancouver on Jan. 26, four days after Rick Tocchet replaced Bruce Boudreau as coach, and scored 20 of his 39 goals in the final 36 games after the change.
But Tocchet pointed to an unsustainably high 27.3 shooting percentage last season and said he needs Kuzmenko to be better away from the puck now.
“When the puck is in the neutral zone, you’ve got to hustle back to be an option, middle-drive guy, pucks around the wall, you got to get them out in certain situations. Those are the little things I value around here,” Tocchet said. “It's not about just scoring goals. If you're not scoring goals, that's fine, goals scorers are going to go through slumps. … The little things matter and that's part of our staples and he has to understand that's the Bible for us around here and they're very important.” -- Kevin Woodley
