NHL Buzz: Carlsson set to make debut for Ducks
Stamkos returns for Lightning; Buchnevich out for Blues
© Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim Ducks
Leo Carlsson will make his NHL debut against the Dallas Stars at Honda Center in Anaheim on Thursday (10 p.m. ET; BSSC, BSSW, BSSD).
Carlsson, the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, missed the first two games after sustaining a lower-body injury during practice on Oct. 6.
The 18-year old center practiced Tuesday and Wednesday on the top line with Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry.
“From what I’ve seen, and if he manages it the proper way, if he continues to grow from where he is now, he’s going to be a heck of a player,” Ducks first-year coach Greg Cronin said.
Carlsson was the Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year last season when he had 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) in 44 games with Orebro. It was the most points and assists by a junior player in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), the top league in Sweden that features players 10 years or more older than Carlsson.
The Ducks lost their season opener, 4-1 at the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday before a 6-3 win at home against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. -- Dan Arritt
Tampa Bay Lightning
Steven Stamkos returned to the lineup against the Vancouver Canucks after missing the previous two games with a lower-body injury.
The forward participated in the morning skate and was on a line with Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel.
"I felt good the past couple of days, I felt good today on the ice," Stamkos said.
Stamkos has two goals and two assists in two games this season, with three of those points coming in his previous game, a 6-4 loss at the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper had an update on goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is expected to be out until late November after having back surgery before the season.
"There's been no change in his schedule," Cooper said. "He's such a workaholic in how he prepares and looks after his body that sometimes you have to pull the reins back on him and just let nature take its course. But everything is going according to plan." -- Corey Long
St. Louis Blues
Pavel Buchnevich did not play for the Blues against the Arizona Coyotes because of an upper-body injury.
The forward was injured in the first period of a 2-1 shootout win against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday and is listed as day to day. He has no points in two games this season after scoring 67 points (26 goals, 41 assists) in 63 games last season.
"Right now it's day to day, we're waiting," Blues coach Craig Berube said Thursday. "... Right now he's sore. He's still not ready to get on the ice. It's all about how he feels, soreness and stuff like that. When that subsides, he's going to go on the ice and we'll advance from there."
Brandon Saad took Buchnevich's spot on the top line with Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. Nikita Alexandrov was in the starting lineup for his season debut with Buchnevich out.
Vegas Golden Knights
Alec Martinez made his season debut against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.
The defenseman skated in a red non-contact jersey in Dallas on Tuesday morning prior to the Golden Knights' 3-2 shootout win against the Stars.
Martinez was placed on injured reserve Oct. 8 after suffering an upper-body injury that kept him out for the final two preseason games and the first four games of the regular-season.
Martinez had 14 points (three goals, 11 assists), 244 blocked shots, and was plus-30 in 77 regular-season games last season. He had seven points (two goals, five assists) in 22 playoff games to help Vegas win the Cup. -- Darrin Bauming
New York Rangers
Nick Bonino played for the Rangers against the Nashville Predators at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The forward took a maintenance day Wednesday but was on the ice for the morning skate Thursday.
Bonino, who has no points in three games this season, had 10:45 of ice time in a 2-1 win against the Arizona Coyotes on Monday.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Kris Letang is being evaluated for a lower-body injury.
The defenseman did not practice Thursday after playing 24:35 in a 6-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday. Penguins coach Mike Sullivan did not provide a timeframe for Letang's recovery.
Ryan Shea replaced Letang on a defense pair with Ryan Graves in practice.
"Ryan (Shea) is a smart player. I think he's very good with the puck," Sullivan said. "He's a guy that has deceptive playmaking ability. … These are the guys, obviously, that are in the conversation on whether or not they go in the lineup for us."
Shea, 26, could make his NHL debut at the St. Louis Blues on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, BSMW).
"It would be a dream come true," Shea said. "It would be great to get in the lineup, whenever that is."
In his 18th NHL season, Letang has averaged 24:47 of ice time per game, second on the Penguins behind defenseman Erik Karlsson (25:15). Letang has three assists in four games.
Forward Noel Acciari also did not practice because of an upper-body injury.
Acciari, who has no points in four games, has been fourth-line center after signing a three-year contract with Pittsburgh on July 1. Jeff Carter practiced in that spot on Thursday. -- Wes Crosby
Ottawa Senators
Josh Norris made his season debut and scored twice in his first game since Jan. 21, a 6-1 win against the Washington Capitals at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old center missed all of preseason after tweaking something in his shoulder a week before training camp. He's missed 90 games the past two seasons because of shoulder injuries and had season-ending surgery in late January.
His first goal of the season at 12:29 of the first period gave the Senators a 2-0 lead. He later made it 3-1 at 1:47 of the second period.
Ottawa coach D.J. Smith said Norris would take face-offs and not have any physical limitations.
"At this point, the only limitation is with reps," Smith said. "He hasn't played in almost a year, so, I mean, we've got to be conscious of that."
Smith said Norris was ready to return a while ago. They had Wednesday as the worst-case scenario.
"Josh is a big part of that room," Smith said. "He's grown with these guys right from a young age. A lot of them are best friends in there. The guys are pulling for him, so it's going to be emotional, I'm sure, for him to get back out there. I can tell you it's been agonizing for him, wanting to play, and just the setbacks here and there."
Norris was the center on the third line with Dominik Kubalik and Drake Batherson and on the second power-play unit during the morning skate.
"He changes everything," captain Brady Tkachuk said. "The speed he brings, being able to skate up with the puck and create separation for linemates. I think the most underrated thing about him is the 200-foot player that he is. As good as he is offensively, putting pucks to the net and skating, he's a great shutdown guy and [doesn't] give them much.
"He'd be lying if he wasn't a little nervous, but I think nerves are good, right? Nerves turn into excitement. I think he'll get a nice little ovation from the fans tonight when he gets back out there." -- Callum Fraser
