Welcome to the NHL Buzz. Each day during the regular season, NHL.com has you covered with all the latest news.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Kris Letang returned from a lower-body injury for the Penguins in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Sunday.
The Penguins defenseman had missed the previous three games.
"I felt pretty good today,” Letang said after practice on Saturday. “It was my first time out there with people, so I was able to stress it a little bit more. So, felt pretty good. ... I've had that injury many times, so kind of knew what to expect."
In his 19th NHL season, Letang leads Pittsburgh defensemen with seven goals in 35 games and is third with 16 points, behind Erik Karlsson (28) and Matt Grzelcyk (21).
The Penguins announced Sunday forward Philip Tomasino is week to week because of a lower-body injury he sustained in the third period of a 3-2 shootout loss to the Florida Panthers on Friday. Tomasino has seven points (four goals, three assists) in 16 games since being acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators on Nov. 25. -- Wes Crosby
Vancouver Canucks
Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson practiced Sunday for the first time in almost two weeks and Hughes is a “possibility” to return from an upper-body injury for the Canucks when they begin a five-game road trip at the Montreal Canadiens on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; RDS, Prime).
Hughes, the Canucks top defenseman and captain, and Pettersson, their No. 1 center, have missed four games since each last played Dec. 23 against the San Jose Sharks. They had been skating on their own prior to the road trip.
Hughes was listed as week to week and Pettersson day to day, but Hughes appears closer to returning after skating with the top power-play unit Sunday.
“I would say it's day to day, possibility tomorrow, but we'll see,” coach Rick Tocchet told reporters in Montreal on Sunday when asked if Hughes is closer to returning. “We want to make the right decision, too, so we'll take our time on this. But we’ve still got 24 hours before we make a decision.”
Hughes, who leads Vancouver and is third among NHL defensemen with 42 points (eight goals, 34 assists) in 34 games, was labeled as questionable going into the game on Dec. 23. He played 24:45 and had two assists in a 4-3 win, but the Canucks have gone 1-2-1 in the four games he has missed since.
“Nice to be back, obviously hate missing time,” Hughes said after practice. “The way we went about it and handled it, lucky with the medical group we have and support system we have here, I think everything we did is how we wanted it to play out. Now, I’m in a spot where I am on the up and up.”
Pettersson, who is tied with Jake DeBrusk for third on the Canucks with 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) in 34 games, scored twice in the second period Dec. 23 but only played one shift in the third and hasn't played and hadn’t practiced until Sunday.
“You get a couple star guys like that, just even practicing, it gives the guys juice,” Tocchet said, “And actually they were excited to join the team. When you're segregated and you're doing skating by yourself, it gets tough.”
Vancouver also was without No. 1 goalie Thatcher Demko in a 3-0 loss to Nashville on Friday after he sustained back spasms during a 4-3 shootout win at the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, leaving in the second after getting spun around in a collision with teammate Noah Juulsen.
Goalie Arturs Silovs was recalled from Abbotsford of the American Hockey League to back up Kevin Lankinen on Friday, but Tocchet said after that Demko would travel to Montreal. -- Kevin Woodley
New York Islanders
Isaiah George did not play for the Islanders in a 5-4 overtime win against the Boston Bruins on Sunday because of an upper-body injury.
The 20-year-old rookie defenseman was injured in the second period of a 2-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. George was hit by Maple Leafs forward Max Domi and entered concussion protocol. He did not practice Saturday.
“He’s upper body and day to day,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said.
Selected by New York in the fourth round (No. 98) of the 2022 NHL Draft, George has five points (one goal, four assists) in 25 games.
Forward Simon Holmstrom, who sustained an upper-body injury in a 3-2 loss to the Penguins on Dec. 29, also did not skate and remains day to day.
Goalie Semyon Varlamov, who is on long-term injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 3, continues to skate on his own. -- Stefen Rosner
Florida Panthers
Aaron Ekblad did not practice Sunday and will be a “morning-skate decision” Monday before the Panthers visit the Colorado Avalanche (9 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, ALT, TVAS).
Florida coach Paul Maurice would not disclose the defenseman’s injury.
“General body,” Maurice said. “Let’s start a new one: General body, malaise.”
Maurice did say whatever Ekblad is dealing with “just cropped up” during a 3-2 shootout win against the Penguins on Friday. Ekblad was held out for the end of the third period and did not appear in overtime.
As one of the Panthers’ top penalty killers, Ekblad would have been on the ice for Pittsburgh’s power play in the final two minutes of the third.
“He’s dealing with something, but he could be 100 percent tomorrow,” Maurice said.
Niko Mikkola could be back Monday; the defenseman has missed the past four games with an upper-body injury.
“Niko got through practice, so that’s a real positive,” Maurice said, adding Mikkola is also a “morning-skate decision” Monday. -- George Richards
Utah Hockey Club
Robert Bortuzzo (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Saturday and is week to week.
The 35-year-old defenseman was injured in the third period of a 5-3 win at the Calgary Flames on Thursday. He had one shot on goal in 8:25 of ice time.
Bortuzzo has two assists in 16 games and is averaging 10:53 of ice time.
