Training Camp Buzz: Ekblad out for Panthers

Welcome to the Training Camp Buzz. The 24 teams who will be competing for the Stanley Cup began training camp at their facilities July 13. The teams are scheduled to head to their respective hub cities (Toronto for the 12 Eastern Conference teams, Edmonton for the 12 Western Conference teams), on July 26, with the Stanley Cup Qualifiers set to begin Aug. 1.

Here's a look around the League at the latest from training camp:

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Florida Panthers

Defenseman Aaron Ekblad missed a second consecutive practice Friday but is expected to be in the lineup when the Panthers play the New York Islanders in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers.

"He'll be ready to go [for real games]," coach Joel Quenneville said.

As part of the NHL Return to Play Plan, a team is not permitted to disclose player injury or illness information.

Quenneville said that Ekblad was at the Panthers training facility the past couple of days but didn't skate.

"We'll see how he goes as we go over the next few days," Quenneville said.

The Panthers and Islanders play Game 1 of their best-of-5 series in Toronto, the Eastern Conference hub city, on Aug. 1. Florida will play an exhibition game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 29 (noon ET; NHLN, FS-F, SUN, NHL.TV).

With Ekblad missing practice, Mark Pysyk took his place on a defense pair with MacKenzie Weegar, although Quenneville said Pysyk would play forward against the Islanders.

Aleksi Saarela , who had not skated on one of the top four lines in camp, was part of the top line with Aleksander Barkov and Evgenii Dadonov.

Ekblad scored 41 points (5 goals, 36 assists) in 67 games before the season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. -- Alain Poupart

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Boston Bruins

David Pastrnak and Ondrej Kase are expected to travel with the Bruins to Toronto on Sunday in advance of the Qualifiers.

Pastrnak, whose 48 goals tied Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals for the NHL lead this season, has practiced once with a small group during Bruins training camp, on July 15. The top-line forward missed the first two days of camp because of quarantine rules for players arriving from Europe, according to general manager Don Sweeney. Since July 15, Pastrnak has been "unfit to participate."

"That's [what has] been indicated to me, and of course that could change," coach Bruce Cassidy said. "But that's the plan right now. We'll hope that everyone's cleared to go at 5:30 on Sunday, unless we hear differently."

Kase also missed Boston's first two practices under quarantine rules after coming back from the Czech Republic. He took the ice July 15 after the main session but has not skated since.

The Bruins will participate in the round-robin portion of the Qualifiers in Toronto, against the Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning and Philadelphia Flyers to determine seeding for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins play the Flyers in their first game, on Aug. 2, and play the Columbus Blue Jackets in an exhibition game July 30 (4 p.m. ET; NHLN, FS-SW, FS-TN, NHL.TV). -- Amalie Benjamin

Vegas Golden Knights

Max Pacioretty missed a fourth consecutive practice, the final one of training camp, but is expected to travel with the Golden Knights to Edmonton on Sunday and was listed on their 31-man roster for the Qualifiers.

Vegas' top-line left wing, Pacioretty has been dealing with a "minor issue," coach Peter DeBoer said Wednesday.

DeBoer said at the time that he expected Pacioretty to rejoin the Golden Knights on the ice prior to leaving for the Western Conference hub city.

Nick Cousins took Pacioretty's spot on the first line this week, skating with William Karlsson and Mark Stone.

Pacioretty led the Golden Knights in goals (32) and points (66) during the regular season. He scored 14 points (eight goals, six assists) in the final 13 games before the season was paused.

Vegas will play an exhibition game against the Arizona Coyotes on July 30 (10 p.m. ET; NHLN, ATTSN-RM, FS-A PLUS, NHL.TV) before beginning the round-robin portion of the Qualifiers. It will play the Dallas Stars (Aug. 3), St. Louis Blues (Aug. 6) and Colorado Avalanche (Aug. 8) to determine seeding for the playoffs in the West.-- Danny Webster

Minnesota Wild

Matt Dumba returned to practice with the Wild.

Dumba left a scrimmage Thursday, and coach Dean Evason said he didn't expect him at practice.

"No, there's no expectations. None," Evason said of the defenseman, who scored 24 points (six goals, 18 assists) in 69 games before the season was paused.

Forward Joel Eriksson Ek, who also left the scrimmage early, was not at practice. He scored an NHL career-high 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) in 62 games this season.

The Wild said defenseman Calen Addison and forwards Sam Anas and JT Brown are no longer participating in training camp.

Minnesota will play the Vancouver Canucks in a best-of-5 qualifier series in Edmonton beginning Aug. 2. It will play the Colorado Avalanche in an exhibition game July 29 (2:30 p.m. ET; NHLN, FS-N, FS-WI, NHL.TV).

Arizona Coyotes

Oliver Ekman-Larsson left practice, but the Coyotes said they aren't worried about the defenseman's status for the Qualifiers.

Ekman-Larsson left the ice after becoming tangled with forward Carl Soderberg at center ice during a scrimmage.

"I don't think it's that bad, we kept him off for precautionary reasons," coach Rick Tocchet said. "He seemed in pretty good spirits."

Ekman-Larsson, who had scored 30 points (nine goals, 21 assists) in 66 games before the season was paused, has been one of the Coyotes most impressive players during training camp, Tocchet said.

"It's like any team, you can't afford one of your better players, one of your best players, to go down, but that's the nature of the beast in scrimmaging," Tocchet said. "He was playing hard, it was an unfortunate thing, but I think he'll be fine. I think he'll be back, no problem."

The Coyotes will play the Nashville Predators in a best-of-5 qualifying series in Edmonton beginning Aug. 2. They play the Vegas Golden Knights in an exhibition game July 30 (10 p.m. ET; NHLN, FS-A Plus, NHL.TV). -- Alan Robinson

Chicago Blackhawks

Brent Seabrook will not play for the Blackhawks in the postseason.

Seabrook said he will not be on the Blackhawks roster that will be traveling to Edmonton for the Qualifiers. Teams are allowed to have up to 31 skaters, including goalies, travel with them to the hub city, and those will be the only players allowed to participate in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"I don't feel comfortable yet," the defenseman told the Blackhawks website Friday.

Seabrook, who has been taking part in training camp, had surgery three times during the regular season; on his right shoulder Dec. 27, then his left hip in January and his right hip on Feb. 6. Seabrook was expected to need 5-6 months to recover.

He scored four points (three goals, one assist) in 32 games before the season was paused on March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.

The Blackhawks will play the Edmonton Oilers in a best-of-5 qualifier series beginning Aug. 1. Chicago will play the St. Louis Blues in an exhibition game July 29 (6:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHLN, NBCSCH+, FS-MW+, NHL.TV).

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Pittsburgh Penguins

Sidney Crosby took part in practice with the Penguins for the first time since July 18.

Crosby did not play in a scrimmage Thursday and was on the ice about 30 minutes before practice Wednesday, his first time skating since leaving a scrimmage for undisclosed reasons.

Crosby scored 47 points (16 goals, 31 assists) in 41 games before the season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. He was injured Nov. 9, had core muscle surgery Nov. 14, and missed 28 games before returning to score four points (one goal, three assists) in a 7-3 win against the Minnesota Wild on Jan. 14.

The Penguins will play the Montreal Canadiens in a best-of-5 qualifier series in Toronto beginning Aug. 1. Pittsburgh will play the Philadelphia Flyers in an exhibition game July 28 (4 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NBCSP+, NHL.TV).-- Wes Crosby

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Columbus Blue Jackets

Cam Atkinson said he "feels pretty good" with the Blue Jackets nine days from playing their first game in the Qualifiers.

Atkinson missed the final 14 games of the season prior to the pause because of an ankle injury and sustained a separate ankle sprain earlier in the season. He missed 26 games this season and scored 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in 44 games.

"It's been a while since I've played a game (Feb. 8), but these scrimmages, every day I feel like I get a little bit sharper heading toward the right direction," he said. "It's been a lot of skating. Scrimmages have been kind of sloppy, but I feel pretty good."

The Blue Jackets will play the Toronto Maple Leafs in a best-of-5 qualifier series in Toronto beginning Aug 2. Columbus will play an exhibition game against the Boston Bruins on July 30 (4 p.m. ET; NHLN, FS-SW, FS-TN, NHL.TV).

"The longer you're on the ice, like when you're on for a couple of hours, it's not setting me back or anything like that, but it is what it is," Atkinson said. "I need to definitely be one of the energy guys, drag people into the fight. I'm just ready to get going now." -- Craig Merz

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St. Louis Blues

Vince Dunn will be on the Blues roster for the Qualifiers.

Dunn (undisclosed) has not skated since July 14, but coach Craig Berube said he will travel with the team to Edmonton.

The defenseman, who had 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in 71 games before the season was paused, has missed eight straight days of on-ice practices.

Forward Oskar Sundqvist left midway through practice after he fell during a drill and crashed into the boards favoring his back.

"He's a heck of a player, very important player for us," Berube said. "He does a lot of versatile things for us like a lot of players do on our team."

The Blues will play in the round-robin portion of the Qualifiers against the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights to determine seeding for the playoffs in the West. The Blues first game will be against the Avalanche on Aug. 2. St. Louis will play the Chicago Blackhawks in an exhibition game July 29 (6:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHLN, NBCSCH+, FS-MW+, NHL.TV). -- Louie Korac