Training Camp Buzz: Pickard leaves Oilers preseason game after crease collision
Goaltender does not return after being knocked to ice in 1st period, replaced by Rodrigue
© Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images
Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers goalie Calvin Pickard left at 11:58 of the first period during a 5-4 preseason win against the Seattle Kraken at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Saturday, following a collision in his crease.
Oilers forward Noah Philp ran into Pickard breaking up a pass in front intended for Kraken forward Yanni Gourde from Brandon Tanev with Seattle leading 2-1.
Pickard was knocked backwards and stayed down on the ice for a few moments. He got up, was assessed by the Oilers head athletic therapist T.D. Forss and went to the dressing room, replaced by Olivier Rodrigue. Coach Kris Knoblauch said after the game that there was no update on Pickard, who was to be evaluated, and that the team hoped to know more Sunday.
Pickard is expected to back up Stuart Skinner this season. He was 12-7-1 with a 2.45 goals-against average and .909 save percentage in 23 games (20 starts) last season, and 1-1 with a 2.21 GAA and .915 save percentage in three games (two starts) in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer
Pittsburgh Penguins
Erik Karlsson has stopped skating in his recovery from an upper-body injury.
The defenseman has been day to day since Pittsburgh opened training camp on Sept. 18. Karlsson skated on an individual basis before three practices from Sept. 21-24.
On Wednesday, Karlsson was given a scheduled off day. He did not take the ice again the following day before the Penguins had off on Friday.
The 34-year-old will not skate this weekend, coach Mike Sullivan said after a morning skate Saturday.
"We'll go from there," Sullivan said. "That's just part of the rehab process and where he's at right now."
Sullivan was asked Thursday if he thought Karlsson would be ready for the Penguins regular-season opener against the New York Rangers on Oct. 9.
"I'm confident that he's going to make progress here," Sullivan said. "So right now, his status is day to day. I know our group is working with him. Progress is being made. So I'm confident that we'll have success."
Karlsson, likely to remain on a defense pair with Marcus Pettersson when healthy, led Pittsburgh's defensemen with 56 points (11 goals, 45 assists) last season after being acquired from the San Jose Sharks in a three-team trade involving the Montreal Canadiens on Aug. 6, 2023. -- Wes Crosby
Edmonton Oilers
Darnell Nurse is expected to play in the season opener against the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 9 despite having yet to play in the preseason.
The defenseman was not in the lineup when the Oilers defeated the Seattle Kraken 5-4 at Rogers Place on Saturday.
"We feel Darnell is going to be ready for regular season," coach Kris Knoblauch said Saturday morning. "We feel he's going to be ready to play one, if not two exhibition games."
Nurse sustained an undisclosed injury in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers on June 10. He played the remainder of the series, which Edmonton lost in seven games.
Nurse is one of five returning defensemen for the Oilers this season. Josh Brown, Ty Emberson and Travis Dermott are competing for the final spot.
"To say that we know how it's been shaping up has been difficult just because we've been missing a really big part of our defense," Knoblauch said. "Darnell has been practicing and he feels good, but he still hasn't played in a game, so we don't know exactly." -- Derek Van Diest
Winnipeg Jets
Logan Stanley will be out at least four weeks for the Jets because of a knee injury that will require surgery.
The defenseman was injured in warmups prior to a 6-1 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday and did not play in the game.
Stanley had two points (one goal, one assist) in 25 games for the Jets last season, averaging 13:46 of ice time per game.
The Jets open the regular season at the Oilers on Oct. 9.
New Jersey Devils
Brett Pesce participated in a pregame skate for the first time since the start of training camp but was not in the lineup when the Devils lost 5-1 to the New York Islanders on Friday.
The defenseman, who signed a six-year contract with the Devils on July 1 after nine seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, remains out week to week as he continues to recover from surgery to repair a fractured fibula.
"He's not close to playing at this point but it was just encouraging to get him on the ice with more humans," New Jersey coach Sheldon Keefe said. "He's been skating by himself for the most part, and with one or two other injured guys, but good to get him with the group. He's got a great energy about him so just having him around the guys ... they enjoyed it. I'm sure it was exciting for him to get out there and it's great for us to get a look at him, but it's just a small step in his process."
Pesce sustained a non-contact lower-body injury in the second period of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the New York Islanders last season, won by the Hurricanes in five games.
Erik Haula made his preseason debut for the Devils after missing the past three preseason games due to an illness. He had two shots on goal and was minus-3 in 14:21 of ice time.
"I've been feeling better every day; I had a fever for six days so it took a toll on me," Haula said leading up to the game. "The timing of it is frustrating, but luckily I'm getting better now and getting back into the action." -- Mike G. Morreale
Toronto Maple Leafs
John Tavares missed his second straight practice Saturday because of a lower-body injury and is day to day.
Tavares left during to the third period of the Maple Leafs' 2-1 preseason win against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday after the center took a hit earlier in the game.
"My leg was getting pretty stiff from the hit I took in the first (period)," Tavares said after the game. "It wasn't so bad afterwards, but throughout the second and especially the third, it just got really, really stiff. I told Craig I would just keep them [shifts] short, but he gave me the rest of the night off."
Forward Calle Jarnkrok returned to practice Saturday for the first time this week because of a lower-body injury but departed halfway through the session and is day to day.
"He was out there with us for a while which was good to see, looked like he was okay but I still need to get an update here to see how it went," coach Craig Berube said Saturday.
Forward Bobby McMann did not practice due to maintenance.
"He's one of those guys that's a little sore and banged up a little from camp but he's fine," Berube said.
The Maple Leafs are hoping to have Jani Hakanpaa join the main group at training camp next week. The defenseman has been skating on his own since the beginning of camp while he continues his recovery from offseason arthroscopic knee surgery.
"He's done really well," Berube said. "There was a process when he got here. I think the process has been going well and hopefully we get him in our group to start here this week." -- Dave McCarthy
Calgary Flames
Zayne Parekh, the No. 9 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, was assigned to Saginaw of the Ontario Hockey League on Friday.
"We want to get him going season-wise," Flames coach Ryan Huska said. "We feel like the experience he gained while he was here gives him a pretty good understanding of what the NHL is all about. Now it's about helping his team win and making sure he's prepared to better himself this year so he's in a better position for next year."
Parekh led OHL defensemen in goals (33) and points (96) in 66 games last season, winning the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the league's defenseman of the year. He also helped Saginaw to a Memorial Cup championship, and represented Canada at the World Junior Summer Showcase.
"It's hard," Parekh said. "It's a very humbling league, but it was good. I really enjoyed my time (in training camp) and felt I got more comfortable as I went and I think I got better as I went. I'm really happy for the time here.
"When you play against such high-caliber players and practice with pros, you see their habits and what they do daily and [it's] really impressive. You kind of understand how good these players are and how far away you are. I think I have a long way to go and I'm excited." -- Aaron Vickers
St. Louis Blues
Brandon Saad could miss the start of the regular season for the Blues due to the birth of his child.
The veteran forward did not skate with the regular group on Friday and later said his wife is expecting around the time the Blues begin the regular season with a three-game road trip, starting against the Seattle Kraken on Oct. 8 (4:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN360, TVAS).
"She's due right around the time we're going to be on that trip, so it doesn't seem like I'm going to be making the trip, but you never know when [the baby's] going to come and where I'm going to be," Saad said Friday. "That's kind of the game plan, so [coach Drew Bannister] has me in that other group just trying to figure out things.
"She could [deliver] any day, so it's not really ruled out. It's kind of just up in the air and taking it day by day. It's something where you don't want to miss the birth."
Saad was skating with Dalibor Dvorsky, the No. 10 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, and Kasperi Kapanen, while Zack Bolduc, the No. 17 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, was skating with the main group on Friday with Brayden Schenn and Pavel Buchnevich.
"First and foremost for [Saad], he wants to be there for the birth of his baby, his third child, which is important to us too," Bannister said. "Now we're at a point in training camp where we want to start putting some lines together and without the availability for him, pending how things go obviously, he might not be available for us for the first three games of the road trip. We'll go in a different direction with our lines as if he wasn't able to play for us."
The Blues will also play the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 10 and the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 11 before returning for their home opener against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 15. -- Lou Korac
