With Oilers defenseman Oscar Klefbom getting injured while blocking a shot midway through the third period last night against the Sharks, the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled blueliner Griffin Reinhart from AHL Bakersfield.
Reinhart has spent the full season at the minor league level with the Condors, recording seven goals and 14 assists in 54 games. The former fourth overall pick back in 2012 has a total of 37 NHL games under his belt, 29 of which came with Edmonton last season.
Even if Klefbom isn’t available for Game Three of the series on Sunday, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Reinhart will make his season debut. Eric Gryba was scratched on Friday after playing in the series opener and likely would be the first choice to draw back in. However, the team is hopeful that Klefbom will be able to suit up tomorrow night, making this recall more of an insurance policy than anything else.
Other notes from around the postseason:
- Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin (lower body) did not make the trip to New York and has been ruled out of Game Three tomorrow night against the Rangers, reports TSN’s John Lu via Twitter. Lu noted that Emelin has started to skate again which would suggest that he may be able to return to the lineup at some point in the series.
- The Blues aren’t likely to make any lineup changes up front in advance of Game Three against the Wild, notes Tom Timmermann and Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Accordingly, it’s likely that center Jori Lehtera will sit for the second straight game despite the fact they’re already lacking in depth down the middle with Paul Stastny still on the shelf.
- Flames goalie Chad Johnson (lower body) has returned to practice but is still not ready to return to the lineup or dress as the backup for a game, reports Wes Gilbertson of the Toronto Sun. As a result, rookie Jon Gillies will continue to remain with the team for the time being. Johnson was injured against the Ducks back on April 4th, playing less than six minutes in the game before going down.