The NHL schedule is a precarious thing these days, as dozens of players find themselves in the COVID protocol across the league. There have been individual postponements and full team shutdowns of late, with seemingly new news breaking every hour. For now, there are ten games on the docket, including a chance for the Stanley Cup champions to get some revenge. Over the weekend, the Ottawa Senators defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0, and the two teams will do battle again this evening. As they and other teams prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.
Atlantic Division
- The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Cayden Primeau from the minor leagues, sending Corey Schueneman back to make room. Primeau will start in goal this evening for Montreal, while Samuel Montembeault is expected to play at some point on the upcoming road trip. Primeau, 22, has made two appearances for the Canadiens this season, losing both games and posting an .877 save percentage.
Metropolitan Division
- As expected, the Washington Capitals have recalled Brett Leason for their road trip to Canada. Nic Dowd and Trevor van Riemsdyk cannot travel with the team due to their COVID status, meaning they’ve been moved back to the non-roster list for the time being.
- With Mathew Barzal in the COVID protocol, the New York Islanders have recalled Austin Czarnik from the minor leagues. Czarnik has very rarely been a full-time NHL option in his professional career, but does have 129 regular season games under his belt. In the four he’s played this year with New York, he has three points.
Central Division
- The Winnipeg Jets have recalled David Gustafsson from the minor leagues, giving him an NHL opportunity after another great start with the Manitoba Moose. The 2018 second-round pick has done nothing but score whenever he’s in the AHL, with 16 points in 23 games this time around. Now 21, it’s time for him to start pushing for NHL minutes if he’s going to become a legitimate part of the Jets’ future.
- The Dallas Stars have sent Riley Damiani and Ty Dellandrea back to the minor leagues, though that may be for a short period of time depending on the health of the Stars forwards for tomorrow’s game. Roope Hintz and Alexander Radulov were back at practice today according to Saad Yousuf of The Athletic, suggesting they’ll be ready in time to battle the Blues.
Pacific Division
- Defenseman Guillaume Brisebois is back up with the Vancouver Canucks on an emergency recall after the team placed multiple defensemen in COVID protocol over the past few days. He has no points in nine career NHL games.
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