The Nashville Predators announced this afternoon that the team activated defenseman Matt Benning off injured reserve. Benning has been listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury for almost two weeks now, last playing in the team’s March 13th win against Minnesota. In his second season in Nashville, Benning has tallied 10 assists in 53 games and is again providing solid defensive depth at the bottom of the lineup. The team’s defensive depth is being stretched thin with injuries to both Mark Borowiecki and Dante Fabbro, so his return to the lineup carries some extra importance as the Predators look to lock down a playoff spot as the season winds to a close.
More from around the NHL today:
- Another name is coming off injured reserve — New Jersey Devils forward Miles Wood. He’ll play his first game of the season tonight against the Canadiens, sitting out all year up until this point with a hip injury sustained during training camp. Wood is likely to draw in on the fourth line alongside youngsters Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian, and his physical game should give New Jersey’s forward group an edge that it’s lacked all season long. Up until this year, Wood had at least 10 goals and 20 points in four straight seasons.
- New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz said after today’s game against Tampa Bay that goalie Ilya Sorokin suffered an upper-body injury that took him out of the game after the second period. It’s unclear whether Sorokin will travel with the team to Columbus for their next game. If he’s out of the lineup, it’s a huge blow to any sliver of hope the Islanders had at making a miracle run into the playoffs. Quietly, Sorokin has been one of the NHL’s best this season, buoying the Islanders with his six shutouts and .927 save percentage in 42 starts. Coming into the game against Tampa Bay, he hadn’t had a save percentage under .929 in his last five games.