The Sharks could get some help on the wing on Tuesday as Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News reports that winger Alexander Barabanov could be activated from injured reserve for their game against the Islanders. The 28-year-old didn’t play at all in the preseason due to a lower-body injury and while they were hopeful he’d be good to go for their international games, that clearly wasn’t the case. Barabanov had 39 points in 70 games last season and head coach David Quinn acknowledged that the winger could find himself on the top line in short order. San Jose has scored just six goals in four games so far this season so any help up front will certainly be welcomed.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Although Penguins forward Teddy Blueger has made some gradual progress as he works his way back from an undisclosed injury, he did not accompany the team to Montreal in advance of their game on Monday, notes Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The injury was originally suffered nearly three weeks ago and originally had a day-to-day designation but clearly, the recovery has been slower than anticipated. Fortunately for Pittsburgh, Blueger was cleared for contact in practice so his season debut should be coming in the near future.
- While Blue Jackets forward Alexandre Texier is playing in Switzerland this season, his year got off to a slow start when he broke his wrist in the first game of the year. However, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic notes (subscription link) that the 23-year-old was able to return to the lineup on Saturday which was slightly ahead of schedule while he scored in the shootout.