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Jean-Gabriel Pageau

East Notes: Pageau, Nylander, Forbort, Jensen, Sandin, Iorio

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The Islanders expect veteran center Jean-Gabriel Pageau back tonight as they try and even their first-round series against the Hurricanes at one apiece. He practiced today and took line rushes in his usual third-line role, per NHL.com’s Stefen Rosner. After missing Game 1 with a lower-body injury sustained early in the final game of the regular season, the 31-year-old will center a line with captain Anders Lee and Pierre Engvall. Winger Hudson Fasching is projected to come out of the lineup after riding shotgun with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri on the second line on Saturday, while 22-year-old Simon Holmström will be reinstated into the top-six on his natural wing after suiting up at center over the weekend. Center Kyle MacLean, who scored the Isles’ only goal in the 3-1 loss, slides down to fourth-line duties with Pageau returning. The Ottawa native had 11 goals and 33 points in the regular season, skating in all 82 games.

Other updates ahead of a pair of Game 2s in the East tonight:

  • Maple Leafs winger William Nylander took a big step toward returning from an undisclosed injury today, participating in practice after participating in an optional skate yesterday. However, he didn’t take line rushes and will be a game-time decision against the Bruins tonight, head coach Sheldon Keefe said (via ESPN’s Kristen Shilton). If Nylander can’t go, no lineup changes are coming for Toronto, which dropped Game 1 Saturday 5-1 despite outshooting Boston 36-25. He skated nearly an hour today, a good sign for his availability when the series shifts back to Toronto for Game 3 on Wednesday.
  • The Bruins brought defenseman Derek Forbort back from his LTI conditioning loan to AHL Providence this morning, but he won’t be coming off long-term injured reserve just yet. Head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters today that the veteran isn’t an option for tonight’s contest but will travel with Boston north of the border (via The Boston Globe’s Conor Ryan). Even if healthy, it’s unclear whether he’ll draw into the lineup ahead of Andrew Peeke or Kevin Shattenkirk on the Bruins’ bottom pairing.
  • Capitals defensemen Nick Jensen and Rasmus Sandin remain in non-contact jerseys in today’s practice, NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti reports. It’s not a good sign for the pair’s availability for Game 2 against the Rangers tomorrow. Both have been sidelined for at least a few games with upper-body injuries, and the Caps have already been forced to dip deep into their defensive well by playing rookie Vincent Iorio and farmhand Dylan McIlrath in Game 1’s 4-1 loss. Iorio left that game with an injury as well, which may force yet another player from AHL Hershey to suit up in postseason action for Washington. He’s now listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury and is questionable to play tomorrow, head coach Spencer Carbery said.

Metropolitan Notes: Fast, Pageau, Shea

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The Hurricanes will be without one of their wingers for their series opener against the Islanders today.  Chip Alexander and Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer relay that Jesper Fast will be unavailable for the first game of the series at a minimum due to a neck strain suffered on Tuesday in the final game of the regular season.  However, the injury isn’t expected to keep the veteran out for long as GM Don Waddell said that it’s “a matter of days” before Fast returns to the ice though head coach Rod Brind’Amour added the 32-year-old won’t play until he gets at least one full practice in.  Fast is coming off a quiet year that saw him collect just 19 points in 73 games but he was one of Carolina’s key secondary scorers in the playoffs last season so they’ll certainly be hoping he can return as soon as possible.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • The Islanders have listed center Jean-Gabriel Pageau (upper body) as a game-time decision against Carolina, notes Arthur Staple of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 31-year-old left Wednesday’s game in the first period and didn’t return.  Pageau had a solid regular season on the third line, collecting 11 goals and 22 assists while playing in all 82 games for the first time since 2016-17.
  • After clearing waivers on Friday, the Penguins announced (Twitter link) that they’ve re-assigned defenseman Ryan Shea to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The 27-year-old didn’t make his NHL debut until this season but got into 31 games with Pittsburgh, scoring once while averaging 12:37 per night.  Shea, a pending unrestricted free agent, has suited up 22 times for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, collecting six points and will continue to play for them in their upcoming playoff action.

East Notes: Dobson, Lee, Pageau, Hedman, Glendening, Motte, Ekblad

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Islanders star defender Noah Dobson is expected to be available for Game 1 against the Hurricanes tomorrow, head coach Patrick Roy told Newsday’s Andrew Gross. Dobson, 24, missed the final three games of the regular season with an upper-body injury he sustained last week against the Canadiens. They were his first games missed in an otherwise illustrious season, setting career-highs with 60 assists and 70 points in 79 games, taking over true number-one duties and averaging over 24 minutes per game. He may not earn a Norris Trophy nomination, but he’s likely to get a handful of votes. He was limited to two assists in six games in last year’s first-round series against Carolina, something he’ll need to build upon for the Isles to have a chance at a major upset.

Additionally, captain Anders Lee was back at practice today after missing the final game of the regular season for the birth of his third child, Gross relays, a good sign for his availability tomorrow. It was a difficult regular season for the 33-year-old, who hit the 20-goal mark for the eighth time but had his overall point production drop considerably to 37 in 81 games. He still managed extremely positive possession impacts, though, posting a positive relative CF% for the 11th straight season with a +9.8 expected rating. He averaged 15:34 per game, his lowest in seven years.

Less likely for tomorrow is center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who wasn’t at practice today and is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, Roy said (via Gross). The 31-year-old exited Wednesday’s game against the Penguins midway through the first period after falling awkwardly, although no injury was apparent on the play (video link). Like Lee, the normally consistent centerman has had a down year offensively, posting his lowest point total in a full season (11 goals, 33 points in 82 GP) in over five years. His 15:55 per game average is his lowest since 2015, although he’s still managed to be a force in the faceoff dot with a 55.4 FOW%. Additionally, his defensive impacts have cratered in continued shutdown usage, posting a career-worst 41.6 CF% and -11.9 expected rating at even strength.

Over in the Atlantic:

  • Star Lightning blue-liner Victor Hedman was back at practice today after missing Wednesday’s win over the Maple Leafs due to illness, per Bally Sports Florida’s Gabby Shirley. It’s a good sign for his availability in Game 1 against the Panthers on Sunday. On the flip side, they may be without depth forwards Luke Glendening and Tyler Motte, who head coach Jon Cooper said were questionable with undisclosed and lower-body injuries, respectively. Hedman’s absence was brief, only missing one contest, as was Glendening’s, although he skated just under four minutes in their penultimate regular-season game against the Sabres earlier in the week. Motte has been sidelined for three games with a lower-body injury he sustained against the Senators last week. If both are unable to go, Mitchell Chaffee and Austin Watson will make their Lightning playoff debuts while winger Conor Sheary shifts to center their fourth line.
  • On the Panthers’ end, defenseman Aaron Ekblad will be ready to suit up in Game 1 after sitting out with an undisclosed injury, head coach Paul Maurice said (per the team’s Jameson Olive). The 28-year-old has been banged up for most of the season, missing Florida’s last six games and all but five post-trade deadline games with injuries. Eligible to sign an extension this summer, he’s coming off the worst offensive showing of his 10-year career with four goals and 18 points in 51 games. His 20:52 average ice time is also a career low.

East Notes: Islanders, Amerks, Leblanc

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The Islanders were one of the teams interested in winger Alex DeBrincat with Newsday’s Andrew Gross reporting that Jean-Gabriel Pageau and winger Oliver Wahlstrom were part of their pitch to Ottawa to try to get DeBrincat’s services.  Presumably, the offer would have also featured a first-round pick and another younger element.  Pageau is no stranger to Ottawa having spent parts of eight seasons with the team but the 30-year-old has three years left on his contract with a $5MM AAV, a price tag the Sens likely didn’t want to take on.  The total salary in the trade they did make with Detroit was assuming the final year and $2.5MM of Dominik Kubalik’s contract.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • The Sabres announced the hiring of two new assistant coaches for AHL Rochester, naming Nathan Paetsch and Vinny Prospal to the role. Paetsch has worked as a development coach for Buffalo for the last two seasons while Prospal most recently served as the head coach for HC Ceske Budejovice in the Czech Extraliga with that stint ending after the 2020-21 campaign.  The two former NHL veterans will take the place of two other former veterans that have been promoted to jobs at the top level with Paetsch replacing Mike Weber (Blues) and Prospal filling the spot of Mike Peca (Rangers).
  • Anthony Leblanc has stepped down as Ottawa’s President of Business Operations and Alternate Governor, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Leblanc had held that role since 2020 and had previously spent time in the NHL with Arizona from 2013-2017.  Changes shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise with Michael Andlauer set to take over soon as the new owner of the team.  Andlauer was advised in his pursuit of the team by former Senators executive Cyril Leeder; Garrioch suggests that Leeder could return to the club once the purchase is officially finalized.

Injury Notes: Pageau, Fischer, Schmaltz

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Kevin Kurtz of The Athletic is reporting that New York Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau could return to the Islanders lineup as early as tomorrow night. Pageau would be a welcome reinforcement to an Islanders squad that is currently occupying the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The 30-year-old Pageau has been out of the lineup since he suffered an upper body injury on February 11th in a game against the Montreal Canadiens. Pageau was later roughed up in practice a few days later and wasn’t put on IR until February 16th, although it was retroactive to February 11th.

The former Ottawa Senator has 29 points in 56 games in his fourth season with the Islanders and would be a welcome additional to a team that appears set to battle down to the wire for a birth in the postseason. Although he has spent most of the season on a line with Zach Parise and a carousel of other wingers, Pageau would give the Islanders  a strong penalty killer and face-off man. Pageau has garnered Selke votes in each of the past five seasons and would add a strong defensive prowess to an already strong defensive team.

  • Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports is reporting some updates on a couple of injured Arizona Coyotes players Nick Schmaltz and Christian Fischer. Morgan states that the Coyotes currently have no timeline on injured forward Schmaltz after he was a late scratch Sunday night against the Minnesota Wild. Schmaltz likely suffered the injury sometime on Saturday night in a game against the Colorado Avalanche. The 27-year-old had been heating up in recent weeks having notched 18 points in his past 15 games.
  • Arizona next plays Tuesday night against the Calgary Flames and they could have Fischer back in the lineup as Coach André Tourigny said he could play and is day-to-day at this time. Fischer was also injured in Saturday’s game against the Avalanche with an apparently lower body injury. He too missed last night’s game against the Wild. Fischer has been having one of the better seasons of his young career with 24 points in 65 games. He looked to be gaining some traction having had three points in four games heading into Saturday night, it’ll be interesting to see if he can keep it going when he does return to the Arizona lineup.

Islanders Activate Cal Clutterbuck Off IR

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The Islanders enter tonight’s action with a four-point advantage on a Wild Card spot and will welcome back one of their long-time veterans tonight as the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated winger Cal Clutterbuck off injured reserve.

He had missed close to two months with an upper-body injury, his third upper-body issue of the season.  In between missing those contests, the 35-year-old has put up four goals and four assists along with 130 hits in 34 games while averaging 12:09 per night, primarily on the fourth line.

It appears that Clutterbuck will be taking the place of Otto Koivula in the lineup tonight against Washington as Newsday’s Andrew Gross relays (Twitter link) that Koivula is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.  The 24-year-old is averaging less than seven minutes per game in his first eight NHL appearances of the season but still has a pair of assists, matching his output from 2021-22.

Meanwhile, New York will still be waiting at least a little longer for two of their key injured forwards to return.  Gross adds (Twitter link) that there remains no timetable for center Mathew Barzal to resume skating as he tries to work his way back from a lower-body injury.  However, the expectation is that Jean-Gabriel Pageau should accompany the team on their upcoming West Coast road trip; the veteran has missed the last month with an upper-body injury.

East Injury Notes: Penguins, Pageau, Sabres

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According to a team release, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be without a couple of key wingers. The good news is both absences are likely to be short term. Newly acquired Mikael Granlund, as well as Bryan Rust, will not play tonight when the Penguins face the Columbus Blue Jackets. Granlund was ruled out due to an illness, while Rust is missing the game for personal reasons. Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports added that Rust and his wife are expecting their second child any day now, which could explain his unexpected absence.

The Penguins are facing the league’s worst team in Columbus, but can’t afford to give up any points right now. They are holding on to the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference, but have four teams within three points of them. Alex Nylander was called up from the AHL to fill in the void for tonight’s contest.

  • New York Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau remains out of the lineup according to a team release. The Islanders announced the veteran is still day-to-day and will not play tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. Pageau has been listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury since he last played on February 11th against the Montreal Canadiens.
  • Jourdon LaBarber of NHL.com added some clarity to the Buffalo Sabres injury situation. The team called up Lawrence Pilut earlier today and LaBarber reported it was because Riley Stillman and Mattias Samuelsson remain out of the lineup with injury. Both are listed as day-to-day and will miss a second straight game after sitting out the team’s 3-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday. In good news, LaBarber also mentioned Tyson Jost returns to the lineup tonight after missing last night’s game to nurse an undisclosed injury.

Metropolitan Notes: Fletcher, Konecny, Engvall, Barzal, Domi

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Speaking with reporters today (video link), Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher discussed his plans for the upcoming trade deadline.  Unsurprisingly, the team plans to sell and he acknowledged that the bulk of the discussions so far have been regarding players on expiring contracts, particularly winger James van Riemsdyk.  However, he made a point to say that he doesn’t intend for the team to go into a scorched-earth rebuild which suggests that Philadelphia’s deadline activity could be somewhat limited if they primarily deal with moving players on expiring contracts.  Fletcher also mentioned that they don’t plan to add too many players from Lehigh Valley to allow them to continue to battle for a spot in the AHL playoffs.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Also from Fletcher’s press conference, he indicated that winger Travis Konecny is going to miss at least a few more weeks due to his upper-body injury. With the Flyers not heading for the playoffs, the GM indicated that it’s possible that there isn’t enough time for him to return this season.  The 25-year-old is seven points shy of matching his career-high of 61 but at this point, it doesn’t seem likely that Konecny will be able to get there.
  • While the Islanders quickly signed Bo Horvat to a contract extension after acquiring him, don’t expect that to be the case for their latest acquisition in Pierre Engvall. GM Lou Lamoriello told Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link) that they’ll “take one thing at a time” with the winger but acknowledged that he’s someone that he’d like to keep beyond this season.  Engvall, who carries a $2.25MM AAV, is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and has 21 points in 58 games so far.
  • In a separate tweet, Gross relays that center Jean-Gabriel Pageau has resumed skating as he works his way back from an upper-body injury that has kept him out for the last two and a half weeks. Pageau has 29 points in 58 games this season and plays more minutes than any Islanders forward on the penalty kill, a unit that’s one of the strongest in the league; getting him back would certainly be a boost to a New York squad that’s trying to hold onto a Wild Card spot.
  • A year ago, the Hurricanes acquired Max Domi as a rental player just before the trade deadline. In his latest column for The Athletic (subscription link), Pierre LeBrun reports that Domi is once again on Carolina’s radar heading into this week’s deadline.  The 27-year-old had seven points in 19 games with the Hurricanes last season and has been quite productive with the Blackhawks this year, notching 49 points in 59 games.  Accordingly, the price that it will take to get him this time around should be considerably higher than the mid-round prospect and a minor leaguer that it cost them in 2022.

Injury Notes: Pageau, Tinordi, Faber

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The New York Islanders are without one of their best depth pieces tonight against the Ottawa Senators. Jean-Gabriel Pageau is out for tonight’s game against his former team with an upper-body injury and is day-to-day, per the team.

Pageau sustained the injury at practice yesterday, says Stefen Rosner of NYI Hockey Now. Reportedly, Pageau was “clipped” during a drill and was slow to get up, yet stayed on the ice for the remainder of practice. The 30-year-old center has 10 goals and 29 points in 56 games this season. This is his first absence of the 2022-23 campaign.

  • Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi is out for the remainder of tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens with an undisclosed injury, the team said. The Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope notes that Tinordi had fallen awkwardly on a shift in the first period. Tinordi, 30, was claimed on waivers by the Blackhawks at the beginning of the season and has suited up in 26 games, recording five points.
  • One of the best prospects in hockey on one of the best teams in college hockey is out long-term. The Athletic’s Michael Russo agreed with reports today that Minnesota Wild defense prospect and University of Minnesota captain Brock Faber is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in the Kevin Fiala trade, Faber has 20 points in 30 games with Minnesota this year after representing the United States at the Olympics and World Junior Championships last season.

New York Islanders Place J.G. Pageau, Two Coaches In COVID Protocol; Anthony Beauvillier Day-To-Day

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According to the Athletic’s Kevin Kurz, the New York Islanders will be short a few coaches and players tonight as they take on the New York Rangers at home (Link to Tweet). First and foremost, the team has placed forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Associate Coach Lane Lambert, and Assistant Coach Jim Hiller in COVID protocol. Though the team is only short one player for tonight, Lambert and Hiller represent half of the team’s coaching staff behind the bench, putting extra weight on the shoulders of Head Coach Barry Trotz. Seeing COVID-related absences surely gives the Islanders unpleasant flashbacks to November, when the team was without a large portion of its roster due to COVID.

Also missing from the Islanders lineup, unrelated to COVID protocol, is forward Anthony Beauvillier, who is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. It’s unclear when exactly Beauvillier’s injury occurred, as he logged 18:24 of ice-time against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, the Islanders’ last game. The team next plays Saturday afternoon on the road against the Buffalo Sabres.

In a corresponding move, the Islanders have recalled forward Otto Koivula on an emergency basis. Koivula has seen limited NHL time this year, with only five games played, the last on March 10th. In those five games, Koivula has just one assist, but the 23-year-old does have 12 goals and 35 assists in 56 games with the Bridgeport Islanders of the AHL this season. The forward is in the lineup tonight.

These transactions seemingly draw to a close a busy day of moves on the Island, with the team having placed defenseman Grant Hutton on waivers (link) and signing one of their top prospects William Dufour earlier in the day (link). For now, the Islanders will still have to focus on their game against the Rangers despite the missing pieces, but will be able to give Koivula another look in the NHL.

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