New York Rangers
Defenseman Jacob Trouba (lower body) will remain sidelined for the New York Rangers ahead of their trip to PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh on Saturday (3:00 p.m. ET) to face the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Rangers will be looking to bounce back following a 6-3 road loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday which ended a three-game winning streak. Recently acquired Jack Roslovic managed to record his first two points, whilst Artemi Panarin added his 36th goal of the season despite the defeat.
The Blueshirts will still be without Blake Wheeler and Flip Chytil who both remain on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). Rookie enforcer Matt Rempe will be unable to take the ice this weekend as he is still suspended.
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers suffered only their second defeat in 10 games on Thursday as they lost 4-0 on the road to the Carolina Hurricanes. Florida were without Sam Bennett and Evan Rodrigues earlier this week, and the pair remain day-to-day.
Defenseman Aaron Ekblad remains unavailable as well ahead of the Panthers’ matchup with the Lightning on Saturday (6:00 p.m. ET) from Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, Florida.
Paul Maurice’s men clearly struggled without some of their key players on Thursday, whilst a host of new players acquired before the trade deadline need time to settle. The Panthers remain top of the Eastern Conference by just one point ahead of the Boston Bruins.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Having picked up a lower-body injury in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 6-2 win on the road to the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, Calle Jarnkrok will miss their next clash against the Hurricanes on Saturday (7:00 p.m. ET) at Scotiabank Arena, Toronto.
Centre Connor Dewar, acquired before the deadline, also featured against the Flyers, and he managed to provide an assist for Pontus Holmberg’s goal in the first period. Star Auston Matthews was able to score his 55th goal of the season too.
Toronto has Mitch Marner (lower body) listed as day-to-day on the injury report ahead of their home meeting with Carolina. Mark Giordano and Conor Timmins were recently placed on LTIR. Meanwhile, Ty Voit, Jake Muzzin, John Klingberg and Matt Murray are all still unavailable.
Boston Bruins
Both Matt Grzelcyk and James van Riemsdyk are questionable for the Boston Bruins ahead of their game against the Flyers at TD Garden, Boston on Saturday (7:00 p.m. ET). They join Derek Forbort and Pat Maroon on the injury report who were both added to LTIR last week.
Boston managed to seal a narrow 2-1 overtime win against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, with Jake DeBrusk’s late goal making the difference. That has helped them reduce the gap at the top of the Eastern conference with leaders the Panthers after their loss to the Canes.
Johnny Beecher made his return to the ice earlier this week for the first time since January, whilst Andrew Peeke made his debut for the Bruins in Montreal. Matthew Poitras and Milan Lucic are still on LTIR.
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are not expected to have any fresh injury concerns ahead of their game against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Friday evening (8:30 p.m. ET).
However, they will still be without Carl Grundstrom (lower body), Viktor Arvidsson (lower body) and Pheonix Copley (knee) who all continue to be on LTIR.
LA will be hoping for a response following their 3-1 defeat to the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday. That was the start of their three-game road trip, and they don’t return to home ice until next Tuesday. The Kings currently rank third in the Pacific Division, six points behind the Edmonton Oilers.
Carolina Hurricanes
Goalie Frederik Andersen put in a strong performance as the Canes beat the Panthers 4-0 on Thursday, making a total of 21 saves during the shutout. The Dane has recently recovered from a blood clotting issue, and made his third start of the season against Florida.
Carolina will head out on the road to face the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday (7:00 p.m. ET). They will feature in a back-to-back this weekend, also facing off against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday.
Jack Drury is the only player currently on the injury report for the Hurricanes. He is listed as day-to-day due to a lower-body injury.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Looking to find their third successive victory on Saturday in their visit to Florida (6:00 p.m. ET), the Lightning will be hoping to do so with the return of winger Tanner Jeannot. He has been absent for some time due to a lower-body injury, but is edging closer to a return to the ice.
Defenseman Erick Chernak was able to play in the Bolts’ 6-3 win against the Rangers on Thursday, recovering from a lower-body injury. Tampa Bay managed to come from two points behind to secure the victory, scoring four goals in the third period.
Brayden Point scored twice in the final period to help guide the Lightning to an impressive win that ended New York’s three-game winning streak. However, they still trail the Rangers by 14 points in the Eastern Conference.
