Edmonton Oilers
Evander Kane will make a game-time decision for the Oilers against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday (9 p.m. ET; SNW, ROOT-NW, ESPN+, SN NOW).
The forward has been out since Nov. 8 after his left wrist was cut by a skate blade in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was expected to be out for 3-4 months, but progressed ahead of schedule.
“I’m feeling good right now,” Kane said after Monday’s practice. “I really wanted to go back three and a half weeks ago. … hope we get some good news here. … We’ll see what the doctors say.”
Kane took part in his first practice with the Oilers since the injury, going with Ryan McLeod and Warren Voegele.
“I think he’s got one last hurdle to clear, I haven’t talked to the medical department here, but everybody’s hopeful and we’ll see where he’s at when he does,” Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said Tuesday. “He comes to the rink every day with juice. He comes to the rink with passion for the game and his teammates. He has been traveling with us for quite some time because he likes being around our group and he gives us energy. He wanted to keep his mind sharp as well as his body while he was out there.”
Kane has 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 14 games this season. He signed a four-year contract worth $20.5 million ($5.125 million average annual value) on July 13.
“I don’t know if it’s ever going to be full strength at least this season,” Kane said of his wrist. “But I feel like it’s as good as it’s going to be for a decent amount of time here. Like I said, I’m looking forward to getting back here as soon as possible…I’m back with no apologies when I’m Back.”
Kane tied for the Stanley Cup playoff lead with 13 goals in 15 games last season and had 22 goals and 39 points in 43 regular season games after being signed by the Oilers on Jan. 27.
“If it was the Stanley Cup Final, I probably would have been back five weeks ago,” Kane said. “Obviously that’s something you don’t want to play around with and you want to make sure it’s strong, and right now I feel that way.”
To make room for Kane on the roster, forward Kyler Yamamoto (undisclosed) and defenseman Ryan Murray (back) were placed on long-term injured reserve.
Carolina Hurricanes
Pyotr Kochetkov was reassigned to Chicago by the American Hockey League on Monday.
The goalie is 10-4-5 with a 2.33 goals-against average, .913 save and three shutouts in 19 games (18 starts) with the Hurricanes this season, but has lost his last four games (0-3-1, 3.72 GAA , .861 save percentage). That included allowing three goals on 32 shots in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.
With Frederik Andersen back from injury and Antti Raanta healthy, the Hurricanes carried three goaltenders.
Andersen missed 29 games with a lower-body injury before returning Thursday and making 21 saves in a 6-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He made 34 saves in a 2-1 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. He is 7-3-0 with a 2.48 GAA and .903 save percentage in 10 games this season.
Raanta is 10-2-3 with a 2.63 GAA, .894 save percentage and two shutouts in 16 games this season. Carolina’s next game against the Minnesota Wild is on Thursday.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Kris Letang returned to the Penguins on Tuesday after missing 15 days.
The defender had been in Montreal since January 2 following the death of his father, Claude Fouquet. Letang left Tuesday’s 12-minute optional practice wearing a non-contact jersey after skating alone for about 35 minutes as scheduled.
Letang is day-to-day with a lower-body injury and will miss a ninth straight game when Pittsburgh plays the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; SN, TVAS, ATTSN-PT, ESPN+, SN NOW).
“Obviously, he means a lot to our team,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s part of this family. Being back in the band was a great feeling for everyone. We look forward to him joining us for a game.”
Letang was moved from non-roster status to injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 28. He did not skate during his absence, which began before Pittsburgh’s 1-2 loss to the Boston Bruins in the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park in Boston on Jan. 2.
“He skated close to 50 minutes today,” Sullivan said. “It’s his first day on the ice in a couple of weeks, so we want to make sure we put him in a position to be successful.”
Letang missed five games earlier this season after suffering a concussion, the second of his NHL career, on Nov. 28. He had four points (one goal, three assists) in eight games since returning on December 10.
Goaltender Tristan Jarry is practicing for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury at the Winter Classic, but is unsure when he will return.
Defenseman Jeff Petry (upper body) and forward Ryan Pauling (upper body) took full contact. Petrie has been out since December 10; Poehling last played on December 30.
Defenseman Jan Ruta did not practice after missing Monday’s 4-3 overtime win against the Anaheim Ducks with an upper-body injury. He is day by day. — Wes Crosby
St. Louis Blues
Vladimir Tarasenko could return from a hand injury earlier than expected for the Blues.
The forward injured his right hand blocking a shot by Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba in the first period of a 5-2 loss on Dec. 31. At the time, the Blues said Tarasenko would be re-evaluated in four weeks, but he practiced fully on Sunday after skating alone the past few days. He rotated on a line with Brayden Schenn and Brandon Saad.
“It was really good, he looked really good,” coach Craig Berube said. “He was skating well and shooting a little bit, which is a good sign.”
Tarasenko, who has 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 34 games this season, did not play against the Ottawa Senators on Monday but could return as soon as Thursday against the Nashville Predators.
“He’s closer than we think,” Berube said. “He looks good … He looked really good skating there. He won’t have a problem with that.
“We’ll see. I don’t know. He’s got to keep training with us and then he’ll let us know when he’s ready… It’ll be good to have him back for sure.”
Tarasenko and center Ryan O’Reilly, who broke his leg in the same game, have missed the last eight games. St. Louis is 5-3-0 without them. — Lou Korach
Chicago Blackhawks
Alex Stalock was placed in concussion protocol and will not play for the Blackhawks against the Buffalo Sabers (8:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCH, MSG-B, ESPN+, SN NOW).
“I just had a collision at practice yesterday,” Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said Tuesday. “You never know how things react with people, but we’re just going to take precautions and put it in this protocol right now and just hope it settles down faster than the last time.”
Stalock was in concussion protocol from Nov. 1-Dec. 23 after being injured in a collision with New York Islanders forward Casey Chizikas in the Islanders’ 3-1 win against the Blackhawks on Nov. 1.
Stalock was out for most of last week with an illness unrelated to COVID and did not skate until Sunday. He played the final 47:50 of the Blackhawks’ 8-5 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Sunday after Petr Mrazek was pulled for allowing four goals on five shots in the game’s first 12:08.
Stalock is 6-6-1 with a 2.70 goals-against average and .918 save percentage in 14 games (12 starts) this season.
Mrazek will start against the Sabres. Goaltender Jackson Stauber, recalled by Rockford of the American Hockey League on Tuesday, will back up Mrazek. — Tracy Myers
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