Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Carlson heads in exact course for Capitals
Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz. The discipline of 16 teams is decided, with eight most productive-of-7 series. The vital spherical begins Tuesday, with video games in hub cities Toronto (Eastern Conference) and Edmonton (Western Conference).
Here’s a mediate about across the NHL and essentially the most up-to-date from the playoffs:
Washington Capitals
John Carlson participated in an not mandatory narrate Monday and coach Todd Reirden stays hopeful the defenseman will seemingly be ready to play in opposition to the Unusual York Islanders in Recreation 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Scotiabank Enviornment on Wednesday (3 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVAS).
Carlson hasn’t played since leaving within the third period of Washington’s exhibition sport in opposition to the Carolina Hurricanes on July 29.
“We will continue to in finding that day-to-day,” Reirden acknowledged. “He looks to be making some steps within the exact course here.”
Carlson obtained tousled with Carolina forward Nino Niederrieter and fell into the close boards with 14: 53 remaining in Washington’s 3-2 snatch. The 30-365 days-used played one extra shift sooner than leaving the game with 9: 59 left.
Carlson has practiced again and again since Aug. 1, nonetheless he was held out of the Capitals’ spherical-robin video games in opposition to the Tampa Bay Lightning (3-2 shootout loss), Philadelphia Flyers (3-1 loss) and Boston Bruins (2-1 snatch) in Toronto, the Eastern Conference hub city.
Washington is the No. 3 seed within the East. The Islanders are the No. 6 seed.
A finalist for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the player voted because the supreme defenseman within the NHL, Carlson led all defensemen and placement NHL profession-highs with 60 assists and 75 points in 69 video games. —Tom Gulitti
Philadelphia Flyers
Jakub Voracek will seemingly be a sport-time resolution for the Flyers after they play the Montreal Canadiens in Recreation 1 on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS).
The forward was ruled unfit to play within the Flyers’ 4-1 snatch in opposition to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a Stanley Cup Qualifiers spherical-robin sport Saturday that earned them the No. 1 seed within the East.
Rookie forward Joel Farabee skated in Voracek’s space at exact hover on the head line with center Sean Couturier and left hover Claude Giroux and scored a purpose.
Voracek had one help within the first two video games of the spherical-robin.
“He’ll be skating nowadays,” coach Alain Vigneault acknowledged. “Restful a sport-time resolution.”
Voracek was third on the Flyers at some stage within the celebrated season with 56 points (12 targets, 44 assists) in 69 video games. He had two assists in three video games in opposition to the Canadiens, who’re the No. 8 seed within the East. — Adam Kimelman
Tampa Bay Lightning
Victor Hedman‘s availability for Recreation 1 between the Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday (3 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVAS) will seemingly be obvious sooner than the game, coach Jon Cooper acknowledged .
The defenseman left at 9: 06 of the first period at some stage in Tampa Bay’s 4-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers within the spherical-robin allotment of the Qualifiers on Saturday. His exact ankle appeared as if it could perchance maybe well get crooked while turning to skate into the defensive zone, inflicting Hedman to pause down for plenty of seconds sooner than heading to the locker room.
The Lightning, the No. 2 seed within the East, would possibly perchance well well additionally be without captain Steven Stamkos for Recreation 1 in opposition to the Blue Jackets, the No. 7 seed, in Toronto. The forward did not play in any of their spherical-robin video games on yarn of of a lower-body damage sustained sooner than coaching camp.
“Plan quo,” Cooper acknowledged about Stamkos. — Mike Zeisberger
Unusual York Islanders
Johnny Boychuk is “extremely probable” for the Islanders after they play the Washington Capitals in Recreation 1 of the first spherical in Toronto on Wednesday (3 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVAS).
The defenseman was injured in Recreation 1 of the Qualifiers after an unlawful test to the top by Florida Panthers defenseman Mike Matheson. Boychuk was replaced by defenseman Andy Greene for the remainder of the supreme-of-5 series, which the Islanders won in four video games.
Boychuk practiced with Unusual York, the No. 6 seed, in Toronto for a second straight day. Washington is the No. 3 seed within the East.
“I mediate we’re going to have a rather effectively, a full compliment,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz acknowledged. “Everybody was accessible. Johnny was accessible. He is made gigantic progress. I mediate it be extremely probable that he’ll be ready for Recreation 1.”
Greene was traded to the Islanders by the Unusual Jersey Devils on Feb. 16 for a second-spherical capture within the 2021 NHL Draft. Paired with defenseman Prick Leddy, the 37-365 days-used had one help and was plus-2 in three video games in opposition to the Panthers. — Brian Compton
Arizona Coyotes
Forward Prick Schmaltz is end to returning and goalie Antti Raanta is improving.
It stays unclear if Schmaltz will play in opposition to the Colorado Avalanche in Recreation 1 at Rogers Dwelling in Edmonton, the hub city within the West, on Wednesday (5: 30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN360, TVAS), Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet acknowledged. Schmaltz was injured in a 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in an exhibition sport July 30. He left within the second period after a hit by forward Ryan Reaves and did not play within the Arizona’s most productive-of-5 qualifier series, a four-sport snatch in opposition to the Nashville Predators.
“Prick felt better again nowadays,” Tocchet acknowledged. “It was a larger day than the day long previous by. Same instruct with (Raanta). Those two guys have spoke back effectively. I clean must get (Raanta) proper into a elephantine narrate and Prick had one (Sunday). He is end, I’m not obvious about his availability Wednesday, nonetheless he’s certainly getting end.”
Raanta was ruled unfit to play after backing up Darcy Kuemper for one period in Recreation 2 of the Qualifiers. As a part of the NHL Return to Play Idea, a team is not licensed to impart player damage or illness recordsdata. — Rick Sadowski