NHL Buzz: Hagg month to month for Sabres with lower-body injury

Welcome to the NHL Buzz. Throughout the 2021-22 season, NHL.com will have you covered with the latest news.

Buffalo Sabres

Robert Hagg is month to month for the Buffalo Sabres because of a lower-body injury.
The defenseman was injured in the second period of a 4-2 win against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
Hagg has scored five points (one goal, four assists) in 25 games this season and leads the Sabres in hits (49) and blocked shots (56).
"We're going to miss him," Sabres coach Don Granato said before a 3-2 shootout win at the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. "He gives us -- he's a shot blocker, he has some grit -- so there's areas within his game and his identity that we will miss. Obviously him as a personality we're going to miss for a little bit here and that's a bummer."
Defenseman Casey Fitzgerald was recalled from Rochester of the American Hockey League.

Nashville Predators

The Predators were without seven players and five coaches for their 5-2 win against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday because of COVID-19 protocol.
Forwards Mikael Granlund, Ryan Johansen, Matt Luff, Michael McCarron and Philip Tomasino, and defensemen Ben Harpur were placed in protocol Wednesday, along with coach John Hynes, assistants Dan Lambert and Todd Richards, and goaltending coach Ben Vanderklok.
Forward Nick Cousins and assistant coach Dan Hinote were placed in protocol Thursday.
Karl Taylor, coach of Nashville's American Hockey League affiliate in Milwaukee, and assistant Scott Ford coached the Predators against the Avalanche.
Nashville recalled forwards Cody Glass, Rocco Grimaldi, Mathieu Olivier and Cole Smith from Milwaukee.

#

Los Angeles Kings

Drew Doughty
was placed in NHL COVID-19 protocol by the Kings before their 4-1 win at the Florida Panthers on Thursday.
The defenseman has scored 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 11 games this season, including six points (two goals, four assists) in seven games after he was out five weeks with a knee injury.
Forward Andreas Athanasiou was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury sustained during a 3-2 overtime loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. He has scored six points (three goals, three assists) in 11 games this season.

Colorado Avalanche

Forwards J.T. Compher and Andre Burakovsky, defenseman Cale Makar and goalie Darcy Kuemper entered COVID-19 protocol Thursday and did not play for the Avalanche against the Predators.
Compher has scored 11 points (six goals, five asissts) in 15 games, Burakovsky has scored 21 points (12 goals, nine assists) in 25 games, and Makar has scored 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) in 23 games.
Colorado is also without defenseman Devon Toews, who did not play in a 4-2 win against the New York Rangers on Tuesday while in protocol.

Montreal Canadiens

Brendan Gallagher and Sami Niku practiced with the Canadiens on Thursday, one day after they were removed from NHL COVID-19 protocol.
Gallagher, a forward, and Niku, a defenseman, each missed six games and were unavailable when Montreal ended a seven-game skid in a 3-2 shootout win against the Philadelphia Flyers. Gallagher has scored 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 23 games this season; Niku has three assists in nine games this season.
"They skated this morning and they will rejoin the team in the next couple of days, they'll practice and they might return Monday (at the New York Islanders), at the earliest," coach Dominique Ducharme said.
Christian Dvorak is out indefinitely because of a lower-body injury. The forward has missed three games since he was injured in a 3-2 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 7. He has scored 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 27 games.

Arizona Coyotes

Forwards Lawson Crouse and Jay Beagle were placed in NHL COVID-19 protocol by the Coyotes.
Crouse had one shot on goal in 18:49 of ice time in a 3-2 loss against the New York Rangers on Wednesday. Beagle did not play.
The Coyotes host the Anaheim Ducks on Friday (10 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, NHL LIVE).

Dallas Stars

Miro Heiskanen did not practice for the Stars on Thursday because of an illness, and the defenseman will not travel for their game at the St. Louis Blues on Friday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, NHL LIVE). The illness is not related to COVID-19.
Heiskanen has scored 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) in 26 games.
Forward Joel Kiviranta (upper body) also did not practice and will miss his second game Friday. Kiviranta, who was injured in a 2-1 loss at the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, has two assists in 22 games. -- Tracey Myers