NHL Buzz: Hintz out for Stars with upper-body injury

Welcome to the NHL Buzz. Each day during the regular season, NHL.com has you covered with all the latest news.

Dallas Stars

Roope Hintz will not play for the Stars against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; Victory+, TSN2, RSN) because of an upper-body injury.

The forward left a 4-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday at 7:25 of the first period and did not return after taking a hit from Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews. He took one shift after the hit and exited 6:53 into the game.

"Out tonight, I would call him day to day," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said.

Hintz has 27 points in 42 games this season and leads the Stars with 19 goals. He is averaging 16:54 of ice time per game and missed one game earlier this season with an undisclosed injury, a 6-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 27.

Wyatt Johnston is expected to center the top line with Hintz out. Rookie forwards Matej Blumel and Justin Hryckowian will play in the bottom six with forwards Mason Marchment (face) and Tyler Seguin (hip) each continuing to recover from surgery. -- Taylor Baird

Minnesota Wild

Marcus Johansson was placed on injured reserve by the Wild on Thursday with an upper-body injury.

The forward took an elbow to the face from Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid and left at the end of the second period of a 5-3 loss on Wednesday. Wild coach John Hynes said after the game that Johansson would likely be out for a while.

Johansson has 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 44 games this season.

The Wild next play at the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

Ottawa Senators

Thomas Chabot will not play against the Washington Capitals at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; RDS2, TSN5, MNMT).

The defenseman left in the first period of a 2-0 win against the New York Islanders on Tuesday after taking an Adam Pelech shot to the face. Chabot, who practiced Thursday with a full face shield, is "just day to day," coach Travis Green said.

Chabot has 19 points (three goals, 16 assists) in 43 games this season and is second on the team in ice time per game (22:46).

Defenseman Donovan Sebrango was recalled from Belleville of the American Hockey League and will make his NHL debut in Chabot's absence.

"Anytime a young player gets to play his first NHL game, as a coach, you enjoy telling him," Green said of Sebrango. "He's had to work hard his whole life to get there. I'm sure he's going to be nervous, but the message is, 'Be excited, do what you do well, keep it simple and play hard and you'll be fine.'"

Forward Michael Amadio will return from a concussion after missing 10 games. Amadio, who has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 33 games, could center the fourth line alongside Matthew Highmore and Zack Ostapchuk.

Forward David Perron practiced with a regular jersey for the first time since sustaining an upper-body injury on Nov. 23. Perron, who will miss his 24th consecutive game, is "closer, for sure," Green said. -- Callum Fraser

Colorado Avalanche

Samuel Girard will play against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN1) after missing the past three games with an upper-body injury.

The defenseman has 18 points (two goals, 16 assists) in 42 games this season.

"Guys are in good spirits today. We had some productive meetings again this morning," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. "Getting ready to go for tonight."

Mikko Rantanen will center the second line between Joel Kiviranta and Logan O'Connor, a line combination Bednar tried out in a 3-2 overtime win against the New York Rangers on Tuesday.

"If I'm being honest, the major thing that keeps me from putting him there is the fact that he puts up 100-plus points a year with [Nathan] MacKinnon," Bednar said. "So it's like a pretty good tandem, and he's a winger. I know he plays both positions, has played center."

Rantanen is fifth in the NHL with 61 points (25 goals, 36 assists) in 45 games this season.

Center Casey Mittelstadt, who has one goal in his past 26 games, will move down and center the fourth line.

"If Casey was tearing it up in the two spot right now, then I wouldn't put Mikko there, either. He'd play with Casey or with 'Mack,'" Bednar said. "I want to see more production and depth throughout our lineup, some scoring on our second line. [I'm] moving some things around. It's halfway through the year. It's a good time to try something [new], see how it works, see how long it works. I'm open to changing, and I'm open to being flexible even through tonight's game."

Mittelstadt has 26 points (eight goals, 18 assists) in 45 games this season. -- Ryan Boulding

Boston Bruins

Hampus Lindholm skated with the Bruins on Wednesday, taking part in practice for the first time since Nov. 12, but will not play in their next game against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, NESN).

The defenseman, who is on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury, wore a noncontact jersey, as did injured forward Mark Kastelic.

Lindholm confirmed he had broken a bone.

"Hit me in the wrong spot; got to drink some more milk," he said. "... I think any pro athlete can say being on the sidelines is not something you want, but it's part of sports. I just try to do everything I can to maximize when I do get back, I'm strong and hopefully I've learned something and can be a better version of myself when I get back there on the ice playing."

Lindholm has seven points (three goals, four assists) in 17 games this season and is averaging 20:51 of ice time per game, second on the Bruins behind Charlie McAvoy (23:41).

"He got out there, which was nice to see, get him involved with the group," coach Joe Sacco said. "He was out there for the first three or four drills. Great sign, another step in his recovery. But there's still no timeline yet on his return."

Kastelic has missed two games with an upper-body injury. He has 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 43 games this season. -- Amalie Benjamin

Montreal Canadiens

Emil Heineman will be out 3-4 weeks because of an upper-body injury he sustained in a traffic accident as a pedestrian on Monday.

"I just know that he got hurt crossing the street yesterday," Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said before their 5-3 win at the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday. "I don't think it was at a high speed, but enough to cause some damage. So, it's unfortunate."

The 23-year-old rookie forward has 17 points (10 goals, seven assists) in 41 games this season. He posted a message on social media Wednesday thanking everyone for their support.

"We reached out just to make sure he's been OK," forward Jake Evans said. "It's a tough accident, I guess, and a freak accident, tough luck. [But] it seems like he's in good spirits, and I guess, you know, it could have been a lot worse too.

"You're obviously just worried about his health. Again, it could have been worse, so just stuff you don't expect to happen, especially, you know, it's pretty quiet here in the city, and so, yeah, we're just happy he's OK. It could have been a lot worse." -- Matt Komma