NHL Buzz: Ullmark joins Senators for road trip, 'still day by day'

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Ottawa Senators

Linus Ullmark traveled with the Senators for their three-game road trip that began with a 2-1 win at the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.

"He's coming on the road. ... We're still day by day,” coach Travis Green said of Ullmark following a 6-5 shootout win against the Boston Bruins on Saturday.

Ullmark, a goalie, has not played since leaving after the first period of a 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 22 with a tweaked back. Heading into that game, the 31-year-old was 8-0-1 with a 1.43 goals-against average and .954 save percentage in his previous nine starts.

Anton Forsberg made 25 saves, 16 in the first period, against the Devils. Leevi Merilainen, who is 4-0-1 with a 1.57 GAA and .940 save percentage in his past five games, was the backup.

Ottawa (24-18-4) visits the New York Rangers on Tuesday and Boston on Thursday. -- Callum Fraser

Boston Bruins

Charlie McAvoy will miss his third consecutive game with an undisclosed injury when the Bruins host the San Jose Sharks on Monday (1 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, NESN).

Boston coach Joe Sacco said the defenseman is day to day and will be reevaluated after the game before a decision is made when he can return to the lineup. McAvoy was placed on injured reserve Jan. 14, retroactive to Jan. 11, when he played 21:45 in a 4-3 overtime win at the Florida Panthers.

“Charlie’s a physical player and he relies on that part of his game to be competitive, and if something is nagging him in that situation we’re trying to do what’s best for him individually and the team too,” Sacco said Sunday. “It’s one of those situations where you’re engaged in battles, engaged in 1-on-1 confrontations is probably the part where it effects the most. I know he’ll come back strong from it and he’ll be ready to go.”

McAvoy has 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in 45 games this season while averaging a team-high 23:41 of ice time. -- Joe McDonald

Buffalo Sabres

Jiri Kulich will return to the lineup at the Seattle Kraken on Monday (4 p.m. ET; KHN, KONG, MSG-B, TVAS) after missing four games with a lower-body injury.

Kulich has been a full participant at practice since rejoining the Sabres for their morning skate on Jan. 15. At practice Sunday, the center skated between Jason Zucker and Tage Thompson on the top line, where Ryan McLeod played the past two games.

"I was so excited to be back with the boys," he said Friday. "It was pretty boring the first week."

The 20-year-old started the season on the wing but has been a regular fixture at center, his natural position, since early December. He has seven goals and nine points in 31 games.

"I think Jiri has really played well in the middle," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "He's really skated well, broke the puck well out of his own zone. I think now he's finding people around him. It's a little bit like playing with McLeod, a guy with real good speed, and he's been defending well."

McLeod is out with an upper-body injury. He was placed on injured reserve Saturday after taking a hit in practice Thursday. He played 16:56 in a 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday and has 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) in 45 games.

"I know we've got him on IR, but I expect him back by the end of the week," Ruff said.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen might not be available against Seattle with the goalie dealing what Ruff called nagging issues and the effects of a hit from Penguins center Evgeni Malkin on Friday. If he doesn't play, he could be back at the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.

"I think he'll be good, but might not be [Monday]," Ruff said. -- Heather Engel

Edmonton Oilers

Derek Ryan was placed on waivers by the Oilers on Sunday.

The 38-year-old forward has five points (one goal, four assists) in 33 games this season, his fourth with Edmonton.

Ryan has 208 points (82 goals, 126 assists) in 603 regular-season games with the Oilers, Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes, and 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 60 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He had one assist in 19 playoff games last season when Edmonton reached the Stanley Cup Final.

The Oilers also sent defenseman Josh Brown to Bakersfield of the American Hockey League on Sunday. He has one assist in eight NHL games this season.

Utah Hockey Club

Mikhail Sergachev did not play in a 4-2 win against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday because of a lower-body injury.

The defenseman attended Utah’s morning skate but left the ice early.

"He's banged up a little bit, but it should be day to day," coach Andre Tourigny said.

Sergachev leads Utah defenseman in goals (eight), assists (22) and points (30), and leads the team in ice time per game (25:45). He had an assist in a 5-3 loss to the New York Rangers on Thursday.

Utah acquired Sergachev in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning on June 29 for defenseman J.J. Moser, forward Conor Geekie, a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in 2025. -- Matt Komma