NHL Buzz: Allen to make Devils debut against Stars
Bennett, Rodrigues out for Panthers; Marner still sidelined for Maple Leafs
© Andrew Maclean/New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
Jake Allen will debut for the Devils when they play at the Dallas Stars (8 p.m. ET; MSGSN2, BSSW) on Thursday.
The goalie, acquired in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens on March 8, has practiced with the team but was unable to play because of visa issues. He is 6-12-0 with a 3.65 goals-against average and .892 save percentage in 21 games this season, and hasn't played since March 5, when he made 25 saves in a 4-3 overtime win against the Nashville Predators.
"He's a veteran guy," Devils coach Travis Green said. "A good goalie in the League for a while now … I'm looking forward to getting Jake in the net and get him up and running as quick as possible."
Defensemen Jonas Siegenthaler (concussion, out indefinitely) and John Marino (upper body) will not play. -- Taylor Baird
Florida Panthers
Forwards Sam Bennett and Evan Rodrigues will not play when the Panthers visit the Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET: BSSO, BSFL).
Bennett, who scored a goal in 15:20 of ice time in a 4-3 win at the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, has an undisclosed injury. He has 32 points (16 goals, 16 assists) in 54 games.
Rodrigues (lower body) will miss his second straight game. He has 36 points (10 goals, 26 assists) in 65 games.
"It's day to day," Florida coach Paul Maurice said after the morning skate. "We will reevaluate them for the Tampa Bay game on Saturday."
Jonah Gadjovich will be in lineup for the first time in four games and Anton Lundell will slot into Bennett's role as the center on a line with Carter Verhaeghe and Matthew Tkachuk.
"[Lundell] has played with good players, and he can make plays," Maurice said. "We feel his game is really trending in the right direction. He can do both; he can play against the other team's best, but he can also make some plays. If you're going to play with Verhaeghe, you need somebody to get him the puck and to check as well. In terms of style of play, there's a lot of (Aleksander) Barkov there. He's defensively responsible, but he has strong hands as well." -- Kurt Dusterberg
Vegas Golden Knights
William Carrier is expected to play for the Golden Knights against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome (9 p.m. ET; SNW, SCRIPPS) after the forward missed 26 games with an upper-body injury.
Carrier last played Jan. 4, a 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers, and was placed on long-term injury reserve March 9. He is projected to skate to the left of center Nicolas Roy and right wing Keegan Kolesar, likely in place of Paul Cotter.
"He gives us lots of energy on the bench, in the room," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. "He's a veteran presence. He's a well-liked guy. That part of it is great to have back, and he's vocal. As for his play on the ice, he's the perfect piece on that identity line that we use to establish forechecks, starts periods."
Carrier has seven points (five goals, two assists) in 33 games this season and 106 points (57 goals, 49 assists) in 407 NHL games for the Golden Knights and Buffalo Sabres.
"He knows his role," Cassidy said. "He gets it behind D, he's physical, he controls pucks down low, he's really hard to play against, and really complements that line. Paul Cotter was giving us some of that, just Will's further along in his career. It'll be nice to have him back." -- Aaron Vickers
Boston Bruins
Pat Maroon remains week to week after the Bruins acquired him in a trade with the Minnesota Wild on Friday.
The forward had back surgery Feb. 7 with the timeline for his return estimated at 4-6 weeks.
"He's not even skating yet, so it's week to week," Boston coach Jim Montgomery said Wednesday. "…The professionals that we have think the best thing is to gradually bring him back onto the ice."
Maroon has 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) and 60 penalty minutes in 49 games this season.
Forward James van Riemsdyk and defenseman Matt Grzelcyk each did not practice Wednesday because of illness. Van Riemsdyk traveled with the Bruins for their game at the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN2, NESN), but Grzelcyk did not.
Defenseman Andrew Peeke will make his Bruins debut Thursday. He was acquired in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 8.
"It's special playing for an Original Six team," said Peeke, who has eight points (one goal, seven assists) in 23 games this season. "It's all you can dream of. Just going to go out there and play my game and at this point I feel like I'm getting accustomed to everything, systems and whatnot, so I'm excited." -- Amalie Benjamin
Winnipeg Jets
Mark Scheifele could return for the Jets when they host the Anaheim Ducks on Friday (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, KCOP-13).
The forward did not play in a 4-2 loss to the Nashville Predators on Wednesday because of an illness. He leads the Jets with 57 points (19 goals, 38 assists) in 58 games.
"We'll see how Mark feels," coach Rick Bowness said Thursday. "He's feeling better today than he did last night. ... That decision will be made tomorrow morning."
Vancouver Canucks
Tyler Myers likely will return to the lineup against the Washington Capitals on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; CITY, SNP, MNMT2).
The defenseman returned to practice Tuesday for the first time since sustaining a lower-injury in a 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 29. He was listed as week to week and had missed the past four games.
Myers did not play for the Canucks in their 4-3 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.
"It was good to get back out with the guys," Myers said Tuesday. "It's getting pretty close here, so we'll see in the next day or few days what game it's going to be. I know the coaches are still talking and still got to have some conversations with the medical staff, but we'll see after I talk to them where we kind of stand."
Myers has 23 points (four goals, 19 assists) and a plus-12 rating in 62 games this season, his best offensive output in five seasons with Vancouver. He is averaging 18:57 of ice time, including 2:11 on the penalty kill, third most on the team.
"I like to get certain guys practice time and [Myers] had a really good practice day ... he's getting close," Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said. -- Kevin Woodley
Toronto Maple Leafs
Mitch Marner will not play for the Maple Leafs against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+, TSN4).
The forward has not practiced this week after not playing in a 3-2 win at Montreal on Saturday because of a lower-body injury.
Marner was injured in a 4-1 loss at the Boston Bruins on March 7, though he finished the game. He scored and had three shots on goal in 20:51 of ice time.
The Maple Leafs signed Bobby McMann to a two-year, $2.7 million contract Wednesday. It has an average annual value of $1.35 million.
The 27-year-old forward has 18 points (10 goals, eight assists) in 40 games this season. He has 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) in 50 NHL games with Toronto since signing as a free agent April 2, 2020. -- Dave McCarthy
