NHL Buzz: Lauzon week to week for Predators
Sergachev skates for 1st time since leg injury; Arvidsson expected back for Kings against Blackhawks
© Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images
Nashville Predators
Jeremy Lauzon is week to week for the Predators with a lower-body injury.
The defenseman played 20:14 in a 4-1 win against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday. He has 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in 68 games this season and leads the NHL in hits (327).
Nashville, which is on a 14-game point streak (12-0-2), holds the first wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference.
Marc Del Gaizo will take Lauzon's place in the lineup. He played five games with Nashville in November.
"[Del Gaizo] has been great," Predators coach Andrew Brunette said Tuesday. "We got a good taste of him this year. We're really fortunate that we have a deep defense corps down (in Milwaukee of the American Hockey League) with [Spencer Stastney and Del Gaizo]. ... We've got some players that have been outstanding for Milwaukee. It's going to happen throughout the course of the year. To me, that's an opportunity. It's an opportunity to get a great opportunity, an opportunity to come into our group and help pull the rope here." -- Robby Stanley
Los Angeles Kings
Viktor Arvidsson is expected to return from a lower-body injury when the Kings host the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; BSW, NBCSCH).
Arvidsson has missed the past 13 games after the forward was injured during his only shift against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Feb. 20. He returned to practice as a full participant Monday, working on the fourth line with Alex Turcotte and Trevor Lewis, and took part in the morning skate Tuesday.
Arvidsson missed the first 50 games of the season because of a back injury that required surgery. He has two assists in four games this season.
Arvidsson had 59 points (26 goals, 33 assists) in 77 games for Los Angeles last season. -- Dan Greenspan
Tampa Bay Lightning
Mikhail Sergachev skated Monday for the first time since sustaining a season-ending leg injury during a game at the New York Rangers on Feb. 8.
The 25-year-old defenseman had 19 points (two goals, 17 assists) in 34 games while averaging 22:33 of ice time, second on the Lightning behind defenseman Victor Hedman (24:48). He has 257 points (48 goals, 209 assists) in 475 regular-season games, and 33 points (nine goals, 24 assists) in 98 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
"Great to be back on the ice," Sergachev wrote in an Instagram post.
Sergachev, who is on long-term injured reserve, helped Tampa Bay win the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021.
The Lightning (36-25-6) visit the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, BSSUN, SNO, SNE, SN1).
Calgary Flames
Jacob Markstrom could return as early as this weekend, according to Flames coach Ryan Huska.
Calgary's No. 1 goalie has missed the past four games because of a lower-body injury. Markstrom is 22-17-2 with a 2.68 goals-against average and .910 save percentage in 41 games this season.
"We're expecting him to skate three more times this week coming up," Huska said Monday. "Hopefully everything keeps progressing the right way and he's in our net on the weekend."
The Flames (33-30-5) visit the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday before hosting the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.
Rookie goalie Dustin Wolf made his third straight start in a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals at Scotiabank Saddledome on Monday. Wolf, who has played four games (three starts) in Markstrom's absence, is 2-1-0 with a 2.13 goals-against average and .931 save percentage since being recalled from Calgary of the American Hockey League on March 12.
"He's played well, so he deserves an opportunity to stay in there," Huska said. -- Aaron Vickers
Toronto Maple Leafs
Mitch Marner did not travel with the Maple Leafs for their two-game road trip this week while he continues to recover from a high ankle sprain.
Toronto visited the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday in the first game of a back-to-back. It also faces Washington on Wednesday.
Marner did not skate Monday, the third consecutive day that he has been off the ice after skating on his own Thursday and Friday.
"Trying to get him to the point where he is comfortable throughout the week, so he's day to day away from being day to day," coach Sheldon Keefe said. "It's just that it hasn't been responding the way they (medical staff) had hoped, so it's just stepping back a little bit with it."
Marner has missed three games because of the injury sustained in a 4-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on March 7. He is third on the Maple Leafs with 76 points (25 goals, 51 assists) in 62 games.
Defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin did not practice Monday because of an illness and will did travel. He is doubtful to play against the Flyers, Keefe said. -- Dave McCarthy
